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“When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.”
Stephen Harper, Canadian Press, April 18, 2005
On December 30th Stephen Harper announced that he will be Proroguing Parliament and suspending democracy until March 3. This is the second time he has done this in under two years.
Proroguing means:
- All 37 bills being debated in Parliament are thrown in the trash. Discussion on bills starts from scratch in March, wasting months of hard work by all parties. These bills included new crime legislation, limits on credit card insurance rates, etc.
- Committees investigating accusations of torture of Afghan detainees stop working
- Discussions and decisions about the pension crisis affecting Canada’s seniors stops
- Questions about Canada’s inaction at the Copenhagen climate-change summit are silenced. Opportunities to move forward with Canada’s plan for sustainable development are stalled for over a month.
- Your MPs cannot raise your concerns in Ottawa
What can we do?
- Join the Facebook Group that started it all! (link here)
- Tell your MP you want them at work in Ottawa on January 25th – as scheduled. (link)
- Attend a rally (list here)
- Share this website with your friends and family (use the Facebook Share button below)
You Can Help!
This site is far too much for one or two people to keep up to date. Use the “Register” link on the right to become a contributor! If you’re planning an event in your community, we can get you your own page as well – just let us know on the Contact page!
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Add my voice to those who consider this prorogue of parliament to be a clear indication that our current Prime Minister continues to promise one thing and deliver another. Open, accountable, democratic – all proven to be lies to the Canadian public.
The only good thing about it is that there might, and this is just a faint hope, that the ridiculous changes proposed to the Young Offenders Act might not happen.
Great website! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Great stuff, keep u the momentum. I am n the Gorilla marketting team, was out of the loop with a sick computer, but back at it
My simple poster , which I have already handed to a few students who are patients is
PARLIAMENT YES/OUI
PROROGUE NO/ NON
YOUR VOICE / VOTRE VOIX
PARLIAMENT JAN 23 SAM/ SAT
1 PM
SPEAD OUT WITH THE FIRST TWO LINES BIG, NFO AT THE BOTTOM
DON;T LET HARPER FOOL US, HE IS LIKELY TO CALL ARLIAMENT BACK JAN 22, BUT LET HIM KNO WE AR NOT IMPRESSED, TO COIN QUEEN VICTORI
Opps sorry about the caps…just fogot to turn them off
This is only the latest in a series of actions by governments of different political stripes to diminish the relevance of Parliament and concentrate power in the office of the Prime Minister. The root problem is our inability to hold politicians and political parties accountable because of our antique, winner-take-all voting system.
Sign Fair Vote Canada’s Declaration of Voters’ Rights now!
Hi, I would like to see some protest action in Cornwall Ontario. I would not want to be the leader of the event but definitely would assist and protest.
Pls let me know if you have somebody.
Thanks
Thank God we have people like this in our country. We couldn’t organize people without the brave few who take the lead. Those of you doing so, thank you, and excellent work so far.
We cannot allow Harper, nor any of the other parties, take advantage of our system of government. This is a lead up to something bad, and we can stop this.
Keep up the fight, remain peaceful, and we cannot lose!
I’m very disappointed in the Governor General for allowing PM Harper to prorogue Parliament again for no good reason and empower him in this way and not make him accountable to the Canadian people. She has allowed him to make Parliament irrelevent and become a joke.
If they are not going to work, they shouldn’t get paid! I don’t! Let’s start paying down the deficit by proroguing MPs salaries.
Does anyone in Ottawa even realize there is a recession on? Another public sector strike for pay and benefits only dreamed of by workers in the private sector. Who do they think is paying the bills?
I’m still looking for a rally point in Charlottetown.
Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat,
Are you real cities?
Where and when are your rallies?
If you are afraid Stephen might catch you, pretend you are going hunting, to church, cattle rustling or out for another non-elite activity. If you get caught, you can prorogue … it’s the latest conservative fad.
I agree with Wayne, if our electoral system where more accountable to the people, perhaps harper would not be in office, and the 6.8% of the population who voted green would have their respective 20 (approx) member of parliament to represent them.
Visit Fairvote.ca
Happy to see Calgary has been added!
Now we need to hear from Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat.
I hear Charlottetown will be added soon.
This whole undemocratic labeling is starting to get on my nerves!
We should be telling our opposition leaders to demand the recall of parliament according to the schedule that was in place when parliament was recessed.
Canada will be on high alert during the Olympics. There is no way we should be without our parliament, or out Police and Military watchdogs while the Olympics are on!
Its not good enough to just protest. We must make our politicians act in the best interests of our country, its people, our democracy and our safety!
Great! I’m in Bolton, Ont. and despair of our Tory MP who provides the hack quotes prepared by Tory HQ. He’s in denial. This is more effective than a one-on-one which I’d originally arranged. I’ll be there, along with as many others as I can persuade.
Good work!
The same old usual suspects- media, unionist, labourites, liberals, dippers, socialists and communists.
The prorogue is %100 a legal procedure that was extensively used by Jean Chretien, who prorogued for four months not the 17 days that PM Stephen Harper and the CPC were granted.
