I’m personally more fond of the anti-rogue position but I don’t really know why. I seem to recall various Prime Ministers over the years extending parliamentary adjournments, postponing returns and maybe even suspending parliament while in session. The word ‘pro-rogue’ was never used but if it walks like a duck? Or perhaps what Harper did has not been done before. He is nothing if not a political experimentalist and fast learner.

As has been duly noted by several posters, and whether the word or the deed, the scent of proroguing is irresistable.

I’ll start up front by saying I helped organise the anti-prorogation rally in Kingston. Basically, that means I supplied the sound and made sure people could be heard.

The smoking gun in all this is an Order of Parliament that was made on Dec 10th. Here’s the money quote:

That, given the undisputed privileges of Parliament under Canada’s constitution, including the absolute power to require the government to produce uncensored documents when requested, and given the reality that the government has violated the rights of Parliament by invoking the Canada Evidence Act to censor documents before producing them, the House urgently requires access to the following documents in their original and uncensored form:

all documents referred to in the affidavit of Richard Colvin, dated October 5, 2009;

…

accordingly the House hereby orders that these documents be produced in their original and uncensored form forthwith.”

The next meeting of the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan was scheduled for the 15 of December. At that meeting (the last one before the Christmas Break) the government is supposed to hand over the documents. However, there is no committee meeting on the fifteenth; the CPC MPs on the committee don’t show up and there aren’t enough committee members there to reach quorum.

Needless to say, there wasn’t anyone from the executive with the uncensored documents requested by the House of Commons at the meeting either.

The MPs broke for Christmas, and over the holidays Harper prorogued Parliament.

I should add that Harper had already stated his decision to not comply with the order voted on by Parliament on the tenth.

We’re actually in the middle of a pretty major constitutional crisis here. Harper basically prorogued until after the Olympics because when the shit hits the fan on Parliament’s return, he wants all those foreign journalists safely out of the country and not paying any attention to us again… especially because people are going to be talking about nasty things like torture and official blind eyes and that sort of thing.

I think that despite his protestations, Harper understood very well that Canadians would not like this second prorogation. There was grumbling when he did it last winter. He had to know that the second time would come at a much greater cost politically. Which makes me wonder… what is in those documents that he’s willing to risk his much-coveted majority government to keep secret?

(I’m not Canadian by the way, feel free to tell me how different things are over there)

Choice line from article:
“An EKOS Globe and Mail poll published January 21, six days before the budget, showed support for a coalition government at 50%.”

The GG’s actions during that time period set a horrible precedent. The PM can now suspend parliment whenever he likes to avoid having to face the house. This strikes a blow to the very idea of responsible gov’t.

I just realized something – isn’t the governor general Haitian? Has this played any role in the Canadian response to the Haiti earthquake?

So, Dec 30. Stephen Harper extends parliament’s Christmas break

(and Canadian taxpayers in general), did not get to vote.

Also at issue is the loss of freedom of expression, of the press, of peoples right to voice dissent in public, and in their own homes. Vancouver has a bylaw where the police can enter your house to take down a sign. Corruption in the police forces is rampant, and unscrutinized, journalists and activists have been harrassed by police and the corporate media (highly concentrated in ownership, by conservatives) berate us daily now to lay back and think of the Queen. And for God’s sake, smile!

I’m sorry, I must have missed the poll that claimed that Canadians were somewhat OK with Stephane Dion, who had already announced his resignation as leader of the Liberals, becoming Prime Minister.

I just assumed that the immediate appointment of Michael Ignatieff as new Liberal leader (without a leadership race even) and the dissolution of the coalition was a hint that the move was unpopular. I guess Lack Layton was misreading the mood of the electorate when the NDP later voted with the government rather than force an election. I always suspected that Layton and Harper really do see eye to eye on most issues.

That silly raw seal heart eating Governor General, its all her fault If she didn’t OK the delay of the no-confidence vote then…. well, ummmmm, people wouldn’t have lost their senses. Yeah, thats it. People lost their senses.

One for Canadians: it seems, from the bits I’ve read and heard about Colvin, that there’s a base respect for senior career civil servants and diplomats that isn’t generally found south of the border, and that he’s probably going to get a fair hearing in spite of the spittle from the more rabid Harperites that he ought to be hanged as a traitor.

Still, it’s an example of Canadian tolerance: i.e. putting up with a governing party that a substantial majority of the electorate neither chose nor likes very much, because the alternative would be something that nobody chose, not even the voters for the Grits, NDP and BQ.

I kid. Kinda.