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.

Minority Parliaments and the Governor General’s Special Warrants

Posted on 2019/10/16 by J.W.J. Bowden

Joe Jordan’s Column The polls indicate that Canadians will elect a minority parliament next week, and this has naturally spawned much speculation on the roles of the Governor General and political parties in the formation of governments and what would … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Formation of Governments | Leave a comment

The Over-Zealous Caretakers of the 2019 Election

Posted on 2019/10/14 by J.W.J. Bowden

Caretaker Convention During the writ in 2015, Parks Canada infamously agonised over issuing a routine public advisory about the threat that bears and mountain lions posed to hikers in Rocky Mountain national parks that fall, falsely believing that the Caretaker … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions | Leave a comment

This Election Has Not Been A Time to Discuss Serious Issues: The Very Unserious Issue of Dual Citizenship

Posted on 2019/10/06 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction The media revealed earlier this week that Andrew Scheer is a natural-born citizen of both Canada and the United States. He inherited the American citizenship through his father. This piece of information has generated some considerable controversy, not least … Continue reading →

Posted in History of British North America | 2 Comments

The Caretaker Convention and the Appointment of Supreme Court Justices During Elections: 2015 vs 2019

Posted on 2019/09/27 by J.W.J. Bowden

Prime Minister Appoints New Justice to the Supreme Court During the Election On 24 April 2015, Marshall Rothstein announced that he would retire as a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada on 31 August 2015.[1] On 27 July 2015, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions | 6 Comments

The Caretaker Convention in 2019

Posted on 2019/09/15 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction Prime Minister Trudeau has advised Her Excellency Julie Payette to dissolve the 42nd Parliament and issue the writs for the 43rd general election, which will occur on 21 October 2019. So endeth the longest session in Canadian history. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions | 3 Comments