Charlie Feldman
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parlcharlie.bsky.social
Charlie Feldman
@parlcharlie.bsky.social
Fan of legislatures and legislation! Past President, Canadian Study of Parliament Group. Co-Chair, CIAJ Legislative Drafting Section. All views personal and most likely uninformed :)
Had a fabulous time at the @studyofparl.bsky.social Oxford Weekend!!

They say never meet your heroes but I did :p

Can't wait for next time, fellow Parliament nerds!
January 10, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Charlie Feldman
Oh hey @parlcharlie.bsky.social! I just saw an interesting article to read and then looked at who wrote it: "Going beyond repeal: a preliminary exploration of ‘unenacting’ legislation," doi-org.eux.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/slr/...
January 9, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Beyond excited for this!!! :)
Tomorrow marks the start of our annual weekend and we are very much looking forward to welcoming members to Exeter College, Oxford.

For those members joining us remotely, the Zoom links are now in your inboxes.

The programme is available on our website: studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/
Programme
Conference Menu SPG Annual Weekend HomepageHow to make the most of the conference virtually On this page you can find more information about our annual weekend, including a PDF version of the confe…
studyofparliamentgroup.org
January 9, 2026 at 9:20 AM
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - January 9, 1905: Senator Dandurand becomes Senate Speaker and - per the Senate's own wording - would become "arguably the most influential" Speaker in that body's history. (Photo: Library and Archives) 1/2
January 9, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Off to a conference at Oxford but I'm learning that England isn't accustomed to snow like this so it will be four extra train journeys and an overnight in a town I've never heard of at a Wetherspooons hotel. All worth it to hang with the parliament nerds, of course :)
January 8, 2026 at 10:31 PM
100 years ago today, Canada’s Parliament met in a rare situation. After the election, the governing party had the second most seats but felt it could command a majority with the support of another party. It therefore moved a motion confirming its right to retain office. 1/2
January 8, 2026 at 10:41 AM
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - January 7, 1955: The first TV broadcast of the Throne Speech! Over 3 million Canadians watched!

If my math is right, that was nearly 20% of the country's population at the time.

It's fair to say that viewership has declined somewhat since :P
January 7, 2026 at 8:13 AM
... snoring so loud in parliament the Speaker send a messenger to wake him up!
January 6, 2026 at 8:30 PM
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - January 6, 2025: Parliament was prorogued until March 24th. It was dissolved that day in March, making the prorogation part of an elite club: prorogations not followed by a new session of the same Parliament.
January 6, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Legisinfo is down❗

How am I supposed to go on living when I can't access authoritative legislative information from the Parliament of Canada? 😭😭😭😭😭
January 6, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Looking at the attendees for the Study of Parliament weekend and getting overly excited... pity there's limited space in my bag for things I want people to sign. Is it weird to ask someone to sign a select committee report? What about a Hansard Society publication? I may pass out!
January 5, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Charlie Feldman
It was a dramatic week in Canadian politics 130 years ago (1896) as PM Bowell's ministry was rocked with ministers' resignations. A total of seven ministers would resign, leading Bowell to denounce the "nest of traitors". He would eventually resign as PM.
January 5, 2026 at 10:51 AM
It was a dramatic week in Canadian politics 130 years ago (1896) as PM Bowell's ministry was rocked with ministers' resignations. A total of seven ministers would resign, leading Bowell to denounce the "nest of traitors". He would eventually resign as PM.
January 5, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Working on a quirky parliamentary history book is fun -- particularly for the old reports on proceedings:
January 5, 2026 at 3:42 AM
It's 10 minutes to 2am here at the Athens Airport and I've hit the "reading the package for an AGM I'm not even attending" stage of flight delay time-passing :p
January 4, 2026 at 11:51 PM
For the lovers of unparliamentary language... may I offer this exchange?
January 4, 2026 at 8:52 PM
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - January 4, 1973: MPs pay tribute to former PM Lester B. Pearson who had passed away on December 27th.
January 4, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Spotted on my walk this morning and it reminded me of when I try to reach for something in the archives :p
January 4, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Today's Hansard reading spot and what we're reading from today in parliamentary history... 🤓
January 3, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Australian unparliamentary language will forever be undefeated (article from 1917).
January 2, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Quelqu’un sait-il si des traductions françaises sont en cours pour les débats du Sénat du Canada (1875–1896), jamais publiés en français à l’époque ? J’aimerais utiliser des traductions officielles pour la version française de mon livre sur le Parlement...
January 2, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Visited the Old Greek Parliament (1875-1935) today. If I followed correctly, "Hansard" comes from the ancient Greek for "I wasn't nearly that eloquent in the moment so I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the editors" :p
January 2, 2026 at 11:37 AM
It's Jan 1st. The managing partner would like a word because you're behind on your hours for this year, counsel.
January 1, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) turns 35 today.
The GST debate in Parliament was wild... to say the least! Here's a newspaper clipping from 1990 to give you a sense of the *incredible* scene in Canada's Senate:
January 1, 2026 at 4:16 PM
In Athens at the home of the Olympics to make my pitch for "Competitive Legislating" to be added to the games. Will report back.
January 1, 2026 at 10:09 AM