While Iggy struts and pontificates espousing that the Prime Minister and his party are vacationing, all from a man who spent the winter break in Europe. Jack Layton is smart enough not to make a peep as he enjoyed the sun, sand and waters of the tropics.
Hypocrites.
Where were you people when Jean Chretien
was playing fast and loose with democracy?
Where was your outrage when he called an election halfway through a majority mandate just so he could stick it to a divided opposition?
Where was your outrage when he prorogued parliament to shut down the Somalia inquiry (which I might add was a REAL war crime committed by our own troops)?
Two wrongs do not make a right, but I find it telling that only NOW you all are so worried about democracy.
Hypocites!
I am not going to let Harper and the Conservatives change the way this country works. Democracy is under attack and we must defend it. Harper does not represent the best interests of the Canadian people, he represents the interests of the Conservative party.
Not like that champion of democracy, Johnny Crouton eh Kristof ?
Was “Democracy under attack” when he shut down the Somalia inquiry by prorogueing parliament?
You people are really some kinda hypocrites
Un-freakin-believable!!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33422269560&ref=ts#/photo.php?pid=4293179&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=239854508755&aid=-1&id=683982974&fbid=275234092974 use this link to access a promotional form for the rally in your area. People do not know about this & they have a right to. Please help your nation peacefully fight back before we lose all we never knew we even had!!
I’m so tired of the argument that just because this was done before we’re all hypocrites for protesting it this time.
This prorogation of Parliament is an abuse of power. This was not what prorogation was intended for. The past is in the past, what’s important now is that Canadians are finally getting engaged in politics and holding their politicians accountable.
You’re right-two wrongs DON’T make a right. You admit this is wrong with that very statement, and in the same breath condemn those who stand against it. Whose the hypocrite now Rusty? Should we all put blinders on and never stand up for what we believe in simply because nobody stood up for it before? That’s how progress is made right?
Geesh!
Harper is not alone in this. Our Governor General allowed it. Twice.
Agreed, Richard. That post has now proved its absolute uselessness. If she’s just going to be one more empty pant-suit like the rest of the party-aligned politicians are (notice how local MPs actually have no power or ability to dissent with their party?) then why bother? This really is her fault… Harper can be as trigger-happy with prorogation as he wants, that’s his right, but the GG is supposed to bring some level of sanity into it. I despair for what Canada will become if we don’t get rid of Emperor Harper soon.
This website allowed me to get informed about and involved in the resistance against the proroguing of Parliament. I recommend that anyone who is interested in contacting their MP, to look at and comment on the 37 bills that have been halted.
I suspect that many people involved are only noticing proroguing under Harper because they were in their teens when Chretien did it.
From what I can tell from some meagre research, proroguing has several uses. Many, perhaps most, of the 100+ times proroguing has been used in the Canadian parliament it was used after parliament had passed many bills that it had planned on passing that session.
This does not occur nowadays. Bills go through parliament much slower.
Proroguing as a method of avoidance is frowned upon and always has been. It was frowned upon when John A. MacDonald prorogued parliament when faced with an investigation into a financial scandal surrounding the CPR.
Well done folks! Saw you at Kensington. Will photocopy the posters and put them around my neighbourhood and at work!
I made a “My Canada Includes Parliament” (over a picture of the parliament building) poster that you can download and use at http://imgur.com/oIpce
Have fun
Peter
By proroguing parliament while bills have not been passed is the first step to dictatorship. His MP’s must have a yellow streak up there back too allow there leader to get away with this or they have no respect for democracy. All Canadians must stand up for democracy.
Locked out – go home, boys
Taxation & SuperDefecits w/o Representation
King Steve don’t need no stinkin’ Geneva Conventions here
Slacker’s Month Off: Dec 15 – Mar 15
What Happened To JOBS-JOBS-JOBS?
Parliament or Chaos!
Prorogue Rogues – Because they can!
Oh Say Can You See Parliamentry Dictator$hip
The Prime Minister campaigned on an honest, above-board government to differentiate the Torys from the Liberals – yet at each avenue, the Torys replicate the former Liberal govts with their prorogue decisions, stuffing the Senate with their own bagmen/women and accusing any people in this country who question what the Torys knew of Afghan torture as being anti-Canadian military. Talk about hypocrites! Well the Liberals got punted out and well expect the Torys to follow suit as Canadians prefer Democracy to Hypocracy.
And regarding our Governor General and the critics blaming her for accepting Mr. Harper’s prorogue requests, let’s see – she travels the globe, eats in the finest restaurants, stays in the finest hotels ……. I wonder who she submits her monthly expense bills to and who approves same (which is paid for with Canadian taxpayers dollars) ? She is not about to say “NO” to Mr. Harper – that will be the sole job of Canadian voters !
Now posted on Edmonton’s Civil Information activism web site CIActivist.org
Thank you for this important initiative to get these guys back to work, Democracy must remain open in Canada.
I was putting up osters in Ottawa and came acros a great one.
In large letters : GET BACK TO WORK
above it in small letters “Mt Harper I pay your salary”
Great attention getter , with info about the event in Ottawa Next week…
Keep up the great work… but I bet he will somehow call them back Friday Jan 22, and use the Haiti events as an excuse..Not that this is trivial but he will use it…any bets ???
