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• Position: Publications - Recommended readings

A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (December 2015-February 2016)

Blick, Andrew. "Constitutional implications of the [UK] Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011." Parliamentary Affairs 69 (1): 19-35 (January, 2016).

* The Act was controversial both for its substance and the processes used in its introduction. Regardless of how long it may remain in force, it has already proved to be an important experiment.

Bourke, Chris. "Rules for parliamentarians: Recent developments concerning the codes of conduct for members." Parliamentarian 96(4):282-87, (2015).

* Article discusses the recent Review of the Code of Conduct for Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, the circumstances which led to the Review, and the outcomes of the Review.

Dance, Anne. "Parliamentary privilege and the evolution of security on Canada's Parliament Hill." Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law 9 (3):457-70, (December, 2015).

* This article uses newspaper coverage, Parliamentary reports and debates, publicly available security assessments, and legislation to assess how responses to the events of October 2014 relate to Parliamentary Privilege and public access.

Dawood, Yasmin. "Senate Reference: Constitutional change and democracy. " McGill Law Journal 60 (4): 737-61, (June, 2015).

* The Senate Reference is ultimately a decision about how democratic decision making ought to be conducted when the role and function of fundamental democratic institutions are themselves at stake ...

Dodek, Adam. "The politics of the Senate Reform Reference: Fidelity, frustration, and the federal unilateralism." McGill Law Journal 60 (4): 623-72, (June, 2015).

* References are the most political of cases, almost always involving high profile public policy issues. Frequently, references are brought to obtain rulings on the relationship between the federal government and the provinces. Less frequently, references involve questions of inter-branch relations, that is, between two or more of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The Senate Reform Reference was one of the rare cases that featured each of these three elements.

Feldman, Charlie. "Parliamentary practice and treaties." Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law 9(3): 585-619, (December, 2015).

* How does Parliament consider treaties? Although Parliament's power relative to international instruments is limited...