CAPP Letter: Why did PM follow in Chrétien’s footsteps?

It seems to me the most common argument in favour of arbitrarily proroguing Parliament is “Chrétien did it.”

Unfortunately, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament do not have a time machine or perhaps we would go back in time so that Harper could not have done it today.

Being brushed off as Liberal supporters whose views and opinions should simply be disregarded seems to be the tactic of Stephen Harper and his minions, but it is simply not true. People of all parties (or no party) are participating because they understand the greater implications of this arbitrary action.

My question back at you is why did Stephen Harper campaign on accountability, pointing at the very actions of that Chrétien Government, only to follow in his footsteps and do exactly the same thing?

CAPP exists to stop any government from this day forth from ever being able to simply close up shop when things aren’t looking good for them, and to use Prorogation for what it was meant for – when the business of the day is done, to go back to the workshop and decide what policies the government would like to bring to legislation.

There is one thing that Chrétien did during his questionable prorogation that Harper has not done, which I’m sure would quiet the masses, and that is to step down as prime minister. That is an admission that something was wrong, but Harper fails to do that, perhaps hoping to follow in Nixon’s footsteps, and use this opportunity to cover-up instead.

One final word on this, I thought we all learned in kindergarten that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Terri Elvald
CAPP Simcoe Barrie

Title: Why did PM follow in Chrétien’s footsteps?
From: The Barrie Advance, Letter, Terri Elvald
Date: February 18, 2010
http://www.barrieadvance.com/barrieadvance/article/155797

Barrie Letter: Will MPP attend OOOPS rally?

Another “…but McGuinty and everyone else does it” letter:

What a difference a month makes! In January, local Liberal MPP Aileen Carroll was quick to condemn the Prime Minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament and was quoted as saying, “I was outraged initially, but I shouldn’t be any more outraged than any other Canadian,” she said. “It’s an utter disregard to Parliament.”

Considering that both Liberal Prime Minster’s Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin used this procedural tactic a number of times while Ms. Carroll served in their Cabinet, she was at the very least, a sizeable hypocrite.

Ms. Carroll, and at least one of her staff, then attended the CAPP (Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament) rally held in Barrie on Jan. 23. There amongst the crowd was Ms. Carroll cheering on the demonstrators and smiling from ear to ear as the rhetoric flew in every direction from the makeshift podium.

The Barrie Advance even published a photo of Carroll sporting a large Canada scarf and delightfully laughing while standing next to a man holding a big orange sign that read Prorogation = Dictatorship.

Not even a month later, Ms. Carroll has been stripped of both her cabinet posts (couldn’t she of at least kept one?) and just before she and her colleagues were about to return to the Ontario Legislature, her boss, Premier Dalton McGuinty has now prorogued Queen’s Park. You know, with the Olympics and all.

I am not sure if this is karma, irony or a combination of both, but I can’t wait to see what the occasionally visible MPP has for us next month.

Will she be willing to attend a rally for OOOPS (Ontarians Outraged Over Prorogued Session)?

Title: Will MPP attend OOOPS rally?
From: The Barrie Advance, Letter, Linda Cormier
Date: February 18, 2010
http://www.barrieadvance.com/barrieadvance/article/155796

My Response:

No one is suggesting that prorogation is always wrong. We are saying that an arbitrary and sudden prorogation done by a the *minority* Harper government against the expressed majority will of Parliament, in order to avoid Parliament, dodge an binding Order of Parliament to produce documents in the Afghan detainee affair and to stack the senate, while causing three dozen bills to be thrown out wasting tens of millions of dollars is wrong. it is anti-democratic, and if tolerated represent a severe blow to democracy. This is the second time Harper has used prorogation to avoid the majority will of Parliament.

McGuinty, on the other hand, is using prorogation in a standard way. With the legislative agenda basically complete, there’s only one week off, followed by a throne speech. There’s no running from the legislature in order to avoid its majority will, no Orders from that Legislature demanding proper disclosure of documents, and there’s no Senate to stack.

Theres no comparison.

As for Chretien and Martin both using this as a “procedural tactic a number of times”: Chretien used that power four times. three due to election calls, and once to switch PMs (though he also used it inappropriately to punt an Auditor General’s report over to Martin’s lap). Martin prorogued only once, and that was a standard prorogation in order to immediately call an election that Parliament demanded.

None of those prorogations compare to what Harper has done. Regardless, as Canadian we cannot tolerate Prime Ministers wielding this much power any more. Parliament should not be sitting at the pleasure of the PM. It should be the other way around.

Event Feb 25: Citizens Engaging Democracy, Newmarket-Aurora

From Citizens Engaging Democracy, Newmarket-Aurora

presenting

“Holding the Line on Our Democracy.”

February 25, 2010

7:00pm

Binions Hall, Trinity Anglican Church, 79 Victoria Street, Aurora, ON

Suggested donation: $10.00/pay what you can

On Feb. 25th, join us for a local community meeting to educate and inspire local voters.

Featured Speaker:

Dr. Marco Fonseca, PhD. (Department of International Studies, Glendon College) will discuss the topic of grassroots democratic movements, with a focus on Canadian participatory democracy. He points out that, “when we do not take part in the public life of our political community, the very meaning of our citizenship – a key element of what it is to be Canadian – is at risk of being lost.” Our democracy is in crisis and it is up to all of us to let those in power know that we are watching and we want change.

