[Newsbot]

Filibuster Cartoons
Title: Our friendly dictators (click to view)
Date: January 8, 2010
So Prime Minister Harper prorogued parliament this week, suspending the chamber's activities for several months while he goes off and does whatever. The official motivations were varied, but basically he just doesn't feel like dealing with a bunch of politicians yammering about this and that, asking a lot of questions and trying to pass stupid laws.

The opposition parties have all been shocked, shocked that the Prime Minister would do such a dramatic and undemocratic thing. Suspend parliament! Outrageous! Some of the more liberally-inclined media outlets have likewise made the story big front page news for several days now.

But... of course in the crazy Canadian system of government it's really not such a big deal for Harper to be doing this, and the prime ministers before him did it all the time for equally duplicitous reasons. It's one of the many dictatorial powers the PMs legally hold, along with chosing the date of their own election and appointing senators (an activity, incidentally, which Harper says he plans to do a bit of during his time off).

And of course pretty much every other political party in the country has their own share of undemocratic tricks up their sleeves to be pulled out as circumstances dictate. Not to be apologizing for Harper or anything, it's just that the political system of Canada is obviously very badly broken,  and it rings incredibly hollow for certain types to raise a fuss over the "unfairness" of some parliamentary quirk being used against them when they uncritically tolerate so much entrenched absurdity every other day of the year.

[commanderkai]

Man, each and every one is perfect!

[Psudo]

Man, I wish I had this quality of citizen commentary on other nations' politics. Imagine if we had an equivalent to JJ's Guide to Canada for every country! I used to have a net friend from Singapore that would keep me updated, and the guy from Quirksmode.org has a bit to say about Dutch politics, but... I am left wanting.

[EyeBrock]

The media seems very willing to forget and forgive Chretien's four prorogues but are all over Harper for two in a minority government?

I'm no tub-thumping partisan but it does seem unequal.

And really, come the summer this prorogue will be as vivid in the collective memory as Chretien's four are now.

[Monkeyman]

Freakin' hilarious cartoon. Brilliant.

[saturn_656]

EyeBrock wrote:

The media seems very willing to forget and forgive Chretien's four prorogues but are all over Harper for two in a minority government?

Here is how I like to look at it:

Jack-assery was expected from Chretien, I don't know if the man had a honourable bone in his body.

Harper is clearly a better PM, more is expected from him.

[EyeBrock]

When in reality, Chretien and Harper have a lot in common, in my view anyway.

[saturn_656]

EyeBrock wrote:

When in reality, Chretien and Harper have a lot in common, in my view anyway.

Funny, I am favourable towards Harper, but 9 days out of 10 I couldn't stand having Chretien as PM.

[Scape]

Chretien and Harper are cut from the same cloth.

[Zipperfish]

Very funny. Thanks JJ.

You're right, we give far too much power to our Prime Minister. IK'd love to send a pink slip to the Senate and the Governor-General.

[bootlegga]

Funny cartoon JJ.

EyeBrock wrote:

The media seems very willing to forget and forgive Chretien's four prorogues but are all over Harper for two in a minority government?

I'm no tub-thumping partisan but it does seem unequal.

And really, come the summer this prorogue will be as vivid in the collective memory as Chretien's four are now.

Well, given that Chretien had majority every time in office, my guess is that it wasn't anything more than a vacation for lazy MPs (not an excuse either IMHO), which is merely a part of the reason for this prorogue. I'm sure he'll also add senators, shuffle committees and that nasty bit of business regarding torture suddenly disappears from the conversation.

Quote:

Past Canadian prime ministers have normally asked the governor-general (who acts as Canada’s head of state) to prorogue Parliament only after the government has completed most of its legislative business in order to start afresh with a new speech from the throne outlining new priorities.

That doesn't excuse it in any way shape or form, but Harper has used it twice when his party has been threatened.

As the Economist says;

Quote:

Having prorogued Parliament last winter to dodge a confidence vote he seemed set to lose, Mr Harper has now established a precedent that many constitutionalists consider dangerous. No previous prime minister has prorogued the legislature “in order to avoid the kind of things that Harper apparently wants to avoid,” says Ned Franks, a veteran political scientist and historian of Parliament. Although other prime ministers may have had ulterior motives, they were less blatant, he says.

http://www.economist.com/world/americas ... extfeature

Selected quotes from the op-ed piece are far more scathing;

Quote:

Never mind what his spin doctors say: Mr. Harper's move looks like naked self interest

Even better;

Quote:

Come to think about it, why not shut down Parliament altogether, perhaps until the economy is growing again at full throttle? At least that would help cut the federal deficit.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displa ... d=15213212

I think Zip nailed it on the head when he said our PM has far too much power.

[Psudo]

I think, bootlegga, that you and Zipperfish do not agree. He meant the office has too much power generally, while you mean that Harper specifically has too much power.

[Ombrageux]

Psudo wrote:

Man, I wish I had this quality of citizen commentary on other nations' politics. Imagine if we had an equivalent to JJ's Guide to Canada for every country! I used to have a net friend from Singapore that would keep me updated, and the guy from Quirksmode.org has a bit to say about Dutch politics, but... I am left wanting.

Look harder.

[Scape]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2003/11/ ... 31112.html

There is the article about Jean's Prorogue. That was a transition to the Martin Government but there is no precedent that proroguing is a routine matter in a minority Parliament. It's not routine when you have dozens of bills on the table and work left undone. And it's not routine to do it two years in a row, and in both cases when you're under intense political pressure from the opposition. That argument simply does not hold up to scrutiny.

[djakeydd]

Scape wrote:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2003/11/12/liberals031112.html

There is the article about Jean's Prorogue. That was a transition to the Martin Government but there is no precedent that proroguing is a routine matter in a minority Parliament. It's not routine when you have dozens of bills on the table and work left undone. And it's not routine to do it two years in a row, and in both cases when you're under intense political pressure from the opposition. That argument simply does not hold up to scrutiny.

100% AGREE