Friday, December 05, 2008

Parliament Prorogued

The Governor General granted the Prime Minister’s request to prorogue Parliament. The Prime Minister is safe until the House of Commons resumes on January 26, 2009. It is possible the coalition will collapse before the House resumes in January. If not, the coalition is likely to hear what the government has contained in their budget to be presented on January 27, 2009. At that point they will have the option of supporting the minority conservative government or defeating them. The coalition may then ask the Governor General to let them have an opportunity to form the government. This may be right within the rules of Parliament, but it would be wrong. The Canadian voters must retain the right to determine who will govern them.

The economic crisis is threatening economic security for all Canadians. The political crisis caused by Stephen Harper has now divided the country on a range of political issues. Divisions between the West and the constant demands of the separatist Bloc in Quebec is now back on the minds of voters. National unity has been threatened at a time when the economy should have been the focus of all Members of Parliament. They chose instead to play their political games for the sake of power and money. In this regard, the coalition sought to steal, through Parliamentary procedures, what Canadian voters had not given them at the last general election.

Voters generally are rightfully not pleased with any of those elected to Parliament at the last election. Now is a good time to call your Member of Parliament and demand that they represent your political views when Parliament resumes in January 2009. Justifiably there is plenty of criticism of liberal Ralph Goodale, but don’t forget that the conservative caucus, including thirteen conservative MP’s in Saskatchewan, allowed Stephen Harper to cause this crisis. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done great harm to himself, his party, the economy and the future of our country. It may be time for Harper to be booted out of the conservative party, but I can’t think of a conservative who has the courage to stand up to him. It is hard to believe how the conservatives under Stephen Harper can ever form a majority government.

It is clear that we need to reform how we elect our Members of Parliament and how Parliament should function after the election. Could independent candidates do any worse?