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Get Parliament back to work
January 14, 2010
How times change! For the second time in barely a year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent Parliament packing. This time, he claims that it's time for the government to “recalibrate”.
Prime Ministers usually prorogue Parliament when they want to revitalize it or chart a new course. But taking a break of almost three months when the economy is still in shaky shape and more than one and a half million people are still unemployed is an affront to those who need government action to get back to work.
So why all this time off? To avoid public debate, to avoid accountability, to avoid taking action, and to avoid embarassment.
Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament and end the work of the House of Commons Committee seeking the truth about what the government knew about detainee torture in Afghanistan smacks of self preservation and buries the notion that government should be open, accountable and honest.
Prorogation shuts down opportunities for MPs and Parliamentary Committees to be included in budget consultations. It's also a cynical power play by the Prime Minister designed to strengthen his position in the Senate and gain more control of its important committee structure in advance of the March 4, 2010 federal budget. For all his pretensions to Senate reform, what Harper really wants is his own rubber stamp.
The Economist magazine had it right when it described Harper's move as looking like “naked self-interest”. His recent public statement to the effect that the markets don't like the uncertainty of minority Parliaments is his latest excuse for shutting down democracy, and is simply not true.
Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament is cynical, arrogant and continues a pattern of contempt for the institutions of our democracy. It should be opposed, and he and his government should be held to account in the next election.
On January 23 demonstrations opposing Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament will be held in more than 30 communities across Canada. PSAC members are encouraged to participate in the demonstrations and add their voices to the growing number of Canadians intent on defending our democracy and making Parliament work.