Mike
Hello To all Canadian Workers.
So Parliament is not working at the moment!
Then why should they get paid while they are not working, as most of the Country, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. Unless you are in a Union. Another story…
When they finally do go back to work, they should reimburse Canadians, and give us back what they didn’t earn. This money could probably go to a much better cause, like Health Care…
Agreed. Where is our accountable government?
Make corporate democracy unprofitable
and you’re left with the Marijuana Party;
make the funding of political parties by
criminal organizations illegal,
and you’d have to shut down parliament.
Make a difference: remake democracy in
the image of the people.
Protect democracy. Come to the rallies across Canada Jan 23.
This is a propaganda website. I urge you all to seek the truth. Just because they’re not in parliament slinging insults and yelling at eachother not getting anything done anyways, does NOT mean your MPs are not working hard
Wow, you Liberals are getting pretty desperate. It must be fun trying to make controversy out of nothing rally, fear mongering and trying to make a lot of noise. I do understand though since Liberals really have nothing better to offer to Canadians. You all feel you can gain ground by smearing the Conservatives and trying to make them look bad. Unfortunately for you, many Canadians remember all the REAL scandals and missing money and all the back room deals that happened when the Liberals were in power last time. You can rant and rave all you want but all your efforts are in the long run a waste of time. Parliament will soon be back in session and then you can continue your name calling and bad mouthing there.
@Mark G. & Alan Jordan;
Well said.
If these people are so concerned about ‘saving democracy’ (talk about delusional) then ALL they have to do is have the opposition parties bring down the government (but of course then they might actually have to DO something other than ‘rally’ & join face book)!
pathetic buncha whiners!
Really, all you
Because you’re all so clueless I’ll tell you how it’s done:
Instead of whining, rallying and putting up posters (yeesh!)
You should be FLOODING the opposition MP’s with calls to defeat the gov’t at the earliest opportunity.
THAT’S the DEMOCRATIC way to defeat a government.
And if the self-serving bunch in the opposition wants to wait until June so their gold-plated pensions kick in, then go shout at THEM.
They’re the ones who are the threat to democracy.
Glad I could help.
[Admin Note: FWIW, this comment originated from a computer with an IP address belonging to Citizenship & Immigration Canada. Apply salt accordingly]
@ Rusy, Mark G, and Alan
For starters, we’re not a bunch of Liberals, but then again, if you took the time to actually do some research you’d know that.
You’re right-just because they’re not in Parliament doesn’t mean they’re not doing something. The problem is, that they ended Parliament with 37 bills on the table that have to be restarted. And the taxpayers get to pay for this. This is not what prorogation was created for, it’s a clear abuse of power, that has been condemned by Canadians of all backgrounds across the country-including a huge group of Canadian professors! Even the RIGHT WING Economist wrote a scathing article against Stephen Harper’s move to prorogue Parliament in the middle of the session. But then again, if you took the time to look at WHY we’re protesting this, you’d know that too.
And Rusty, we HAVE been flooding our MPs with letters. And emails. And phone calls. My MP personally hasn’t responded to any of my requests for communication, not even with a standard ‘form letter’ and many Canadians are getting the same response-or lack of response. Which is why we’re demonstrating. Again, that would require a little research instead of immature figure pointing and name calling.
If it was any other party in there, we’d have the same response. It’s an abuse of power, no matter who is doing it. We’re not looking to defeat the government. We’re asking the government to quit playing games and get back to the issues that matter to Canadians. To deal with the pension crisis, to deal with the Afghan detainee issue, to deal with the 37 bills that now have to be restarted.
But thanks for coming out!
I find it funny, protesting and all…. you realize it’s a democratic institutional process listed in the Canadian Constitution right? If you have a problem with a government using something it`s entitled to, write your MP and have them democratically bring about the constitutional change necessary to prevent prorogation. Protesting is a right all Canadians enjoy and can exercise freely, however amending law is best left to the democratically elected law makers (Members of Parliament). Instead of pissing and moaning and being reactive, get politically involved, VOTE, and try to achieve change through means that are realistic. Just because you’re louder than everyone else doesn’t mean people will actually listen to you.
PM Harper did knowingly and quite deliberately flout constitutional conventions when he demanded prorogation in the fall of 2008 and again on December 30, 2009!
Harper has set a dangerous precedent whereby he or any PM in the future can avoid defeat in the House of Commons by pressuring the GG to grant him a recess until he gets his act together so as to be able to circumvent a vote of non-confidence by a majority vote in the House.
Under Canada’s system of Parliamentary democracy, which is based on the principle and practice of responsible government, the Prime Minister must retain, at all times, the support of a majority of MPs in the House of Commons. The PM is not elected at large, only by his constituents, and remains accountable to the MPs in the House rather than to the electors of his constituents who elected him MP rather than PM. Tory members elected Harper leader of the Conservative Party but it is his Conservative MPs who ensure, when they are in a majority, that Harper can take on the responsibilities of Prime Minister. If Conservative Leader Harper does not have the backing of a majority of Conservative MPs in the House (as is now the case) then he has to depend on the support of MPs from other parties. When he looses the support of the MPs from other parties, PM Harper looses his majority control over the House and he must tender his resignation.
