What Conservative MPs Said About Inflation and the Liberal-New Democratic Entente

Posted on 2022/04/19 by J.W.J. Bowden

“We can’t see it. But we’re all trapped inside these strange, repeating loops.” – The Matrix Resurrections  

I recently stumbled upon what some backbench Conservative MPs said on inflation and the Liberal-New Democratic Entente. They denounced the Trudeau government for its inaction and refusal to combat inflation or treat it as something serious at all.

“The cost of living rose by 1.3 per cent in one month, the highest monthly increase since […]. This is damning evidence of the results of the government’s do-nothing policy; and I place equal blame on its partner in what I call this clandestine coalition that governs Canada, the New Democratic Party. […] The patchwork of temporary relief measures will have virtually no effect on the increase in the cost of living. The Trudeau government, coalesced with and kept in power by the NDP, is providing no leadership to Canadians in the fight against inflation.”[1]

So said the Conservative MP from Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

One of his colleagues went further.

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The Importance of Narrative in Politics: The Example of Cabinet Manuals in Canada

Posted on 2022/03/10 by J.W.J. Bowden

Sometimes the narrative surrounding an issue and the way that someone presents an issue overshadows the facts of the matter. Take, for instance, the case of the Guide for Ministers in Canada and this issue of cabinet manuals which some political scientists, notably Peter Russell, made topical in the early 2010s purely as a reaction against Stephen Harper’s early dissolution and tactical prorogation in 2008. The narrative which developed around cabinet manuals in the 2010s centered on transparency and accountability: these manuals lay out official interpretations of constitutional conventions, and they will therefore stop “abuses of power!” Here, you must, of course, ignore the fact that cabinet manuals are, by definition, produced by the very governments whom you’re accusing of abusing their authority in the first place. And you certainly must also ignore the fact that those cabinet manuals which do exist all directly contradict your interpretation of constitutional conventions and, in fact, specifically uphold the interpretation that you oppose.

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Posted in Constitutional Conventions, Officialization of Convention | 1 Comment

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 conclude: “We find that these rulebooks project an account of prime ministerial power that is favourable to the prime minister.”[1] They also noted that cabinet manuals “provide an authoritative account of the office of the prime minister and its role.”[2] They argue that cabinet manuals serve as instruments of prime ministerial control over the rest of cabinet, and they are certainly right.

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

The Convoy Appeals to the Governor General to Overthrow Responsible Government

Posted on 2022/02/23 by J.W.J. Bowden

If you observe politics closely for somewhere between 10 and 15 years, you see pretty much everything at least once, as narratives and ideas switch parties and cycle through and recycle through yet again, with partisans on all sides remaining ignorant to the history of their methods and ideas and thus to the contradictions which they heartily embrace. I started observing Canadian politics in 2000 with the federal election that year, and I’ve written this blog since 2011, so I have seen numerous examples of this phenomenon over the last 22 years.

For instance, recent events have shown the renewed popularity in appealing to the Governor General of Canada to dismiss the current Prime Minister and ministry and thus overthrow Responsible Government itself. While under Harper, these calls came from the radical left, they now come from the reactionary right now that Trudeau is in office.

As such couple of old posts have gained new popularity over the last couple of weeks because the Convoy has set up petitions inundating Her Excellency Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, with unsolicited requests that she dismiss Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister.

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Posted in Appointment of PM, Crown (Powers and Office), Responsible Government | 2 Comments

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee

Posted on 2022/02/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

 

From the Department of Canadian Heritage: “The Royal Cypher, EIIR, appears at the centre of the emblem, which makes a personal reference to the Queen as a way of marking this significant anniversary of her reign. Below the Royal Cypher is the number 70, depicted in greyish white to allude to the rare and precious metal platinum, the name of a jubilee marking 70 years. These elements are framed by a 7-sides shape, along with 7 maple leaves and 7 pearls to mark the 7 decades of steadfast service to Canada. Depicted in red and white, the national colours of Canada, the figure embodies the idea of celebration. The Royal Crown appears at the top of the emblem.”

The sixth of February 2022 marked the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne and thus the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen of Canada. Elizabeth II has become the first Sovereign to attain this milestone, and we shall certainly never live to see anything like it again.

To mark this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee, I would like to highlight the documentary that the BBC commissioned to mark Her Majesty’s Ruby Jubilee on 6 February 1992, called Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen. The BBC also published a companion book by British historian and playwright Antony Jay called Elizabeth R: The Role of the Monarch Today.[1] In retrospect, if we remember the Ruby Jubilee at all, we recall the Queen’s speech at Guidhall on 24 November where she dubbed 1992 “an annus horribilis.”[2] But the content of this old documentary still remains fascinating and insightful today, thirty years later, and show help put 1992 into perspective.

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Posted in Documentaries, Reviews | 1 Comment