Categories: Need to know

Harper reportedly suspending Parliament

MPs wouldn’t sit until after the Vancouver Games

by macleans.ca on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 11:03am - 12 Comments

Various news services are reporting today that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will ask Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean to suspend parliament. Instead of returning as scheduled on Jan. 25, MPs wouldn’t sit in the House again until sometime in March, after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are over. Proroguing parliament would mean the Conservatives wouldn’t have to face ongoing questions in the Afghan detainee controversy. But the move would also kill bills that are only part way down the road to being passed into law, including tough-on-crime legislation the Tories have been accusing Liberal senators of stalling. Liberals are calling Harper’s gambit “a shocking insult to democracy” and NDPers “outrageous.” No official word yet from the Prime Minister’s Office—but no denial either. It would be the second time Harper has asked Jean to suspend parliament in an unusual circumstance: he prorogued in late 2008 to avoid being defeated in the House by a coalition of Liberals and New Democrats, supported by the Bloc Québécois.

CBC

Globe and Mail

Toronto Sun

Tags: Canada

an optimist

Sad but predictable. There are no depths to which the conservatives will not sink under the leadership of this spiteful little phony. Maybe we will get lucky and his plane will crash.
some thoughts

Why not let the house vote on prorogation? Of course that would be way to democratic for the beloved leader.
fuddle duddle

wah, who cares, how important is this legislation they are going to kill ? when they come back the first law they should pass is the one giving ontario and the west 32 more seats so that the consrervatives have a better chance at a majority

Anon

Yeah, that's what we need — 32 more idiots getting 150,000 per year taking six months off during the year.

fuddle duddle

at least these idiots wil be from the west and ontario.. it would be cool to just cut the whole house down to maybe 200 and redistribute but our system does not allow that

251

Let's March.
Anon Liberal

Wasn't that liar denying this a couple of weeks ago when the first rumors started leaking about it?

Fred – Brandon MB

Check your facts. Harper never denied that he was considering proroguing Parliament. Quite the opposite, he always mentioned it as a possibility.

I don't understand the Liberal's faux outrage. Trudeau prorogued Parliament 3 times and Chretien 4 times. Were they equally un-democratic? Or is this just Liberal grand standing?

delford t louis

this is a low blow to all fellow citizens! it blatantly illustrates the type of dictator this potbelly is…thing is personally i am not a card carrying person of any political persuasion but realize this is a cheap shot to all the country…. and more senators! might as well put his parents in as senators! and brothers, sisters and other outlaws for other plush jobs!