Category Archives: Constitution (Written)

Question Period and the “Administrative Responsibility” of Federal Ministers

Posted on 2022/11/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Moral Panic Over Ontario’s Invocation of the Notwithstanding Clause Breaks the Rules of the House of Commons The moral panic over the Notwithstanding Clause escaped containment in Toronto and spread to Ottawa on 2 November 2022. The federal House … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution (Written), Decorum, Notwithstanding Clause, Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons, Traditions and History | Leave a comment

The Section 45 Constitutional Amendment Becomes a Vehicle for Provincial Autonomism

Posted on 2022/11/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

François Legault’s Nationalist Autonomism In 2021, the Government of Quebec began releasing its own “Administrative Consolidation of the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Canada Act, 1982” in 2021[1], which differed from and ostensibly rivalled the Department of Justice’s latest consolidation of the Constitution … Continue reading →

Posted in Amending Formulas, Consolidations, Constitution (Written) | 2 Comments

The Notwithstanding Clause Strikes Again!

Posted on 2022/11/03 by J.W.J. Bowden

Another moral panic against the Notwithstanding Clause has broken out and gripped the salons and cafes of Toronto in a repeat of the previous Panic of 2018;  Andrew Coyne outed himself yesterday as the Geraldo Rivera of this second wave.

Posted in Constitution (Written), Constitutional Conventions, Notwithstanding Clause | 2 Comments

My Latest Book Review in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law

Posted on 2022/10/21 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law just published my review of Donald F. Bur’s Laws of the Constitution Consolidated, by the University of Alberta Press. Similar Posts: Who Decides What the Constitution Is and Says? Quebec Modifies the Text of the Constitution Act, 1867 (June … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Constitution (Written), Indirect Amendment, My Published Works, Reviews | Leave a comment

How Would We Amend or Abolish the Oath of Allegiance to the King in the Constitution Act, 1867 ?

Posted on 2022/10/19 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Leaders’ Debate and the Demise of the Crown During Radio-Canada’s leaders’ debate on 22 September 2022, the moderator Patrice Roy barely suppressed his own condescending laughter to ask the leaders of five political parties, “Should we still, in Quebec, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amending Formulas, Constitution (Written), Crown (Powers and Office), Oaths of Allegiance | 2 Comments