To the Editor:
The government is just past the half-way point in its current term. There's nothing of great consequence on its Parliamentary agenda and no clear mission to be accomplished. All things being equal, a prorogation about now might not be out of the ordinary - EXCEPT, with the Harper Conservatives, nothing is "equal" or "ordinary".
There are at least three reasons why Stephen Harper's latest plan to shut-down Parliament doesn't sit well with many Canadians.
First, stretching back to 2006, Mr. Harper has a long record of disrespectful behavior, undermining democratic rules and traditions. For example:
On his watch, the political Party for which he is responsible was charged and convicted of serious violations of Canada's election financing laws;
Several more investigations are underway into other types of campaign wrongdoing, including voter suppression and electoral fraud;
Mr. Harper refuses to be accountable for anything during the daily Question Period in the House of Commons, Parliamentary Committees are forced to do the public's business in secret behind closed doors, public access to important public information is obstructed;
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (and other "watchdogs" who dare to speak truth to power) are systematically insulted and knee-capped;
Normal, legitimate debate in Parliament is subverted by the illegitimate use of omnibus bills and time limitations;
The list goes on, including Mr. Harper's two previous illicit prorogations which were unmistakably designed to duck accountability.
Secondly, this government has been mired in scandal for months on end, up to and including a police investigation into a secret $90,000 deal between the most senior official in the Prime Minister's Office and a sitting legislator (Duffy), which had the effect of obstructing a forensic audit and perverting the work of a Parliamentary Committee.
Mr. Harper is desperate to divert public attention onto other things. That's what his Cabinet Shuffle in July was all about, followed by this prorogation and then a new session of Parliament in the fall. It's just all so convenient - a lot of pomp and ceremony to get Canadians talking about anything but all those hand-picked, Harper-appointees, now in deep trouble.
And thirdly, the length of this upcoming prorogation seems suspicious.
Parliament was due to resume on September 16, after a three-month summer adjournment. To kick-start a new session with a new Throne Speech, any prorogation could easily have been set for that return-date, with a new session opening the very next day, September 17. There is no excuse for a long delay into late October, especially since Mr. Harper says his agenda won't change.
What you get is just six weeks LESS accountability for Stephen Harper while Parliament is padlocked for his partisan convenience.
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana, SK.