When and if this happens the GG has to make a decision. Dissolve the House and drop the writ for a general election. Or, call upon the opposition leaders to inquire as to whether they can form a coalition that will garner the confidence of the majority of MPs. Harper prevented the GG from doing just this by concocting a hoary story about the dangers of an Liberal-NDP coalition that would be beholding to the dreaded Quebec separatists. This was bunk but then the GG was afraid to call Harper’s bluff because he would have demanded that the Queen dismiss her immediately and grant him an election.
Grab a life people! So Parliament is currently not in session, big deal. In fact, it’s a good thing. Your member of Parliament is now back working in his community. Is this not a good thing? It’s silly to think that an MP should be in Ottawa everyday arguing back and forth with other MP’s. Most of the time spent in the House of Commons is wasted with opposition parties grandstanding and trying to say something intelligent so that they’ll get a soundbite somewhere. Being back in their constituency allows them to be more available to their constituents. Isn’t this what we pay MP’s for? And besides, if the Liberals or the NDP had been in power, they would have done the exact same thing – or worse. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.
“There must be cases in which a request to prorogue would be an abuse of power and thus be unconstitutional. Few would disagree that the governor general who is asked to prorogue parliament indefinitely, or who is approached repeatedly by a serial proroguer, would be entitled to refuse on constitutional grounds. The principle of responsible government cannot be maintained if ministers are not required to face parliament. The ball must be kept in play, and there is only one political institution that has been given the responsibility of ensuring that it is. Returning to the events of December 2008, the Prime Minister’s request was arguably sought for just such an improper purpose – to avoid the scrutiny of the House of Commons in order to remain in power.”
PROROGUING PARLIAMENT: A MATTER OF CONVENTION
Bradley W. Miller
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario
(2009) 20 Public Law Review 100
As a retired miltary officer with 23 years service I find it unacceptable that 2500 of our troops are ina war zone with o government in place. Talk about not supporting the troops.
And all parrties are trying to make points with this sadly
Can we prorogue paying our taxes?
A historical parallel to 1930s Germany?
There is an ominous rough parallel to prorogation, namely Article 48 of the Weimar Republic in 1930s Germany. It was a provision that functioned similarly to Canadian prorogation, intended to be invoked only under certain emergency conditions, but these were not clearly enough spelled out; the first use of Article 48 to suspend the German parliament was over the government of the day’s inability to obtain a parliamentary majority for its financial reform bill, which was voted down by the Reichstag, with the result that the bill was stalled in debate. The government, however, did not seriously try to negotiate with the Parliament to find a modus vivendi. Instead, Article 48 was invoked, but the Reichstag voted to invalidate that move, with the result that the Chancellor was forced to call an election. So far so good. The result of the election however was a more fragmented parliament with no clear majority, so that each time there was a governing crisis that did not favour the ruling party, Article 48 would again be invoked, most significantly when it was used by then Chancellor Adolph Hitler when he couldn’t get the existing coalition to do his bidding. There followed what was to become a single party (Nazi) dictatorship in which civil liberties were curtailed and a police state instituted. It all started with the use of the German equivalent to prorogation.
@ Dr Michael Pilon
Agree with your comments about our military fulfilling their duties and the current government proroguing their responsibilities in Parliament.
As a retired military officer, what is your read on the Afghan Detainee issue – specifically, should it be brushed aside as the Torys demand or do you believe an full inquiry is warranted based on information (so far) from Mr. Colvin, General Walter Natynczyk and others ?
(FYI-Another Tory slight at democracy, in my view) thanks
I am quite disappointed that Stephen Harper would prorogue parliament and waste all the progress that had been made on the various bills in progress.
How about a sign for the rally.
CAPP and TRADE Harper
The issue is in the minds of those who would themselves like to have the ‘authority’ . The loonie left and liberals want authority without working for it because they think they are entitled to it.
Get over it folks we have good govt in very difficult times—-economic and security but two areas of danger. Focus your minds wher your talents are needed.
A terrorist in Toronto was just sentenced to life imprisonment—–why?
atrick. I am not in the loop on current mitary isues as I retired 20 eyars ago. I would say a public inquirey is not one with a war issue, but a closed one with all parties is an option.
In our isolated lap top world we sometimes forget this is a real war…I don’t want to see it apolitical “Vote for us” issue
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/prorogation+Parliament+threat+democracy/2447118/story.html
I’m disappointed to see the Governor-General isn’t being mentioned in this protest. She, after all, is the one who gives permission. She could also deny the request but refuses to do so.
The GG cannot refuse the advice of a PM who has the confidence of the House. As there was no pending non-confidence vote, Harper technically had the support. What right does she, as an appointed official, have to refuse our elected PM? When the PM does NOT have the support of the House, then she is in the right to refuse. But as she was also appointed by the Liberals, Harper would have had a field day if she had refused. He backed her into a corner and he knows it. He shouldn’t have asked and he also knows that. This is from a Constitutional law perspective (I’m a law student and the info comes from a Constitutional law expert.
