Author Archives: J.W.J. Bowden

Unknown's avatar

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.

Newfoundland & Labrador Must By Law Hold An Early Election By 2021

Posted on 2020/02/18 by J.W.J. Bowden

Dwight Ball Announces His Intention to Resign as Premier On 17 February 2020, Dwight Ball announced that he would step down as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador as soon as the Liberal Party of the province chooses its new leader. … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Formation of Governments | 1 Comment

Rejecting Constitutional Advice Equals Dismissal from Office: How Governor General Lord Aberdeen Forced Sir Charles Tupper’s Resignation in 1896

Posted on 2020/01/01 by J.W.J. Bowden

When I first embarked on this constitutional odyssey in 2011, I encountered scholars who propagated a novel constitutional interpretation with no basis in history, nor in the principles of Responsible Government itself, which I call “Reserve Powers Without Consequence”: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Dorchester Review, Formation of Governments, My Published Works | 2 Comments

Extra-Constitutional Reform of the Senate of Canada

Posted on 2019/12/27 by J.W.J. Bowden

The latest issue of The Dorchester Review includes my piece on “The Founders’ Senate.” In this article, I outline how the Senate of Canada, and the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, functioned as partisan legislative bodies from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, History of British North America, My Published Works, Senate Reform | Leave a comment

On Dual Citizenship and Senators in Canada and Australia

Posted on 2019/11/10 by J.W.J. Bowden

The British North America Act, 1867 and the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, 1901 set up the two first federal self-governing dominions within the British Empire, and they contain numerous similarities, sometimes even identical wording. For instance, section 91 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commonwealth Realms, Comparative | 8 Comments

Elizabeth May & the Spectre of Proportional Representation, Part II

Posted on 2019/11/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

Elizabeth May’s Electoral System Would Require a Multilateral Constitutional Amendment The day after the election, May appeared on CBC’s Power & Politics and both bragged that the Greens had tripled their parliamentary party (in the most basic sense, from 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Electoral Reform, Reform | Leave a comment