Category Archives: History of British North America

Senator Pratte’s Doublespeak on the Two O Canadas

Posted on 2017/04/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

This country has, in fact, two national anthems: the original French O Canada, which has remained unchanged since 1880, and Weir’s English version of O Canada. The two anthems say completely different things and bear no resemblance to one another, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, O Canada | 3 Comments

Justin Trudeau Will Make Prorogation Great Again

Posted on 2017/04/07 by J.W.J. Bowden

I don’t want to pre-empt my upcoming longer article on this subject, so I will boil down this subject to its essence. The Liberals pledged in their election platform from 2015 that they would never use prorogation for purely political … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dorchester Review, Prorogation | 2 Comments

The O Canada Bill: Third Reading Purgatory & Grammatical Pedantry

Posted on 2017/04/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

In my AP English class in 2004, I recall that several of my classmates protested against diagramming sentences on the erroneous and misplaced grounds that “Our boss will never ask us to diagram a sentence!” (Incidentally, the fact that we were using … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, History of British North America, O Canada | 1 Comment

Some Thoughts on National Parks in Canada and the United States

Posted on 2017/03/13 by J.W.J. Bowden

I just overdosed on pseudo-profound American exceptionalism and Tocqueville-inspired democracy babble in this preview for Ken Burns’s PBS documentary on America’s national parks. I thoroughly enjoyed Burns’s documentaries on the US Civil War, Prohibition, and the Roosevelts, but based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Documentaries, History of British North America, Random Thoughts | Leave a comment

On Collective Ministerial Responsibility and Impeachment

Posted on 2017/01/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction: Ian Brodie’s Article in The Dorchester Review Ian Brodie, one of Stephen Harper’s former chiefs of staff who served him both as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and as Prime Minister, contributed an interesting article to the most recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Censure or Impeachment of Ministers, Confidence Convention, Constitutional Conventions, Dorchester Review, History of British North America, Individual vs Collective Ministerial Responsibility, Parliament, Parliamentary Privilege, Responsible Government, Reviews, Separation of Powers | 6 Comments