Our Goals:

*

to reach Canadians who are still not aware that we have no sitting Parliament
*

to educate citizens about threats to, and the erosion of, our democratic system
*

to engage people, knowing that low voter turnouts and apathy lead to the election of governments who do not represent us
*

to tell our elected representatives to do their jobs in the House of Commons
*

to take action, preventing the misuse of power from being repeated.

We are presenting a petition requesting a legislative change to prorogation procedures.

We are also presenting information about related organizations so that people can take action and communicate with their government.

All local elected politicians will be formally invited to attend as observers.

Background: The shutdown of our Canadian Parliament in December 2009 by a minority government –in mid-debate of 37 pieces of legislation — was only the biggest symptom of our ailing democratic processes. On January 23, 2010, in over 60 peaceful, non-partisan rallies of 29,000 concerned Canadians, we let our politicians know they had crossed a line. The 225,000 members of Chris White’s Facebook group, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament (CAPP), proved them wrong as almost 30,000 Canadians marched in the streets telling their politicians to “Get Back to Work.”

Canadians Engaging Democracy, Newmarket-Aurora is a group of local citizens who met to coordinate the January 23 rally and feel that ongoing work is necessary to engage and inform voters. We want our democracy back.

Please join us in “holding that line” for our democracy!

Press contact: Liz Jefferson Website: http://ced-na.posterous.com/

For details, please call (905) 868-9183 or email precision_english@hotmail.com

Code of conduct sought for ‘amoral’ political aides

Some of Canada’s most-respected public policy experts say it is time to rein in the hundreds of assistants to cabinet ministers who roam Parliament Hill with no training and no accountability to anyone but their political bosses.

Among the suggestions for these aides are education in how government works and a code of conduct that forbids them from giving orders to bureaucrats and makes ministers responsible for their staff’s actions.

A political aide to a former Public Works minister who blocked the release of a sensitive report under the Access to Information Act prompted the outrage and resurrected calls for a code of conduct.

Title: Code of conduct sought for ‘amoral’ political aides
From: The Ottawa Citizen, News, Kathryn May
Date: February 16, 2010
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Rein+amoral+political+aides+with+code+conduct+government+urged/2568225/story.html

Wrong message sent on prorogued Bill C-268

Due to the Conservatives’ decision to shut down the House, the passing of Bill C-268 was stalled. This important piece of legislation would impose mandatory sentences on those involved in human trafficking.

Volunteers from many church communities, myself included, spent a lot of time and energy lobbying the government to support this bill. Bill C-268 received near unanimous support in the Commons from the Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats. Does this sound like a Parliament that is not functioning?

Title: Wrong message sent
From: The Star Phoenix, Letter, Patricia J. Zipchen
Date: February 17, 2010

Brown’s absence at rally noteworthy

I was at the pro-democracy rally. I spent the time in the petition tent, doing face painting for anyone who wanted and, along with two others, providing petitions to those who asked to sign.

Barrie MP Patrick Brown was welcome to take an hour and come down to see for himself what his constituents wanted to talk about.

He claims he sent a representative, but this person never identified himself or herself. This person certainly wasn’t near the petition booth.

Mr. Brown, if you sent a representative, why wouldn’t this person identify himself/herself? You must have a different definition of the word ‘representative’ than most. A ‘representative’ would clearly identify himself/ herself and would bring a statement from those he/she represents. This ‘representative’ did not do these things.

Title: Brown’s absence at rally noteworthy
From: The Barrie Examinder, Letter, Catharine Saunders Bates
Date: February 17, 2010
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2451810

Another ‘brilliant’ “Why aren’t we protesting McGuinty?” opinion

I’m sure the anti-prorogation protestors are gearing up to launch events across Ontario to condemn Dalton McGuinty’s decision to prorogue the Ontario legislature until after the Olympic Games.

…Why would McGuinty be any different? If the protests against Harper’s decision revealed anything – they revealed that Canadians everywhere are opposed to prorogation. The political affiliation of the leader who initiates a prorogation shouldn’t matter. Should it?

Title: Reporter’s Notebook
From: The Blue Mountains Courier-Herald, Opinion, Chris Fell
Date: February 16, 2010
http://www.bluemountainscourierherald.com/courierherald/article/155755

Liberal Prorogation Reform Proposal

Democracy Under Fire comments on and links to the Liberal proposal to reform prorogation.

Title: The Liberal Proposal
From: Democracy Under Fire, Blog, Opinion, ‘Rural’
Date: February 15, 2010

The Corbella Rant

All the usual talking points claiming we are being so unfair to Stephen Harper, with added rant and faux outrage.

Title: Double standard on prorogation is telling
From: The Calgary Herald, Opinion, Lisa Corbella
Date: February 15, 2010
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Double+standard+prorogation+telling/2563069/story.html

Feds turn down access request for democratic reform briefing books

The federal government has refused to release to the public briefing books prepared for the minister tasked with making the government more accountable.

Manitoba junior cabinet minister Steven Fletcher was sworn in as the minister of state for democratic reform in October 2008. According to a government website, his job is to oversee “an ambitious and extensive legislative plan to strengthen accountability in government through democratic reform.”

Title: Feds turn down access request for briefing books
From: Winnipeg Free Press, News, Mia Rabson
Date: February 13, 2010
http://www.canada.com/news/national/Feds%20turn%20down%20access%20request%20briefing%20books/2560117/story.html