Category Archives: Responsible Government

Sajjan and the Architecture of Ministerial Responsibility

Posted on 2017/05/04 by

Introduction A controversy has erupted around Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence and a retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Army who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, over remarks that he made in a speech to the Observer Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Responsible Government | 2 Comments

Why The Finance Minister Is the Most Important After the Prime Minister

Posted on 2017/04/04 by

  Introduction If you asked Canadians, Britons, or Australians which minister is the most important after the prime minister, you would almost invariably get the same answer: the Finance Minister — known as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Responsible Government | 3 Comments

Collective Ministerial Responsibility and Censure in Australia

Posted on 2017/01/09 by

One of my Australian readers commented on the previous post and linked to House of Representatives Practice, the Australian equivalent of O’Brien and Bosc’s tome, and its commentary on the censure of an individual minister. Prime Minister and other Ministers From time … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliamentary Privilege, Responsible Government | 3 Comments

On Collective Ministerial Responsibility and Impeachment

Posted on 2017/01/04 by

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Books, Documentaries, Confidence Convention, Dorchester Review, Parliamentary Privilege, Responsible Government, Reviews and Critiques | 6 Comments

1841 or 1848: When Did Responsible Government Begin?

Posted on 2017/01/03 by

The latest issue of The Dorchester Review contains my first little foray into this question of when Responsible Government began;  I hope to expand this initial contribution into a larger project. For now, you can read my initial findings here. The idea came … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorchester Review, History of British North America, Origins, Responsible Government | 4 Comments