Author Archives: J.W.J. Bowden

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About J.W.J. Bowden

My area of academic expertise lies in Canadian political institutions, especially the Crown, political executive, and conventions of Responsible Government; since 2011, I have made a valuable contribution to the scholarship by having been published and cited extensively. I’m also a contributing editor to the Dorchester Review and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law.

A Mature Country Does Not Demand Absolutist Party Discipline

Posted on 2023/02/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Dorchester Review recently published my article last month “Party Discipline and the King Doctrine”, in which I recount a brief history of party discipline in Canada over the last century, the Reform Act, and the significance of what we … Continue reading →

Posted in Party Discipline, Political Parties | 8 Comments

A Tribute to David E. Smith

Posted on 2023/01/03 by J.W.J. Bowden

I experienced a strange and sad serendipity today.

Posted in Reviews, Tributes and Memorials | 2 Comments

Quebec Unilaterally Exempts Itself from the Oath of Allegiance: The Demise of the Crown Reinforces Autonomist Nationalism

Posted on 2022/12/07 by J.W.J. Bowden

The New Nationalism in 21st-Century Quebec The recent demise of the Crown from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III has made the occasional flare ups of active derision toward constitutional monarchy the new normal state of affairs in Quebec … Continue reading →

Posted in Amending Formulas, Consolidations, Constitution (Written), Oaths of Allegiance | 2 Comments

Stripping Disgraced Former Senators of their Honorific Title

Posted on 2022/12/07 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Saga of Former Senator Don Meredith Haunts Us Still Don Meredith resigned as a Senator from Ontario in May 2017 before the Senate could expel him outright on the recommendation of the Second Report of the Standing Committee on … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Expulsion of Members, Parliament, Parliamentary Privilege, The Honours System | 1 Comment

With Andor, Star Wars Finally Gets Politics Right

Posted on 2022/12/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

The prequel trilogy contained the kernels of several interesting ideas but suffered under George Lucas’s rudimentary understanding of politics. The system of government of the Old Republic infamously makes no sense and combines a random hodgepodge of elements of presidentialism … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Film & Television, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reviews | Leave a comment