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.

The “1867 As Year Zero” School of Canadian History

Posted on 2017/06/10 by J.W.J. Bowden

John Boyko’s Book on John A. Macdonald Historian John Boyko appeared on The Agenda with Steve Paikin on 30 May in order to promote his new book, Sir John’s Echo: The Voice for a Stronger Canada. Boyko presents this warmed … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, History of British North America | 2 Comments

Prime Minister May’s Bane: The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act and the Perils of Early Dissolution

Posted on 2017/06/09 by J.W.J. Bowden

British Prime Minister Theresa May has learned a hard lesson: early dissolution is like a corrosive, volatile substance whose bearer must handle it carefully or risk being burned. She also learned its corollary: election campaigns matter. A poorly run campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixed-Date Elections | 3 Comments

The Harry Potter Parliament: British Columbia’s 41st Legislature

Posted on 2017/05/31 by J.W.J. Bowden

A geeky, Obsessive Pop-Culture Disorder-like thought about British Columbia’s 41st Legislature just occurred to me. Whomever the assembly elects as its Speaker, and whether the Clark ministry survives or a Horgan ministry takes its place, the razor-thin margin between the … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour | Leave a comment

O Canada, “Thou Dost in Us Command”

Posted on 2017/05/31 by J.W.J. Bowden

Senator Plett, a Conservative representing Manitoba, moved an amendment to the O Canada Bill on 18 May, which would still conform to the purpose of the bill (making the language gender neutral), but which would restore Robert Stanley Weir’s original … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, O Canada | Leave a comment

Can the 41st Legislature of British Columbia Elect a Speaker?

Posted on 2017/05/30 by J.W.J. Bowden

A Hung Parliament and Revival of 19th-Century Norms British Columbians went to the polls on 9 May 2017 and appeared to elect a hung parliament. Elections British Columbia had to conduct some mandatory recounts and count absentee and other ballots … Continue reading →

Posted in Formation of Governments | 40 Comments