There is an rally scheduled for Lethbridge Alberta.
Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament in Lethbridge is holding a peaceful rally this Saturday, Jan 23 at noon along the street in front of Rick Casson’s office at 255 8th St S. Everyone is invited!
The real issue is that the government prorogued to avoid telling the truth about the afghan detainee situation.
I made a little web site with banners that people can put on their own blogs and web sites protesting Harper’s illegal refusal to release the Afghan documents.
http://www.electionnightincanada.com/
Here is a letter I am sending to the Victoria Times-Colonist. Hope it inspires others:
Dear editor,
At times I have worried, as Stephen Harper observed, that Canadians don’t care about protecting their democracy or anything much other than the economy.
But when I go to the Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament site on Facebook, there’s so much more than angry rants; there’s lots of excellent information on how our parliamentary system works, the Afghan detainee issue, the need to be aware that agents provocateurs have been used before to undermine peaceful demonstrations and more.
I will join with people in over 50 communities, from Victoria, to Yellowknife, to St. John’s, even London, England, in protesting Harper’s latest attack on accountability and democracy: proroguing parliament.
Note: it is not only the Conservative Party which has undermined our democracy over the years. To find out more about what has happened and what needs to change, read Elizabeth May’s Losing Confidence. As she says, “Our democracy is precious. It’s worth fighting for.”
Sincerely, Jan Slakov, Salt Spring Island, BC (250) 537-5251
Plain and simple Taxation without REPRESENTATION, Harper must go !!!
The use of executive power without appropriate checks and balances has NOTHING to do with the first-past-the-post system of elections, so stop blaming everything on that. It is about the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and the monarchical system, which soon will get to perform such meaningful tasks as assuring that the fiancee of a British prince is a virgin and not a catholic while executive excess is the norm. Canada is not a real country.
We all know what happens when we let Democracy slip off peoples hands…you just have to look down south.
I think what Mr. Harper did is great and I am a liberal voter of many years. Just enough to irk the liberals. Trudeau did it and his motto fuddle duddle fits this venture to a T. When the Liberal elect a leader and do not crown one maybe I will return to vote for them again.Hope is rains on Saturday.
For the record, I don’t think this site is filled with a bunch of Liberals. I believe this site is filled with a bunch of angry Canadians who think their government has turned it’s back on them. That’s fine, everyone has the right to feel how they feel and do what they will to exercise their opinions (Obviously to a lawful extent). But just put things in to perspective. Nobody has forgotten about all those bills. Yes they have to start over, but is everything going to run it’s whole course? Those bills will be rushed through because the people voting on them have probably already made up their minds.
Am I mad about this proroguation? At Harper, a little. At the Governor General? A little. At the opposition parties? Definately! You KNOW they would do the EXACT same thing. The Liberals are dirty and I won’t trust them until everyone who was around during the sponsorship scandal is retired. Jack Layton is a weasel! The leader of the Green Party…let’s be honest here. And Gille Duceppe, I would love to vote for that guy but I live in BC. Harper may come across as cold and a bit of a bully, but that’s why I like him and frankly I think that’s what we need. You gotta be tough to sit in parliament. Just watch a session and you would be appalled at hwo they speak.
Anyways, they’re proroguing to rethink their economic strategy, and although I don’t FULLY buy that, to some extent I think that’s a great idea. Do I think this is happening because of the Afghan detainee issue? HAH! The only issue is that Ignatieff turned nothing in to something with the help of the Ontario Liberal media who all HATE Harper.
So because of all these reasons, I won’t be at any rally, and I don’t think anyone should be. I was considering going out to hear what people had to say, but once I heard that MPs from the Liberal and NDP parties will be at the rally in Victoria, I realised this was all put together by people with a political agenda, instead of citizens who want to be heard.
PM is right to prorogue, simply because he loves Canadian people, he loves Canadian soldiers.
People support the bill (Afghan detainees issue) because they want Canadian soldiers be killed in Afghan, they want Canadian be defeated.
PM is right to defeat this kind of plot (support Afghan detainees) !
[Admin Note: For what it's worth, this comment was made from a computer with a government IP address, specifically Fisheries & Oceans Canada. Apply salt accordingly.]
well at least Mr. Harper did not do as the liberals remember the Ad Scam. No scandals yet. Prorogation is legal I support Mr. Harper.
Rusty: Chill. Your references are 20 yrs+ old. Alot of things we accepted way back when arent today because we’ve grown. Things like cigarettes, junk food, Reform policies and so on are on their way out thanks to an enlightened Canada..join us!!
Cheers
My father, the late Senator Eugene Forsey, was a constitutional expert and perhaps if he had still been alive a year ago, the Governor General would have done her duty of protecting the Constitution by refusing Harper’s 2008 request for prorogation. Unfortunately Alysha Bayes is correct, and bravo for her clarity – this time the Governor General could not have legitimately refused, since Harper technically still appears to have the confidence of the House. However, both of Harper’s requests for prorogation were utterly outrageous and make a mockery of our system of responsible government.
It is great to see this site and the energy of the discussion, here and elsewhere. More and more accurate information is getting out there, and people are seeing that their intuitive outrage at Harper is entirely justified. It is this kind of informed discussion and focussed protest which may yet allow us to reclaim our democracy.
