Prorogue or not prorogue?

OTTAWA -- The Conservative government will ask the governor general to suspend Parliament today, delaying the return of MPs until the beginning of March.

snip-

Preventing the return of Parliament until after the Olympics would effectively shut down all government committees, which would stop MPs from pursuing the Afghan detainee controversy until Parliament returned.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2009/12/30/12300116-sun.html

If they think this will make the transfer of detainees scandal go away they are dreaming.

I guess they think the Olympics, and then a shiny new budget will get them a majority...or maybe just save them from a Spring election. And possibly they are waiting on world events, like Yemen, to distract the voters. But it certainly won't make the issue go away.

OTTAWA–The longer the Conservative government resists calls to launch a public inquiry into the handling of prisoners in Afghanistan, the greater the risk the International Criminal Court will probe Canada's role in the transfer of detainees, says an expert on the law of armed conflict and international rights.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/740922--ottawa-risks-world-court-black-eye

And Andrew Coyne, that formerly devout Con, is furious today.

As Canadian democracy spirals further down the drain:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/12/30/the-short-parliament/#idc-container

I love this idea:

"So, rather than submit himself to the inquiries of elected parliamentarians, the King will dismiss Parliament, in the grand tradition of kings past. The question is: what will Parliament do now? If historical precedent is any guide, it should meet anyway. Let those MPs who wish to do the people’s business convene on the usual timetable, and let those with other loyalties disport themselves as they may.

If MPs are barred at the doors to Parliament — and wouldn’t that be an interesting scene — let them meet somewhere else. A tennis court would do nicely."

He's right the parties should continue to meet, discuss the nation's business while repeatedly pointing out who IS NOT in attendance and why. I certainly won't hold my breath waiting for this to happen though, it is unlikely to say the least, unfortunately.

Thanks for the link to Coyne's comments, it was a very refreshing read especially coming from someone like him!

Dimitri Soudas says a new Parliament will begin with a speech from the throne on March 3, and a new budget delivered the next day.

Soudas confirmed that Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General by telephone earlier today to prorogue the current Parliament.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2009/12/30/12304406-cp.html

I can't see the GG saying no to this...anymore than I can see Parliament still meeting without the Cons. Unfortunately.

In one of the more bizarre bits of circumlocution that I’ve ever heard from a prime-ministerial spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s press secretary, would not say a few minutes ago if Parliament has been shut down or not.

-snip-

But what did they agree to do? On that seemingly straighforward question, Soudas was strangely evasive. “You know,” he said, “discussions between the Prime Minister and Governor General are private, they’re confidential. I’m obvious not aware of the conversations between the Prime Minister and Governor General.”

http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/12/30/is-parliament-in-session-the-pmo-wont-say/

To the Right Honorable Michaelle Jean;

I am deeply disappointed in your decision to accept the advice of the Prime Minister and prorogue Parliament at this time. To agree with the Prime Minister on the specious argument that the 2010 Olympics are reason enough to suspend the return of Parliament is appalling. Your role is not to be a sycophant for the Government in office, your position also exists to provide a last bastion against the abuses of power by the government. Such protection is all the more important for matters where there is no recourse to the courts. The basic functioning of responsible government and operations of Parliament are not subject to judicial review and, therefore, the Governor General stands as the only bulwark against government abuse of it's powers.

This is the second time you have abrogated your responsibility to the citizens of Canada from my perspective and that is beyond merely disappointing. It may be time for Canadians to advocate for the dissolution of the office of Governor General if that office cannot or will not fulfill it's full responsibilities.


Disappointed and angry,
xxxxxxxxxxxx

If the GG won't do the one real job she has, we don't need a GG.

Harper is calling all the shots, and she appears to be rubber-stamping them.

NOT what she's there for.

Jean gave the finger to democracy and let Harper get away with it once before for no reason at all -- why not again?

With the GG kowtowing to Harper's every whim and the Liberals offering absolutely no opposition (torturing-loving Iggy shows no concern over the investigations), not only does Harper get to continue his on-going majority government, he gets to act dictatorily in dissolving Parliament whenever he feels a little heat.

This is beyond fucked up.

You have to ask yourself two questions.

1) Is Canada a democracy?
2) Is Proroguing government within the bounds of our parliamentary system?

If you answered yes. And you should have. Then no finger to democracy was given.

I don't like proroguing either. It's laim. And he shouldn't have done it. But it is not contradictory to our democracy.

Harper prorogued to avoid a lawful order of Parliament.

Not acceptable.

But people need to stop saying that he shat on democracy

has now abused it TWICE. The reasons for it's usage by harper IS contradictory to our democratic process.

was used just once before doesn't mean it's contradictory to our democracy. It was fine under our democratic system then. As it is now. If you can't come to grips with that then you must not believe we live in a democracy. Which of cource you do because you claim it's contradictory to our democracy.

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Can't I join in the discussion here? And I only have a few posts.

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You just didn't like what I had to say. Feel free to tell where i'm wrong. Oh, and I'm not a conservative. Let alone a bot.

And that's the Con party. You're even using their talking points.

Simple deduction, Watson.

earlier post where I said it was wrong.

edit: ok, maybe you're leaving for the night. See you.

it is NOT the right to prorogue that is contradictory to our democratic process, it IS the way it was used that IS contradictory to our democracy. It is the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law.

The overt politicization has turned me off. The idea that Parliament should be suspended over these games is a mockery.

VANOC <===> CON AV

Our pavilion isn't built, Parliament gets prorogued, and at least 3 major groups are planning big protests.

The Olympics is just a ready-made excuse, along with the time-needed-to-work-out-a-budget routine.

But the Olympics will be used to sell the prorogation to the public. It might backfire, though. The PM handing himself a 63 day Olympic vacation may not go over well with regular working stiffs.