Prorogue’s true meaning

To the editor:

Canadians are justifiably upset and concerned by Stephen Harper’s prorogation of Parliament. It is the fourth time in just three years that the Prime Minister has shut down Parliament.

This time, he is abusing our parliamentary system in order to avoid accountability when his government is facing tough questions about its handling and apparent cover up of the Afghan detainee torture scandal. Running and hiding from a difficult issue is not leadership.

Normally, Parliament is prorogued when all of the goals in the Speech from the Throne have been met. That is hardly the case today. Canada is struggling to recover from the sharpest recession in generations. MPs were elected to do the job of putting this country back on track. Liberals have worked with other MPs to debate dozens of pieces of legislation.

Whenever legitimate debate "delays" the progress of a single piece of government legislation, Stephen Harper is the first to blame the opposition. But now, in a move of incredible hypocrisy, he is killing 35 pieces of legislation currently in progress.

Let us look back and consider how this government has really operated. We need to ask ourselves whether we really want a Prime Minister and a Government that fires or tries to discredit anyone who disagrees with it. Since when do we accept smear campaigns as legitimate government tools? Do we want a Prime Minister who actually closes the doors of the House of Commons when questions get awkward? For good reason, Canadians are saying NO.

When everything a government says and does seems driven by political considerations, is it any wonder so many people are cynical?

It is said by some that Stephen Harper is a good political tactician and others would suggest that the Conservative party has a smart PR office.

Perhaps though, we are all starting to realize that we are the real targets of those strategies and that machine. Today we are being asked to believe that the Government needs time to figure out what to do next. Really?

This prorogation is simply the latest in a long list of examples that tell us that our current government cares little for anything other than its own very political agenda. Our interests should not be placed a distant second. Our democracy deserves better.
 
Yves Fricot,
Liberal candidate, Thunder Bay-Superior North