Category Archives: Articles and Books

Review of The Crisis of Canadian Democracy by Andrew Coyne

Posted on 2025/05/24 by J.W.J. Bowden

In The Crisis of Canadian Democracy, Andrew Coyne repeats the same refrain that has made the rounds for decades but presents his polemic as if it were original. His superficial assertions seem like profound arguments at first glance, and an … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Reviews | 1 Comment

My Review of “Pivot or Pirouette? The 1993 Canadian General Election” by Tom Flanagan

Posted on 2023/06/30 by J.W.J. Bowden

Outline of the Book Tom Flanagan’s Pivot or Pirouette? The 1993 Canadian General Election is the first in a new series on “Turning Point Elections” edited by Gerald Baier and R. Kenneth Carty and published by the University of British … Continue reading →

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My Latest Book Review in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law

Posted on 2022/10/21 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law just published my review of Donald F. Bur’s Laws of the Constitution Consolidated, by the University of Alberta Press. Similar Posts: Who Decides What the Constitution Is and Says? Quebec Modifies the Text of the Constitution Act, 1867 (June … Continue reading →

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Cabinet Manuals As Prime Minister’s Manuals: Review of “The Prime Minister’s Constitution”

Posted on 2022/02/26 by J.W.J. Bowden

Nicholas Barry, Narelle Miragliotta, and Zim Nwokora have followed up on their work from 2018 “The Dynamics of Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Democracies” with an article on cabinet manuals entitled “The Prime Minister’s Constitution: Cabinet Rulebooks in Westminster Democracies.” They … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Constitutional Conventions, Officialization of Convention, Reviews | 1 Comment

Review of Gee & Webber’s “What Is a Political Constitution?” and Some More Thoughts on the Nature of Constitutional Conventions

Posted on 2021/11/22 by J.W.J. Bowden

Constitutional Norms in the United States vs Constitutional Conventions in Canada I’ve been mulling overGould’s article “Codifying Constitutional Norms” (in the United States) and about constitutional norms in the American versus Canadian systems of government a bit more over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Codifying Norms in the US, Comparative, Constitution (Written), Constitutional Conventions, Division of Powers, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reviews | 2 Comments