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 Over-Zealous Caretakers of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2021

Posted on 2021/03/26 by J.W.J. Bowden

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Caretaker Guidelines from 2019 A few weeks ago, I received a report from one of my readers that some departments of the government of Newfoundland and Labrador have decided not to answer questions from journalists on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions | 1 Comment

Gerontocracy in the United States vs the Rise of Generation X in Canada

Posted on 2021/03/20 by J.W.J. Bowden

Since the fall of 2019, I have read a series of articles in mid-brow American news magazines lamenting that a crop of aging politicians born in the 1940s, these Soixante-Huitards and the tailend of the Silent Generation, maintain their deathgrip … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism | 2 Comments

Picking Up the Shards of the Office of Governor General: A New Advisory Committee Created

Posted on 2021/03/15 by J.W.J. Bowden

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Governor General | 2 Comments

Following Up on the Office of Governor General: Documents Not Gazetted

Posted on 2021/03/11 by J.W.J. Bowden

Even without catchy buzzphrases like “deliverology” and “Open Government,” the Government of Canada published more official documents in the mid-20th century than it does today simply out of a sense of common decency and an understanding that liberal-democratic countries must … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Governor General | 1 Comment

The Doctrine of Necessity in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Omnishambles Election

Posted on 2021/02/19 by J.W.J. Bowden

Conflating the Caretaker Convention with The Doctrine of Necessity I remain transfixed by the spectacle unfolding in Newfoundland and Labrador and will have to report back once Elections Newfoundland and Labrador counts the ballots cast in this illegitimate election. Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Doctrine of Necessity, Fixed-Date Elections, Reform | 5 Comments