politics
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Crashing the Party
Andrew Coyne says we should re-think how we choose party leaders. So here are my thoughts. Continue reading
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Why I am Not a Conservative Either
Thoughts on Chief Justice Joyal’s very interesting speech on the Charter and Canada’s political culture Continue reading
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Still Playing Favourites
Despite its broader focus, the Court Challenges Program remains objectionable Continue reading
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Do You Really Have to Go?
Lessons for Canada and New Zealand on resignations of MPs Continue reading
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Selfie Slow-Down
I have already blogged about one American judicial decision on the constitutionality of a “ballot selfie” ban, which has since been upheld on appeal by the Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. And I have also written about the history of the secret ballot, which in my view explains why measures to protect ballot secrecy ― Continue reading
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Yes Or No?
Post-Brexit thoughts on referenda, especially in the context of electoral reform In the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, there is renewed debate about the lessons, if any, that it might hold for other democratic polities on the use of the referendum generally, and in particular for Canada about an eventual referendum on electoral reform. Many Continue reading
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Permanent Censorship, Again
Ontario’s proposal for regulating pre-campaign political spending is wrong Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail reported that the Ontario government is proposing to introduce legislation that would limit the flow of private money into the political process (and introduce public subsidies to political parties). There is no bill yet, as the government is consulting Continue reading
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Ideologies in the Marketplace of Ideas
The “marketplace of ideologies” is neither new nor quite disastrous In a post over at Concurring Opinions, Ronald K.L. Collins laments what he regards as the rise, in the place of the good old marketplace of ideas, of a “marketplace of ideologies.” Prof. Collins writes that in this new marketplace, ideas, facts, “the constitutional process of governing,” and Continue reading
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No Solution
The reasons people don’t vote suggest a mandatory voting law would be futile Statistics Canada has released the results of a survey, conducted in conjunction with the November 2015 Labour Force Survey, to inquire into Canadians’ “Reasons for not voting in the federal election, October 19, 2015.” These results are interesting, albeit not quite accurate. To my mind Continue reading
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De la formation du gouvernement
Juste avant les élections fédérales en Octobre, j’avais participé (en compagnie de Hoi Kong) à une mini-conférence à l’Université de Montréal, intitulée « Gouvernements minoritaires et/ou de coalition : Legality and/or Legitimacy ». La chose m’avait échappé à l’époque, mais ma présentation est disponible en ligne. Évidemment, elle ne s’est pas avérée très pertinente vu Continue reading
Double Aspect 