I’m circulating a one-page “Prorogation Questions and Answers” as widely as possible, my colleague Johannes Wheeldon is posting it on the Facebook site (I’m not on Facebook). I have much more detailed information and am trying to make that as available as possible. Thank you for doing this.
Thanks again to Christopher White, and thank you to Helen Forsey for empowering us with facts.
The way he prorogued parliament shows he’s nothing but a coward.
The way he’s handled issues such as 100% support of Israel during the war in Gaza in 2009 despite international outcry which totally disgusts me(in a non-anti-semetic way. I’m anti-war here.), the lack of progress on Climate Change (it’s real, folks.), the continuation of ignoring calls to end the Afghan mission (enough is enough) is further proof that Stephen Harper is turning Canada into the States during the Dubya era.
If he gets a majority in the next election (assuming he ever calls another one), God helps us all…
I say this coming protest day, give it at your fullest. Let it all out just like those politically motivated music groups (such as Rise Against & Rage Against The Machine.) do at their concerts. Let those messed up Conservatives know what we really think of them.
I will always be a full supporter of Canada.
By that, I mean our Canada, not the one Harper wants to turn our country into.
God bless Canada!!
A new video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3cZZfJzevk
Prime Minister Harper’s proroguing of Parliament has gotten hundreds of thousands of Canadians grappling with the age-old question: how do we deal with bullies?
Confronting them seldom works. Shouting about the issues they’ve raised doesn’t get to them. They’re often cowards, too. Play their way, or they’ll take their ball and go home.
So what do we do? Banding together a large collective, like the one that’s formed over Harper’s latest bullying, won’t solve the issue at hand. Hammering against the particulars will fail. He’ll ignore the protest and move on, continuing to bully on many other fronts.
We must invoke who we are, as a people within a strong, democratic, and very decent system. He must learn that his many indecencies against it have no place here. We must make clear to him and to all Canadians that he’s up against more than a bunch of people … he’s up against a people.
We, as a cohesive, informed citizenry, will not tolerate Harper’s assaults on Canadian democracy to continue. We will pay millions for another election, whether he or the other parties are ready for it. We will elect an untested new leader with many potential flaws, providing one of them isn’t being a bully.
We have the power. And we will use it – we must use it – to put an end to this age-old scourge that arises in every society. We cannot afford Harper’s miscalculations, both of who we are and how we deal with people like him.
I am disgusted with Mr. Harper’s arrogance and disrespect for ordinary Canadians. I am not an elitist. I am retired. I expect my MP and the rest of the government to carry on “all” business. Mr. Harper’s behaviour is becoming alarming with respect to parliament and democracy.
Remember those ongoing protests in Iran over the rigged election? Well, I’m worried that’s what’s gonna happen if Mr. Harper keeps this act up.
Not to be negative, but I doubt the protests coming up will work. These guys never listen to our voices. They never have and they never will.
Just look at the protests before an ignorant Bush bombed Iraq.
But I do hope something good comes out of the protests.
Since he began his tenure as minority Prime Minister, Harper has abandoned his goal of a transparent and accountable Parliament.
The current revolt over his move to prorogue the release of documents concerning the torture of Afghan detainees by neutralizing parliament with a phone call to Rideau Hall is only yet another illustration of a government that has taken the practices of secrecy, dishonesty, contempt, and power consolidation to frightening extremes.
While Harper and members of his caucus may think that calling for a war crimes investigation is treasonous or somehow undemocratic, it is now plain and obvious that most Canadians now disagree. It seems in fact, most Canadians think that the opposite is true, and indeed increasing numbers now see Mr. Harper as arrogant, controlling, secretive, reclusive, cowardly, undemocratic or ‘out of touch’. There also growing numbers of us who now see Harper as having effectively hijacked democracy, and as a fugitive of the highest law of the land – Parliament. We see his acts as unlawful and feel as though our rights to answers are being held hostage by these few who appear to be hiding behind our brave men and woman, utterly perverting our democracy’s tradition.
This move has sickened and outraged hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians. Our site was created as a reminder of what our country is about. As movements to take our country back swell from coast to coast to coast, we are asking Canadians to remember what got us to this point. This site serves as a testament to the true history and values so many of share, the challenges we face, and our vision for the future. We believe that by coming together and sharing what we have in common, we can break down the barriers that confine and divide us.
For us, this dark hour has become a time of reflection, hope and change. As hundreds of thousands protest and rally against the status quo, we can look forward to change in a new era of understanding. Since he began his tenure as minority Prime Minister, Harper has abandoned his goal of a transparent and accountable Parliament.
The current revolt over his move to prorogue the release of documents concerning the torture of Afghan detainees by neutralizing parliament with a phone call to Rideau Hall is only yet another illustration of a government that has taken the practices of secrecy, dishonesty, contempt, and power consolidation to frightening extremes.
