New and Notable Titles.

• Position: Publications

A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (December 2018-March 2019)

Bell, Lauren C. "Obstruction in parliaments: a crossnational perspective." The Journal of Legislative Studies 24 (4), December 2018: 499-525.

* In legislative institutions, disruptions to the agenda and delays in processing legislation can have a significant impact on the ability of legislative majorities to realise success. Few previous studies have systematically examined parliamentary obstruction in non-U.S. settings. In this article, the author investigates the extent to which obstruction occurs in parliaments around the world.

Bochel, Catherine. "Explaining the e-petitions process to the public." PSA Parliaments Group January 16, 2019: 2p.

* How can we judge success or failure in relation to e-petitions to Parliament? The author discusses a framework for assessing e-petitions, drawn from research in the National Assembly for Wales and Scottish Parliament.

Burns, Ian. "Federal Appeal Court 'misunderstood the purpose' of parliamentary privilege in expenses case: lawyer." The Lawyer's Daily, March 1, 2019: 3p.

* The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled the proceedings of an internal body of the House of Commons is protected by parliamentary privilege in a case involving the expenses of a number of members of Parliament, a decision the MPs' lawyer is pledging to bring to the Supreme Court to get a final answer on what he calls a fundamental issue of constitutional law.

Collier, Cheryl N., Raney, Tracey. "Canada's Member-to-Member code of conduct on sexual harassment in the House of Commons: Progress or regress?" Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique 51 (4), December/ decembre 2018: 795-815.

* In 2015, the Canadian House of Commons passed a new code of conduct governing non-criminal sexual harassment between members of Parliament becoming the first of its kind in any Westminster system in the world. Using a feminist institutional and violence-against-women-inpolitics approach, the authors assess how the code challenges, legitimizes and upholds traditionally gendered norms and institutionalized sexism within Canada's parliamentary system including parliamentary privilege, party cohesion and party discipline. Despite its novelty, the authors argue this code fails to enact positive gender-friendly institutional change and may do more harm than good in its...