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 Nova Scotian Strain: Tactical Prorogation in Canada’s Ocean Playground

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

Prorogation by Speech from the Throne Qualifies as a “Sitting” On 18 December 2020, prorogation once again provoked some controversy in Canada – but this time for a different reason which might surprise you.

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Prorogation | Leave a comment

The Shards of the Office of Governor General of Canada

Posted on 2021/01/31 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction In January 2021, Julie Payette resigned the Office of Governor General in disgrace. Her troubled tenure has shattered the credibility of the institution and provided anti-monarchists a greater platform on which to stand than they ever dared hope. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Governor General | 4 Comments

A Star Goes Supernova: Julie Payette Resigns as Governor General

Posted on 2021/01/22 by J.W.J. Bowden

This week, we have seen the departure of a disgraced, self-serving petulant bully who left executive office with one last closing salvo of bitter recrimination and disavowal of personal responsibility for having created a toxic, dysfunctional workplace that showed absurdly … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Governor General, Governor's Discretion | 4 Comments

Insurrectionists Have Betrayed the Revolution of 1800

Posted on 2021/01/07 by J.W.J. Bowden

Peaceful transitions of power between governments form the bedrock upon which the edifice of liberal-democratic self-government rests. Since the elections in 2000 and Al Gore’s concession speech, I have witnessed many American politicians deliver cloying speeches about peaceful transitions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Monarchism v Republicanism | 8 Comments

“Canada’s Legal-Constitutional Continuity, 1791-1867” Published in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law

Posted on 2021/01/01 by J.W.J. Bowden

  Some of you might be interested; some of you might not. The JPPL published an updated version of the paper that I first presented back in May 2017 at the Université de Montréal’s “Constitution at 150” conference.

Posted in History of British North America, My Published Works | 2 Comments