While Harper and members of his caucus may think that calling for a war crimes investigation is treasonous or somehow undemocratic, it is now plain and obvious that most Canadians now disagree. It seems in fact, most Canadians think that the opposite is true, and indeed increasing numbers now see Mr. Harper as arrogant, controlling, secretive, reclusive, cowardly, undemocratic or ‘out of touch’. There also growing numbers of us who now see Harper as having effectively hijacked democracy, and as a fugitive of the highest law of the land – Parliament. We see his acts as unlawful and feel as though our rights to answers are being held hostage by these few who appear to be hiding behind our brave men and woman, utterly perverting our democracy’s tradition.
This move has sickened and outraged hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians. Our site was created as a reminder of what our country is about. As movements to take our country back swell from coast to coast to coast, we are asking Canadians to remember what got us to this point. This site serves as a testament to the true history and values so many of share, the challenges we face, and our vision for the future. We believe that by coming together and sharing what we have in common, we can break down the barriers that confine and divide us.
For us, this dark hour has become a time of reflection, hope and change. As hundreds of thousands protest and rally against the status quo, we can look forward to change in a new era of understanding.
See our videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos
Disappointed that no rally was planned for St Catharines, under-represented by a Neo-Con MP presently ‘gone missing’…
Stand up Canada! It’s about time, we get off the chesterfield, and get our democracy back on track.
PM Harper is just a divider of our country, and dictator to our provincial leaders.
His quote, “Its my way or the highway,” sounds like a Bush/Cheney infiltration of thinking.
Voices of Canada are loud and clear: We will not take it anymore!
How many of you protested when either Trudeau, Chretien or Martin prorogued parliament?
@Not a Liberal Party Hypocrite
The PM and the Conservatives campaigned on open government and change from the years of Liberal rule and abuse. So what do they do? Replicate the Liberals ! Wow – what leadership. Torys are the hypocrites.
You are correct though – I cannot recall any Conservative rallies for those numerous times when the Liberal Party prorogued Parliament ?…………………
How is it that this Gov’t thinks that it can pre-occupy the state of the Country by dictating what it will or will not do. They are elected by the people and last I checked, this is not want the people expected, asked for or wanted….so it all begs the obvious conclusion…What is the Gov’t afraid of by sitting Parliment…possibly the threat of being overthrown or just plain thrown out ! Quit being so gutless and get back to work and answer the questions you have been avoiding !
Parliament has been prorogued – closed – unilaterally by the will of one man.
This one man represents one riding, and to a lesser extent, one party in Canada – to the tune of 40% of voting Canadians (or 24% of the population at large) and has decided for everyone to suspend their voice at the national level.
To “discuss finances” is a worrisome excuse from someone who denied the financial downturn as Canadians were already losing jobs and watching retirement savings disappear; or who suggested the markets being low was a “good time to get a deal”; or who works with a finance minister who once mistook Ontario’s $5B deficit for a surplus (it’s only a minus sign, what’s the big deal).
To consult with constituents is laughable; if he really were, he would have already heard the masses proclaiming “we work for our salary, so should you. get back to work!”
Vacation to watch the olympics. Avoiding the Afghan detainee issues. Ignoring the greater will of the population.
“Canadians don’t want an election”
Really – I’d love one; and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.
I was born and living in a comunist contry until I was 45. When I came to Canada, 12 years ago, some of minority governmet members of today were “governing” the province of Ontario and anyone knows with what resuts.
Now the minority pm is showing to all canadians his real face – dictator – and I can tell you from my life experience this is just the begining and if all of us canadians will not stand united against we will suffer and our children will suffer.
Is online activism something our politicians should be concerned about? I think so, It’s certainly a topic of discussion in the Oshawa-Whitby area where local Members of Parliament, event organizers and social media experts have been asked to weigh in on the issue. We’re anxiously awaiting reports on how many people put foot to pavement and turn out for these rallies.
It’s one of the subjects of a year-long ‘Make A Difference’ campaign we’re running at the Metroland Durham Region Media Group in Ontario.
See our latest story on the issue, “Social network politics: activism or slacktivism?” at http://newsdurhamregion.com/specialreports
You guys are precious! Where were you when the Liberals were proroguing?
Ill be there all right, in support of the excellent job this government has done.
If this Prime Minister thinks for one second that he can fool everybody “all the time” HE’S ONLY FOOLING HIMSELF.
As as I’m concern he is nothing but
A smart Alec who has no respect for any Canadian including himself.Thank you
Where were you when Trudeau prorogued 11 times, and that Chretien 4 times, including to try to muzzle the Adscam inquiry?
Protest the shutting down of Parliament (I will be speaking at the Toronto rally). But also realize that even if Parliament opened next Monday, everyone in federal politics will still be allowed to act dishonestly, unethically, secretively, unrepresentatively and wastefully.
To see the 90 loopholes in the federal government’s accountability system that allow people in federal politics to act these ways, and an Action Alert you can use to send a letter calling on federal politicians to close the loopholes, go to:
http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/SummaryOfLoopholes.html
Hope this helps.
Duff Conacher, Coordinator
Democracy Watch
http://www.goodgovernment.ca
Those of you camparing previous proroguing’s of parliament to Mr Harper’s should note that almost all of those previous occurences were to deal with an election or because the leadership of the party in power was changing – of course you can cite Mr Cretien’s attempt to avoid the Adscam Inquiry report – we all know how well that worked out for the Liberals. Deflecting the issue at hand by attempting to say that the liberals did the same thing 20 and 40 years ago doesn’t make this right.
