From website No Prorogue. Posted January 21st, 2010 | Author:Scott McComb
I've copied this below in it's entirety. Send a copy to your MP and friends - especially the pro-prorogue ones. Discuss it with your kids, your partner, the gang at the pub. Think of what some next steps could be. Get involved, with a donation, with some action. Make change happen, one step at a time.
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An Open Letter to the Democratically Elected Members of Parliament,
As concerned citizens of Canada, we write this letter in direct response to the recent decision of the Prime Minister to prorogue Parliament.
While prorogation is the usual means of bringing a Parliamentary session to a close, it has traditionally happened once the sitting Members have worked their way through the agenda set out in the Throne Speech. In contrast to its normal use, Prime Minister Stephen Harper twice now has sought to prorogue Parliament despite having accomplished less than half of the business laid out before the House of Commons. Indeed, within a month of the delivery of the Speech to the Throne in the fall of 2008, Mr. Harper was seeking haven from potential defeat at the hands of the majority of the House. Again, on December 30th, 2009, Mr. Harper has prorogued a Parliament in the middle of its agenda, delaying the accountability of his government to the House.
We are dismayed that prorogation should be used for such political gamesmanship. Furthermore, we interpret these prorogations as a suspension of our democratic rights to be represented by our duly elected Members of Parliament. We soundly reject the assertion made by Mr. Harper that it is merely “business as usual”. In actual fact, such prorogations are not seen in any of the British style parliaments of Australia, New Zealand, Scotland or the United Kingdom.
We accept that this action may be strictly legal. In addition, we acknowledge that in some past instances, the prorogation of Parliament could have borne more critical scrutiny. That makes Mr. Harper’s decision no more meritorious today. It is harmful to the functioning of our society for a Prime Minister to unilaterally end a session of Parliament for the purpose of avoiding his accountability to the House. Furthermore, allowing this type of prorogation has established a precedent that confers too much power solely upon the Prime Minister.
Accordingly we Canadians have come together to develop simple guidelines for how we believe the justification for a mid-session prorogation should be assessed.
A mid-session prorogation should be considered a significant act. Thus, the burden of proof must be placed on the Prime Minister to demonstrate the necessity of unilaterally proroguing Parliament prior to its usual conclusion. Such proof should soberly weigh the costs already expended in developing Bills in progress, and the costs of lost work by current committees that will be dissolved. Any significant challenge to the government’s position that may presently be looming in the house, including public inquiries and votes on non-confidence, should be considered of utmost importance and under such circumstances prorogation should not be granted.
We would also ask that parliament debate the possibility of requiring the Prime Minister to seek support from a large majority of the House before addressing the Governor General with the request to prorogue Parliament. Thus, in majority situations, the degree of support should reflect some from the Opposition, as well as the Government’s own members.
By using such guidelines as these to assess the justification and necessity for prorogation, it is our solemn opinion that the interests of the Canadian people would be better protected. Upon the granting or denying of a prorogation mid-session, we respectfully petition that the Governor General to summarize his or her reasoning by public declamation within a set timeframe, so as to maintain the great tradition of transparency in Canadian government.
Finally, we ask that legislators take the initiative to entrench these guidelines into law when they return to parliament in March, as an act of good faith for the Canadian system of Government and the Canadian people.
Signed, Concerned Canadians
We ask Canadians who wish to become signatories in support of this letter to visit http://www.citizenactionplan.ca
This document has been produced collaboratively by citizens of Canada and members of the Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament Facebook Group. Through a cooperative and multi-partisan approach, we have worked collectively to produce this letter. We have taken this approach as an example of the capacity of the Canadian people to work together for our common good. Such demonstration we ask to be reciprocated by our Members of Parliament on both sides of the aisle.
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