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- Title
Alpheus Todd: Canada’s Forgotten Theorist of Parliamentary Government.
- Authors
McKinnell, Ryan
- Abstract
The first Librarian of the Dominion Parliament, Alpheus Todd, has largely disappeared from Canada’s collective memory. In this article, the author notes that despite contemporary praise for his scholarly work and advice on constitutional matters, Todd’s works are rarely cited in modern times and are mostly out of print. While being careful not to overstate his contributions to the Québec Conference, Confederation Debates and discussions with Governors General about constitutional matters during critical moments in the first years following Confederation, the author suggests a close reading of primary documents reveals his presence and vision of parliamentary governance. The author concludes that an evaluation of the intellectual origins of the Confederation project must place Todd at the forefront and it is important for historians and constitutional scholars to prevent Todd’s contributions from being overlooked and minimized.
- Subjects
QUEBEC (Province); CANADA; CABINET system; PRAISE; COLLECTIVE memory; THEORISTS; CONFEDERATION of states; HISTORIANS
- Publication
Canadian Parliamentary Review, 2023, Vol 46, Issue 2, p44
- ISSN
0229-2548
- Publication type
Article