Parliament has just been prorogued and here’s some reaction.
From the Leader of the Official Opposition, Stéphane Dion:
Dion Wants a Throne Speech that Reflects the Interests of Canadians
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to prorogue the House and deliver a Throne Speech on October 16 is yet another example of his government's lack of accountability, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said today.
“It's unfortunate that Prime Minister Harper decided to prorogue the Parliament after failing to address issues such as climate change, Canada's mission in Afghanistan, or his record of broken promises on matters such as income trusts or Equalization” said Mr. Dion.
“There are a number of important pieces of legislation that will be lost because of the Prime Minister's decision, including the Clean Air and Climate Change Act, which has taken months of work in committee to amend to make it a valuable tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put Canada's industrial emitters on a carbon budget.”
Mr. Dion said that if Mr. Harper is genuinely committed to letting the Parliament work for all Canadians, he will use the upcoming Throne Speech to:
– Announce, without equivocation, that Canada will notify its allies in NATO that it is putting an end to the combat mission in Kandahar Afghanistan, in February 2009. If there is to be a vote, the government must make clear the wording of the motion, and confirm how it will vote;
– Commit to reintroducing Bill C-30, which is the best tool Canadians have to effectively protect the environment and fight the effects of climate change, in the new session;
– Address the challenges facing Canada's economy, particularly on issues such as manufacturing;
– Set out a plan to combat poverty in Canada; and
– Show that he is worthy of Canadians' trust.“Mr. Harper must work to regain Canadians' trust by honouring the ruling on the Canadian Wheat Board; explaining his broken promises on Equalization; and now – in light of the very troubling revelations about the alleged in-and-out scheme being investigated by Elections Canada – opening his party's books to public scrutiny and making it clear the Conservatives will not use the scheme in the Quebec by-elections or the next national campaign,” said Mr. Dion.
“We have serious doubts about Mr. Harper's ability to act on these matters but the ball is now in his court,” concluded Mr. Dion.
From NDP Leader Jack Layton:
STEPHEN HARPER IS WRONG TO LOCK OUT MPS
TIMMINS – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is wrong to postpone MPs’ return to work by proroguing the House of Commons until mid October, declared NDP Leader Jack Layton today.
“By his actions, Stephen Harper is effectively locking out MPs. We have work to do. Everyday families are counting on us, but Stephen Harper is preventing us from getting down to work,” said Layton.
Harper is wasting time on important files such as climate change and urgent infrastructure needs. The last sitting of the House was in June, and parliamentarians are supposed to be back on September 17.
“Students have gone back to class. Working families are back from vacation. Why is Stephen Harper locking MPs out? Why is he stopping us from getting back to work for students and families? Why is he stopping MPs from debating what to do with the budget surplus? The prime minister should be ashamed for shutting the doors of Parliament,” added Layton.
“By locking MPs out, Stephen Harper is showing utter disregard for the work that has already been done, especially on the climate change and clean air bill. Stephen Harper is wasting another month while we could be fighting climate change in order to write an unnecessary Throne Speech,” concluded Layton.
From the Prime Minister’s Office:
Jean Chretien prorogued Parliament four times during his time as Prime Minister: February 5, 1996; September 18, 1999; September 16, 2002; and November 12, 2003.
* On each occasion, the Liberals killed their own legislation. Several bills ended up dying over and over again due to Liberals proroguing Parliament or calling early elections.
* September 16, 2002 – After a summer of Liberal in-fighting and Jean Chretien being forced to announce his planned retirement date in August, Chretien prorogued Parliament, killing legislation so that he could unveil his legacy agenda.
* According [to] Eddie Goldenberg, Chretien decided to have a Throne Speech just to test the will of the Martinite forces who were trying to push him out early: Chretien was happy. “I like that. It is exactly what we just discussed. Prepare me a statement. But just one more thing,” said the old fox. “I want a Throne Speech in the fall. The government will stand or fall on it. If they want to vote against me on it, then it is the one case in which I will run again.” (Eddie Goldenberg, The Way it Works, p. 380)
* November 12, 2003 – Jean Chretien announced that Parliament was prorogued on the eve of the Liberal leadership convention (so Chretien and Martin didn’t have to sit together in the House of Commons and face a dispute over who was Prime Minister). Martin did not become Prime Minister until December 12, 2003 and Parliament did not resume until February 2, 2004 – almost four months later
* The current session has lasted as long as many comparable sessions under the Liberals, and longer than several of the sessions under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.