Category Archives: Crown (Powers and Office)

Savoie ne sait pas: The Governor General of Canada Does Not Unadjourn the House of Commons

Posted on 2024/12/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Governor General does not decide when the House of Commons or the Senate come out of an adjournment and resume sitting. The House of Commons and Senate vote to adjourn themselves and to resume sitting, but the Crown summons, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Parliament, Prorogation, Speaker of the House of Commons | 3 Comments

All I Want for Christmas Is a Constitutional Crisis

Posted on 2024/12/23 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Most Chaotic Week in Ottawa Since February 1963 Chrystia Freeland resigned as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in spectacular fashion on Monday, 16 December 2024 mere hours before she would have delivered the Fall Economic Update in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Prorogation | 1 Comment

Journalists Refuse to Report on Incumbent Premiers Accurately

Posted on 2024/11/02 by J.W.J. Bowden

Journalists need to earn the trust of their viewers and readers. They could start by reporting on the basic foundations of Responsible Government in Canada correctly. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick have recently held general elections in accordance with … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Formation of Governments | Leave a comment

“I Had No Option”: How John Turner Became Pierre Trudeau’s Patronage Patsy in 1984

Posted on 2024/09/25 by J.W.J. Bowden

Pulling the Thread That Unravels the Tapestry  Like many interesting stories, this begins with a mistake and a clerical error. My colleague David Brock and I wrote an article for the Saskatchewan Law Review called “Beyond the Writ: The Expansion … Continue reading →

Posted in Appointment of PM, Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Constitutional Conventions, Crown (Powers and Office), Formation of Governments | Leave a comment

The Commonwealth Realms Diverge: Whether the Prime Minister Determines the Duration of the Ministry or Not

Posted on 2024/07/10 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction Britons went to the polls on 4 July 2024 and ended up giving Labour a massive majority of 411 out of 650 MPs. By the next morning, outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had already tendered his resignation to … Continue reading →

Posted in Appointment of PM, Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Commonwealth Realms, Comparative, Constitutional Conventions, Crown (Powers and Office) | Leave a comment