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.

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

Elizabeth May & The Spectre of Proportional Representation, Part I

Posted on 2019/11/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

The results of the general federal election of October 2019 – particularly in Quebec –  have revivified the unthinking cacophonous bleating about proportional representation to which the Special Committee on Electoral Reform gave a platform in the last parliament. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Electoral Reform, Reform | Leave a comment

Some Additional Thoughts on the 2019 Election: When Should a Party Leader Resign?

Posted on 2019/10/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

The last few days have featured a plethora of news articles calling Andrew Scheer’s leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada into question. Ipsos-Reid claims that 63% of Canadians want him to resign[1] (though given that only 34.4% of Canadians … Continue reading →

Posted in History of British North America, Political Parties | 2 Comments

Justin Trudeau Remains Prime Minister But Also Subject to the Caretaker Convention

Posted on 2019/10/23 by J.W.J. Bowden

Results of the Election         On 21 October, voters elected members to a minority parliament, the fourth in the last fifteen years. In this House of Commons, engorged to 338 members since 2015, a party needs at least 170 to form … Continue reading →

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

Andrew Scheer Is Not Exactly Wrong: Forming Governments in Minority Parliaments

Posted on 2019/10/21 by J.W.J. Bowden

“Whichever party gets the most votes and the most seats, if not an absolute majority, has the first right to seek to govern, either on its own or by reaching out to other parties.”

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Crown (Powers and Office), Formation of Governments | 3 Comments