Monthly Archives: December 2012

David Johnston on the Constitutional Relationship Between the Governor General and the Prime Minister


Governor General Johnston’s Remarks On 11 December 2012, Sandie Rinaldo interviewed Governor General David Johnston, who provided some good insights on the proper constitutional relationship between the Governor and Prime Minister under our system of Responsible Government.[1] Governor General David … Continue reading

Posted in Consultations, Crown (Powers and Office), Responsible Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Queen’s Annual Christmas Message


Introduction I wish you all a very happy Christmas and hope that this blog entry finds you well. Last year in “A Parliamentarist’s Christmas,” I explored the influences of ecclesiastical architecture on the neo-Gothic style of the Centre Bloc of … Continue reading

Posted in Corporation Sole, Crown (Powers and Office), Succession (Sovereign), The Personal Union | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Succeeding to the Australian Throne


Succession in Australia Anne Twomey, a Professor of Law at the University of Sydney, has written extensively on the Crown of Australia and other issues of government. I consider her the foremost expert on constitutionalism and Westminster parliamentarism in our … Continue reading

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Succession (Sovereign), The Personal Union | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

“Succeeding to the Canadian Throne”


Professor Philippe Lagassé and I have co-authored “Succeeding to the Canadian Throne” for the Ottawa Citizen. In this column, we explain why the Crown of Canada is a hereditary corporation sole and why succession to the Crown falls under the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporation Sole, Crown (Powers and Office), Succession (Sovereign), The Personal Union | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Blogrolls *Are* Endorsements: Excellent and Interesting Blogs on the History and Practice of Westminster Parliamentarism


No practice in social media has made me bristle with indignation more than this ubiquitous and irritating phrase on Twitter, “Retweets are not endorsements.” You may also have seen the qualified, Mackenzie King-style version, “Retweets are not necessarily endorsements” (which … Continue reading

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