Bagehot, the Crown and the Canadian Constitution

Bibliographic Data

ID6238087
AuthorsDavid E Smith (0000-0003-2791-4964, University of Saskatchewan, corresponding author)
Year1995
Volume28
Issue4
Pages619-635
Publication date1995-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008423900019326
OpenAlexW2162366243
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited18

Through his writings, Walter Bagehot gave order and meaning to the institutions of parliamentary government.The English Constitution(1867) acknowledges the Crown as centrepiece but relegates it to the category of symbol. Institutions, Bagehot said, were “dignified” or “efficient” according to their constitutional function, and the Crown was the apotheosis of a dignified element. By contrast, the author argues that the Crown is an integral part of a practical form of government in Canada, and advances as proof three areas of Crown influence: representation, information and participation. The discussion concludes by noting the relevance of the Crown for the study of Canadian federalism

Apotheosis · Constitution · Crown (dentistry · Element (criminal law · Epistemology · Government (linguistics · Law and economics · Linguistics · Meaning (existential · Political science · Politics · Relevance (law · Representation (politics · Sociology · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Canadian Identity and History · Law · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies · Philosophy

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