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.

A Caretaker Convention in the United States?

Posted on 2016/02/16 by J.W.J. Bowden

This is of interest to me from a comparative perspective. I’m by no means an expert on the current practices in the American system of government. My analytics tell me that Parliamentum does have an appreciable American readership, so I hope that … Continue reading →

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

In Defence of Single-Member Plurality

Posted on 2016/02/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

Adopting a ranked ballot would in effect convert our single-member plurality into a system of single-member majority, like the electoral system for Australia’s House of Representatives, since it would still rely on single-member geographic constituencies and not party lists. Such … Continue reading →

Posted in Electoral Reform, Reform | 1 Comment

The Trudeau II Government’s Electoral Teleology

Posted on 2016/02/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Liberal Platform and the Trudeau II Government’s Policy Proposal During the last general election, the Liberals pledged to study changing the electoral system from single-member plurality (also known pejoratively by its opponents as “first past the post”) to some … Continue reading →

Posted in Electoral Reform, Reform | Leave a comment

Catching a Glimpse of a Long Forgotten Country: The Great Fire of 1916

Posted on 2016/02/03 by J.W.J. Bowden

On 3 February 1916, one hundred years ago today, a raging inferno consumed the original Center Block and left it a smoldering ruin and a gutted husk of its former glory. Seven perished in the deadly blaze. Only the Library of … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament, Traditions and History | Leave a comment

Thoughts on How We Translate the Caretaker Convention

Posted on 2016/01/30 by J.W.J. Bowden

This follows up on and adds to my earlier entry describing my talk on government formation to Professor Philippe Lagassé’s seminar on parliamentarism, which you can read here. When Phil and I were discussing the Privy Council Office’s Guidelines on … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions | 1 Comment