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.

The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Bill and Henry VIII Clauses

Posted on 2022/12/02 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Opening Salvo in the Speech from the Throne: “Standing Up to Ottawa” On 29 November 2022, the Salma Lakhani, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, read a Speech from the Throne containing a pugilistic sub-section on “Standing Up to Ottawa,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution (Written), Division of Powers, Separation of Powers | 2 Comments

Question Period and the “Administrative Responsibility” of Federal Ministers

Posted on 2022/11/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Moral Panic Over Ontario’s Invocation of the Notwithstanding Clause Breaks the Rules of the House of Commons The moral panic over the Notwithstanding Clause escaped containment in Toronto and spread to Ottawa on 2 November 2022. The federal House … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution (Written), Decorum, Notwithstanding Clause, Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons, Traditions and History | Leave a comment

The Section 45 Constitutional Amendment Becomes a Vehicle for Provincial Autonomism

Posted on 2022/11/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

François Legault’s Nationalist Autonomism In 2021, the Government of Quebec began releasing its own “Administrative Consolidation of the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Canada Act, 1982” in 2021[1], which differed from and ostensibly rivalled the Department of Justice’s latest consolidation of the Constitution … Continue reading →

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

The Notwithstanding Clause Strikes Again!

Posted on 2022/11/03 by J.W.J. Bowden

Another moral panic against the Notwithstanding Clause has broken out and gripped the salons and cafes of Toronto in a repeat of the previous Panic of 2018;  Andrew Coyne outed himself yesterday as the Geraldo Rivera of this second wave.

Posted in Constitution (Written), Constitutional Conventions, Notwithstanding Clause | 2 Comments

My Latest Book Review in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law

Posted on 2022/10/21 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law just published my review of Donald F. Bur’s Laws of the Constitution Consolidated, by the University of Alberta Press. Similar Posts: Who Decides What the Constitution Is and Says? Quebec Modifies the Text of the Constitution Act, 1867 (June … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Constitution (Written), Indirect Amendment, My Published Works, Reviews | Leave a comment