Pro-ro-what?
By Paul Breschuk
Features
Editor
February 3, 2010
 Never in Canadian history has there been a more high profile prorogation, forcing the once little-known political term into the general lexicon.
Overnight, the word “prorogue” has spread like Chap Stick across the lips of reporters, echoing through countless article headings and news tickers.
It has been used with such frequency that the ears of the news-reading public have become almost deaf to the term.
This olfactory-like response is similar to the way in which the brain has come to ignore the visual quagmire of advertisements.
Even jokes about the word sounding like “pirogies” have gone stale. The meaning behind this awkward-sounding term, however, has attracted much controversy.
And the storm continues to build.
While the rest of the Canadian public slept off their holiday hangovers, Prime Minister Stephen Harper took advantage of the nation’s deflected awareness to make several moves of dirty politics.
First, he enacted a 22-day prorogation that would kill over 30 bills while giving Parliament members a forced vacation until March 3, 2010.
While in no way being the first suspension of Parliament, it has certainly become the most controversial.
Second, during the prorogation, Harper named five new senators to gain control of both houses of Parliament.
After being sworn in, the new senators would give the Conservatives 51 seats compared to the Liberal’s 49.
This move goes against his said goal of turning the Senate into an elected body, an effort that would help democratize the formation process.
On Dec. 30 of last year, Harper’s announcement to suspend the Parliament ran alongside the news of five Canadian soldiers dying in Afghanistan.
The announcement found more cover to hide behind falling on the same day as Hockey Canada’s release of the men’s Olympic roster.
And as it was expected, the political news was far from the spotlight that day.
Reaction
Despite Harper’s wish for the story to dwindle from the public consciousness, concerned political journalists have been working hard to keep it alive. And while their voices have naturally been mirrored by the opposition parties, it has been the country-wide reaction from grassroots protesters that has been most noteworthy.
The widespread public condemnation evidences a healthy level of public skepticism directed toward the government.
In both of Harper’s prorogues, his first occurring in 2008, evidence can be found that would define the moves as strategic evasions of opposition attacks.
Using this legal loop-hole, the Conservatives were able to skirt past the necessary rigours of democracy’s checks and balances.
According to Taras Natyshak of the NDP’s Essex riding, there is reason for the public to be upset.
“There has been a national price tag associated to the work somewhere around $130 million, not to mention time, effort, and wasted energy on all this legislation that has essentially gone down the tubes. You have your elected representatives and you have them there to work. Just halting everything like this is like political cheating.”
Natyshak, like others, believes the most likely reason for the prorogation is the government’s wish to avoid questions regarding to the Afghan detainee issue.
Right before the prorogation, opposition parties crafted a subpoena that demanded all government information be released regarding Canada’s questionable detainee transfers. It has been alleged that the Canadian government has transported Afghan detainees to countries known for their abusive, torturous interrogation methods.
Natyshak describes the government’s current actions as ducking a sensitive issue that must be addressed.
“Regardless of where your position is on the War in Afghanistan, I think we can all agree that the protocols of war and those rules of engagement should be respected if Canadians are to gain any credibility on the world stage as a so-called peacekeepers,” said Natyshak.
The Windsor rally
The Afghan issue was also on the minds of the protesters who met at a rally in front of Windsor’s City Hall. Like many other Canadian cities, Windsor’s Jan. 23 rally came about organically from the grassroots level.
“The rally was intended as a forum for anyone to come up to the mic and voice their concern over the assault on democracy,” said Paul Chislett, MC for the event.
“We do not directly elect the Prime Minister in Canada. Instead, we elect members who have to give the leader their confidence,” said Chislett, who is in favour of proportional representation. “I, and thousands of other Canadians, do not have confidence in Mr. Harper’s government and our representatives cannot express this in the House. So we did so in the street.”
Steve Green, who also spoke at the rally, was pleasantly surprised at the turnout despite the cold and wet weather. He described the event as an example of bi-partisan activism, a combination of different political views joining to fight toward a common goal.
“I was surprised that everything was kept on an even keel. No one really got off on partisan politics which showed me that there was great cooperation to bring attention to what we all felt was an obvious mistake, the suspension of parliament for no good reason,” said Green.
Sad comparisons
With Parliament members still enjoying an extended holiday on the tax payers’ dollar, the story is far from over. In the meantime, the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, and Members of Parliament “will be in communities across Canada seeking the input of Canadians on the upcoming budget,” reads Conservative MP Jeff Watson’s press release.
Natyshak would rather see them “get back to work,” pointing out that tax-paying citizens are not gifted with the same ability to ignore their responsibilities.
Instead, they are expected to face challenges from many directions.
“We do not have the opportunity to prorogue our bills, job obligations, or family obligations,” said Natyshak. “So it does not seem fair to the average Canadian that their elected officials can just shut down and stop their work on a whim.”
In another contrast, Natyshak compares the current activities of the Haitian government to those of Canada’s Conservative government.
Despite experiencing one of the worst natural disasters in the Western hemisphere, the Haitian government is running. They continue to work, “even if they’re still sitting in a fire hall,” said Natyshak.
If democracy can survive an earthquake, surely it could do the same with the Olympics. |
