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The Parliamentary Regime: The Political Philosophy of Confederation.

Authors :
McKinnell, Ryan Alexander
Source :
Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue Canadienne de Science Politique. Sep2023, Vol. 56 Issue 3, p550-570. 21p.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

This article clarifies the intellectual origins of Canadian parliamentary government by situating Confederation within a specific strand of liberal political thought. My argument is that the Fathers of Confederation adhered to the political theory of parliamentarianism. Though liberal constitutionalists, the Fathers of Confederation expressly defended a parliamentary political framework that they considered superior to the American system of checks and balances—one characterized by a powerful elected assembly restrained by an unelected upper house, responsible ministers serving in Parliament, and a constitutional monarch. In elucidating the theory of parliamentarianism that underlies the political project of Confederation, my goal is not only to examine a problem in nineteenth-century Canadian political thought but to ground our current political situation within a larger historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00084239
Volume :
56
Issue :
3
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue Canadienne de Science Politique
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
172447700
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423923000409