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.

Prime Minister May’s Presidential Style

Posted on 2017/05/07 by J.W.J. Bowden

On 3 May 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement outside Number 10 Downing Street to mark the start of the general election, for which Britons will go to the polls on 8 June. The 56th Parliament of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixed-Date Elections | Leave a comment

Harjit Sajjan and the Architecture of Ministerial Responsibility

Posted on 2017/05/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction A controversy has erupted around Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence and a retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Army who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, over remarks that he made in a speech to the Observer Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Individual vs Collective Ministerial Responsibility, Responsible Government | 2 Comments

You Can Now Watch the Liberals Expunge Dominion Day from Canadian History

Posted on 2017/04/25 by J.W.J. Bowden

CPAC has recently done Canadians a great public service by uploading all the video footage of the proceedings of the House of Commons from its debut in October 1977 to present. As such, we can now see for ourselves how the Liberals … Continue reading →

Posted in Dominion Day, Dorchester Review, History of British North America | Leave a comment

Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jeremy Corbyn Expose the Futility of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act

Posted on 2017/04/23 by J.W.J. Bowden

Sometimes nerdy political historians and political scientists could be accused of enjoying political shenanigans or borderline constitutional crises, like the Prorogation-Coalition Controversy of 2008, because they’re “interesting.” They are indeed interesting. But they are, more importantly, instructive and revealing.

Posted in Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections | 1 Comment

Historical Resources on the Proceedings of the House of Commons and Senate

Posted on 2017/04/22 by J.W.J. Bowden

Recently, two excellent historical resources on the proceedings of the Parliament of Canada have become readily available online. Many of you would join me in finding them useful and interesting.

Posted in Parliament, Traditions and History | Leave a comment