I am a conservative but I find our current Prime Minister’s arrogance and lack of sensitivity to what is important to Canadians apalling.
many of you dont have a rally close enough to attend, so wave a flag, stand up on a corner and shout DEMOCRACY. others will join you. we had a last minute call to action, 2pm on a work day and 35 CAPP showed, others from the street, passerbys joined in and swelled the rally to 80. if you dont stand up and demand more than a piano-playing PM who ASPIRES TO RULE our country, then …
so excited!!! will see you all tomorrow!!! when do we rally? TOMORROW! where do we rally? from sea to shining sea in Canada, plus Dallas, San Franciso, New York, London England, the Sultanate of Oman, Costa Rica, The Hague, Netherlands. 210 thousand people all around the world want to see Canada regain Democracy
I’m not surprised. The Conservatives are a power for the business community, primarily. Of course they scorn democracy. Stop voting these fools in. If you know a Conservative voter challenge them.
Oh ya, and come to the rally tomorrow!!!
They can stay out til the “cows come home”
as long as they are wiling to give up their salary during that time fame.
Without parliament we only have the executive part of the government,i.e. the cabinet. we do not have the legislative branch as a check on the cabinet. It would be like O bama dismissing the house of representatives.
There is a INFO-WAR going on here…
The bloody conservatives are doing china-style comments putting down our efforts.
I like how they bemoan our use of the internet to organize and spread information while they are using the interweb to condemn me. The hypocrisy is making my brain bleed.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=region®ionId=2 For Canadians.
I agree with Margaret Lounds, this so called “democratic government” is nothing more then a joke!
NO PROROGUE!
We are progressive Canadians agains of Conservative Government Prorogue, it is
breaking of Democracy and Human Rights
in Multicultural Canadian Society….
Canadian Parliament Should work and develope our existing laws, regulations and control government actions…
Looks like Mr. Harper was wrong. Apparently Canadians do care about the legislature more than they care about luge.
Applause to all peoples that attended events in their towns and cities. It is the only way to get the attention of the arrogant. Canadians are having it rough and the elected people that form the Government, well, they take Holidays with pay. I’ll do my part to keep the pressure on, by talking to as many voters in my Family and others, to Prorogue the Progressive Conservatives in the next election
hmmmm I posted and it never showed up so trying again. I shot video of the vancouver rally for those interested and put it on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNMh2iKt0Cc
Congratulations to noprorogue.ca and to all Canadians who rallied in support of democracy on January 23. The video on the noprorogue.ca homepage is exceptionally well done.
I’ve been following the site but I had not joined ’cause I dislike Harper soooo much that I am not able to make a fair judgement but after reading this, sorry I had to, so here it is: Regarding this site member Rusty Shackleford and the site Admin Note: FWIW, this comment originated from a computer with an IP address belonging to Citizenship & Immigration Canada. Apply salt accordingly]”Here is my salt .Canadians!!! The guy is a conservative supporter using government computers to and getting paid to post pro-Harper comments in this site!!!He is all those negative things you are thinking and also a coward! After the admin’s post he didn’t post again! LOL. LOL.Too many salaries being paid to the wrong people including Harper but I must stop now as I said my dislike for Harper impairs my judgement; by now no matter what he does I am expecting the flames of evil (allusion only) to show at any time.
Politicians just laugh in our faces these days, they blatantly lie and yet we allow them to continue on their journey. They make big promises during election and once in they forget whatever they said in their campaign. There is not one single candidate that is worth supporting.
Let’s PROROGUE OUR TAXES I think we have good enough reason, our government uses it to their advantage why not hit back in a peaceful way and show them who is in control of this country, we the people or a few elite at the top who don’t care one iota about anyone but themselves.
Cross Country Check-Up Today:
Proroguing Parliament
http://www.cbc.ca/checkup/
Ahh… the ignorance of the left is so amusing. They are so concerned about “democracy”, but none of them are screaming at the liberal senate that is holding up the bills passed by all 3 parties. Harper had it right to prorogue so that he could break the stranglehold the Liberals had in the senate! No maybe we will actually have some progress.
If you guys want to protest something, then protest the “green energy” policies that will kill our economy. These policies are all based on lies! Man is not responsible for “global warming” and carbon dioxide is NOT a pollutant! Write your MP and tell them you do not want to pay an extra $3,000 in taxes and costs just because David Suzuki wants to be famous.
I’ve started handing out my public newsletters advertising the torch relay for democracy along with other news stories on my ” The Civil Information Activist” newsletter downtown.
Tomorrow I’ll be at the Old Strathcona Farmers market (front Doors) Saturday from 1-3pm 104th ST and 83rd ave. doing civil information. Anyone interested at experiencing civil information activism are welcome to join me tomorrow at the market or visit my web site http://www.ciactivist.org for a crash course how it works.
Cheers Richard Brinkman
PS Also: Hanging these newsletters on kiosks and dropping off at various cafes around town.