Carleton professors J.L. Black, Andrew Brook, Melissa Haussman and RaffaeleIacovino, have all attached their names to an open letter protesting Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s prorogation of Canadian Parliament.
The letter, authored by University of Montreal professor Daniel Weinstock, asserts that Harper’s second prorogation of Parliament “[violates] the trust of Parliament and of the Canadian people,” in an attempt to “evade democratic accountability.”
The letter articulates what agrowing number of Canadians feel about prorogation:that Harper is abusing his executive powers by preventing the only elected Canadian representatives in our government – our MPs – from participating in the democratic responsible government by forming the Opposition.
By silencing the Opposition, the democratic process is considered silenced as well.
“I decided to sign the petition for the reasons laid out in the Op/Ed piece,” Iacovino said, “namely, the role of parliament should not be so easily dismissed.”
“It’s anti-democratic to shut Canadian politics down for two months when we have as much on the agenda as we do right now,” Brook added. “Governments are planning and changing their agenda all the time, and they don’t need to shut Parliament down to reorganize themselves to get things done.”
Despite proroguing Parliament during the holiday season amid escalating controversy surrounding allegations that his Conservative government was complicit with the torture of Afghan detainees in Afghanistan, Harper insisted the prorogation is solely to give his government time to chart an appropriate economic course for Canada in 2010.
Nick Young, a fourth-year political science student at Carleton and the vice-president of the Campus Conservatives, agreed with Harper’s logic.
“There was a need for a consultation period regarding the budget. There's going to be another major budget in March, and Harper felt it important to consult with the Canadian people to get the input necessary to make sure the budget's passable,” Young said.
“That’s baloney,” Haussman said, adding that Harper’s recent claim that a turbulent Parliament is bad for the economy is unfounded. “Where’s the evidence? Business favours certainty, being able to know, and if you have this prime minister that decides out of nowhere he’s going to shut Parliament down, I can’t see it inspiring confidence in Canadian businesses.”
Iacovino agreed with Haussman, noting, “Parliament may at times be turbulent, particularly in a minority situation, but this is no reason to prorogue, since carried to the extreme one can then argue that any hint of political instability ought to result in the dampening of Parliament’s role as a mechanism for accountability.”
This, he added, is an affront to Canadian democracy.
“The real question is: How will Canadian taxpayers react to the fact that the opposition has had no impact or say in the [upcoming] budget?” Brooks said. “It’s going to be a complete surprise to everybody.”
“It’s a bit of a crapshoot,” added Haussman, “because if you can claim that Canadian Parliamentary democracy risks creating economic instability, it makes Canada out to be like a banana republic.”
However, some say there’s no need to worry. Young said Canada’s government has been prorogued over 105 times, and each time to an average length of one year.
“[The Opposition] have made a big deal of prorogation for no reason,” Young said.
As the prorogation controversy continues to swirl in Canada, the Carleton professors hope that it will act as a catalyst for students to learn about Canadian politics.
“Many students probably do not understand the intricacies of parliamentary procedures,” Iacovino added, “yet they might gain a better understanding of the basic conventions on which our system is based by taking an interest in this whole episode.”