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.

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

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