Since Canada may be faced with a period of minority governments, it has become increasingly important to understand the role of the Head-of-State?the Governor General?in facing the challenge of dysfunctionality. Edward McWhinney clearly lays out the present powers and responsibilities of the office, advising the country on what to expect from the Governor General and Prime Ministers. He does so within an historical frame, revealing how the office has evolved from a time when the Governor General was the appointee and representative of the imperial government to today when the office has become part of CanadaÕs constitutional checks and balances. McWhinney suggests how it is now possible to use the inherent powers of the Head-of-State in concert with the other coordinate arms of government to make the constitutional system work effectively in crisis situations. He delights in showing how the evolving constitutional precedents rarely result from high theory but from colourful personalities forced to make pragmatic decisions in difficult situations. He goes behind the scenes to portray royals, dignitaries and politicians in their private moments as they struggle to adapt constitutional rules to meet changing times. The volume ranges widely over the Commonwealth, showing how separate and diverse countries have drawn on one anotherÕs experience to refashion the Westminster model. McWhinney ends by suggesting possible directions for Canada after the departure of Queen Elizabeth II.

"In his many writings, McWhinney offers a substantial read, aimed at those keen on politics."

?Douglas Fisher, The Ottawa Sun

PROFESSOR EDWARD McWHINNEY of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto has been an Assistant Professor at Yale University; and also a Visiting Professor at New York University, at the Ecole Libre des Hautes Etudes, and at the Max-Planck-Institut (Volkerrecht) in Heidelberg. He has also been a Legal Consultant to the United Nations. He is author of Judicial Review in the English-speaking World, now in its second edition, and of Constitutionalism in Germany; he was also Editor and contributor to the symposium volume Canadian Jurisprudence. He has published many articles in such journals as the Harvard Law Review, the American Journal of Internal Law, the Revue Internatinoale de Droit Compare, the Archiv fur Rechts und Sozialphilosphie. He is a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Edward McWhinney's profile page

The Governor General and the Prime Ministers: The Making and Unmaking of Governments