PROROGUING PARLIAMENT

The prime minister of Canada used a process called proroguing to shut down the parliament for an indefinite period. Faced with scandals and questions which are difficult for him to understand and impossible for him to answer brings the most undemocratic situation to bear. This tool was used back in 1375 AD to bring about the dismissal of parliament in Britain. It has been used a few times since.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Harper is somewhat a dictator in his methods to make decisions without parliament. In a minority he should be reaching out for consensus as he did have the basic support for his plans and programs from all parties. This latest in a list of undemocratic methods used by this Prime Minister will not sit well with the Canadian public.

In my opinion I see a real opportunity for Mr. Harper to show leadership and bring the country together. We as a nation came through the recession with policies supported by all parties in pretty good shape as compared to other countries. As a resource based economy we do not have the great fluctuation as our resources are necessary in all times. Oil and gas, metals, forestry and agricultural products are strong commodities in the world and add to our stability.

We need parliament to be in session for the Olympics, our armed forces, fiscal leadership and domestic challenges at home and abroad. The rapid drop in popularity of the Conservatives Party indicates how we as Canadians feel.

I would suggest since Mr. Harper put parliament out of work that their salaries should reflect this change. Get back to work Mr. Prime Minister and get parliament working for the people of Canada . If the challenge is too great for you maybe you could consider standing aside and letting one of your colleague's from parliament have a turn at running the country, he or she might bring democracy back to life on the hill in Ottawa.