Category Archives: History of British North America

1896: Tupper & Laurier Debate the Role of Governor General and Popular vs Parliamentary Sovereignty

Posted on 2020/04/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction   On 8 July 1896, Governor General Lord Aberdeen forced Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper from office by refusing to promulgate his constitutional advice and sign off on Orders-in-Council to summon senators and make other appointments. Tupper sought to fill … Continue reading →

Posted in Appointment of PM, Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Confidence Convention, Constitutional Conventions, Crown (Powers and Office), Dorchester Review, Formation of Governments, History of British North America | 3 Comments

Rejecting Constitutional Advice Equals Dismissal from Office: How Governor General Lord Aberdeen Forced Sir Charles Tupper’s Resignation in 1896

Posted on 2020/01/01 by J.W.J. Bowden

When I first embarked on this constitutional odyssey in 2011, I encountered scholars who propagated a novel constitutional interpretation with no basis in history, nor in the principles of Responsible Government itself, which I call “Reserve Powers Without Consequence”: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Caretaker Convention & Government Formation, Dorchester Review, Formation of Governments, My Published Works | 2 Comments

Extra-Constitutional Reform of the Senate of Canada

Posted on 2019/12/27 by J.W.J. Bowden

The latest issue of The Dorchester Review includes my piece on “The Founders’ Senate.” In this article, I outline how the Senate of Canada, and the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, functioned as partisan legislative bodies from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, History of British North America, My Published Works, Senate Reform | Leave a comment

Some Additional Thoughts on the 2019 Election: When Should a Party Leader Resign?

Posted on 2019/10/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

The last few days have featured a plethora of news articles calling Andrew Scheer’s leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada into question. Ipsos-Reid claims that 63% of Canadians want him to resign[1] (though given that only 34.4% of Canadians … Continue reading →

Posted in History of British North America, Political Parties | 2 Comments

This Election Has Not Been A Time to Discuss Serious Issues: The Very Unserious Issue of Dual Citizenship

Posted on 2019/10/06 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction The media revealed earlier this week that Andrew Scheer is a natural-born citizen of both Canada and the United States. He inherited the American citizenship through his father. This piece of information has generated some considerable controversy, not least … Continue reading →

Posted in History of British North America | 2 Comments