Parliamentary Democracy and its Constitutional Foundations and Future: Beyond the Headlines
Please join the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights at a panel discussion on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., at the Faculty of Law, 78 Queen’s Park, Flavelle House, Room FLB.
On December 4, 2008, at the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Governor General Michaëlle Jean prorogued Parliament. Although the request was not unusual, the circumstances were: the aim was to avoid a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons paving the way for creation of a coalition government by the Liberal and NDP members of Parliament, supported by the BQ.
This follow-up to the event we held on December 5th, provides an opportunity for thoughtful analysis by leading scholars on the topic of the impact of this decision and the prospect of what might happen once the House resumes on January 26th. The effect of the rhetoric and commentary surrounding the events of December 2008 suggest that we may be losing sight of some of the fundaments of parliamentary democracy in Canada. This event will focus on those principles and put our understanding of the current crisis into the context they provide. Issues to be addressed include the powers of the Prime Minister during this “time-out”, comparisons that have been made to the U.S. electoral system and their direct election of a president, and what can be expected of a coalition government, with reference to international examples of such coalitions.
Our speakers:
C.E.S. (Ned) Franks is a professor emeritus at Queen’s University in the Department of Political Studies and the School of Physical and Health Education. Professor Franks has written or edited many books, including The Parliament of Canada, The Canoe and White Water, and Dissent and the State. His work includes explorations into public administration, government accountability, relations between governments and aboriginal peoples, and the public service. In 2002, Professor Franks was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the understanding of parliamentary government in Canada.
Peter H. Russell is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto. He has published widely in academic journals and intervened in many instances of constitutional crisis and development. He is the author of several books on the constitution, democracy and the judiciary, including Two Cheers for Minority Government: The Evolution of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy.
David Schneiderman is Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Toronto where he teaches Canadian and US constitutional law. He has authored numerous articles on Canadian federalism, the Charter of Rights, Canadian constitutional history, and constitutionalism and globalization and most recently, Constitutionalizing Economic Globalization: Investment Rules and Democracy's Promise (Cambridge University Press, 2008). He co-authored The Last Word: Media Coverage of the Supreme Court of Canada (UBC Press, 2006). Professor Schneiderman was Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center from 2006-08.
Moderator:
Mary Eberts taught law at the University of Toronto and was a partner at Tory’s before establishing her own practice in constitutional and equality law, which is national in scope from a base in Toronto. She was involved in the constitutional debates of the l980s and l990s as an advisor to the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution of Canada, and counsel to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, appearing in the Supreme Court of Canada on the Secession Reference and NWAC v. Canada, in which NWAC sought a seat at the Charlottetown Accord discussions. Ms. Eberts lectures and writes extensively on equality issues, and Aboriginal rights; she is a co-founder of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF).
When: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Where: University of Toronto
Faculty of Law
78 Queen’s Park Crescent, Flavelle Hall, Room FLB
A brown bag lunch will be served.
For more information, contact Cheryl Milne at
cheryl.milne@utoronto.ca
