The recent decision by Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament marksthe fourth time he has shut down Parliament and derailed the nation’sbusiness. In September of 2007, September of 2008, December of 2008,and again in December of 2009, Stephen Harper has preventedParliamentarians from doing their jobs. Combined, this Conservativegovernment has left Canadians without a functioning Parliament for agrand total of 148 days in just four years in office.
ProroguingParliament is an attempt to eliminate tools used to hold Government toaccount. The Conservative government intentionally shut down QuestionPeriod, Parliamentary committees, order paper questions and mediascrutiny so the government’s cover up on Afghan detainee torture andfailure in Copenhagen cannot be publicly scrutinized.
As a formerLiberal Party Critic for Democratic Reform, I believe strongly in theimportance of defending and strengthening Canada’s democracy. More than40% of Canadian voters stayed home in the last election, suggesting anurgent need to ... read more