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 People’s Republic of Alberta: Alberta’s Very Unparliamentary Style of Politics

Posted on 2015/04/06 by J.W.J. Bowden

The American Custom of Press Conferences and Opposition Responses Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once explained to an American audience on C-SPAN what differentiated a Westminster parliamentary system from the American presidential system. At 21 minutes into the interview, … Continue reading →

Posted in Loyal Opposition, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism | 2 Comments

Fixed-Date Election Foibles in the Provinces

Posted on 2015/03/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction After the federal general election of May 2011, some provinces found themselves facing the prospect of holding their provincial general elections simultaneously with the federal general election that will occur (presumably still) in October 2015. At the time, Saskatchewan, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections, Reform | Leave a comment

Which Party Becomes the Official Opposition In the Event of a Tie? Canadian Precedents

Posted on 2014/12/18 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction When I first wrote this entry three years ago, a friend had asked me which party would become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, or Official Opposition, in the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador if the two opposition parties … Continue reading →

Posted in Loyal Opposition | 7 Comments

The Delegitimation of the Crown of Canada: Paul Heinbecker’s Argument Against Constitutional Monarchy

Posted on 2014/07/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Crown Hurts Diplomacy? Paul Heinbecker, a former Canadian diplomat and now the Director of Global Relations at Wilfrid Laurier University, contributed a column to the Globe and Mail entitled “The Monarchy Hurts Canada’s Standing in the World. It’s Time … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Monarchism v Republicanism, The Personal Union | 17 Comments

From Dominion Day to Canada Day: From Historical Significance To Banality

Posted on 2014/07/02 by J.W.J. Bowden

I have since turned this blog entry into an article in The Dorchester Review, which you can read here: Bowden (2015) 1951: The Death of the Dominion History of the “Dominion” of Canada The re-organization of three British North American Crown … Continue reading →

Posted in Dominion Day, History of British North America | 4 Comments