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.

Constitutional Issues in the Albertan Leaders’ Debate

Posted on 2012/04/13 by J.W.J. Bowden

This leadership debate dredged up several interesting constitutional issues and revealed a great deal of ignorance toward the principles of Responsible Government, the use of direct democracy (in this case, initiative-referendums and government-led referendums)in Canadian history, and the role of … Continue reading →

Posted in Constructive Non-Confidence, Direct Democracy, Fixed-Date Elections, Reform | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Neither the Queen Nor the Governor General Can Dissolve Parliament Unilaterally!

Posted on 2012/04/12 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Radicalism of the “Stop Harper” Lobby and of the High-Tory Monarchists Last year, Bridget DePape abused her position as a Senate Page and mounted a silent protest with her “Stop Harper” sign in the Senate chamber while the Governor … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Governor's Discretion, Prime Minister's Powers, Reaffirmation of, Responsible Government, Whigs v Tories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Abolishing the Crown of Canada: Political Difficulty versus Constitutional Significance

Posted on 2012/03/29 by J.W.J. Bowden

Christopher Moore, a Canadian author and historian, runs a blog called “History News,” which used to appear on my blogroll until I reciprocated Moore’s gesture of deletion. Yesterday, he wrote “Abolishing the Monarchy – What, Like It’s Hard?” in response … Continue reading →

Posted in Monarchism v Republicanism | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Lack of Punctuation Turned the “Progressive Conservative” Parties into Oxymorons

Posted on 2012/03/21 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Conservative Party of Canada has undergone several name changes throughout its history. From the 1860s to the early 20th century, the forbearer of the modern political party called itself the “Liberal-Conservative Party”. The hyphen denotes the merging of two … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Parties | 7 Comments

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Debate on the Crown: John Fraser vs. Michael Bliss

Posted on 2012/03/20 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction The Macdonald-Laurier Institute held a debate on the Crown on 14 March 2012 on the resolution that “The monarchy is a dangerous anachronism”. John Fraser opposed it, and Michael Bliss supported it. The erstwhile republican Jack Granastein presided over … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences and Speeches, Monarchism v Republicanism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments