Category Archives: Parliament

Which Party Becomes the Official Opposition In the Event of a Tie? Canadian Precedents

Posted on 2014/12/18 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction When I first wrote this entry three years ago, a friend had asked me which party would become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, or Official Opposition, in the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador if the two opposition parties … Continue reading →

Posted in Loyal Opposition | 7 Comments

A Law Can Be Repealed When Parliament Is Prorogued? Delegated Legislation and The Separation of Powers in Ontario

Posted on 2013/01/04 by J.W.J. Bowden

UPDATE: This post now forms the basis of an article in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law, “A Statute Can Be Repealed When Parliament Is Prorogued?” Introduction For a brief few minutes on January 3rd, I thought that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Parliament, Prorogation, Separation of Powers | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Bruce Hyer’s Rage Against Responsible Government and Loyal Opposition

Posted on 2012/06/19 by J.W.J. Bowden

Thomas Mulcair: Steeped in the Tradition of Opposition as Alternative Government  On 24 March 2012, the New Democratic party members elected Thomas Mulcair as their new leader. In a television interview a few hours after becoming the leader of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence Convention, Loyal Opposition, Reaffirmation of, Responsible Government, Separation of Powers | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts on “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism”, By Mann and Ornstein

Posted on 2012/06/15 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, two eminent Congressional scholars, co-authored their latest book on Congress earlier this year. In It’s Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Loyal Opposition, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reviews, Separation of Powers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Contradictory American Presidency: Why An Elected Executive Head of State Can Only Be a Divider, Not a Uniter

Posted on 2012/06/02 by J.W.J. Bowden

Authority Makes the Presidency Unifying as Head of State; Power Renders Him Divisive as Head of Government When campaigning for the presidency, George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas, famously proclaimed, “I’m uniter, not a divider.” I aim to show … Continue reading →

Posted in Loyal Opposition, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reaffirmation of, Separation of Powers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments