Jan 27, 2010 - 04:30 AM
By Laura Feeney
Last weekend, demonstrations were held across the country regarding prorogation of Parliament for the second time in less than a year.
In all, 36 pieces of legislation died on the order paper, after months of hearings and debate, and when Parliament finally does get back to work all this legislation will have to start all over again.
It will cost the taxpayer millions of dollars to re-enact these 36 pieces of legislation, as well as keeping Parliament shut until March 3.
I don't know about you but I can think of other uses for my tax dollars, and with the numbers who showed up this past weekend it is apparent other Canadians felt the same way.
On Saturday morning, the population of "chattering classes" (as per a quote from MP Tony Clement) on the Canadians Against Prorogation of Parliament had reached 212,000. As I write this, it has topped 216,000, and this is the Monday after the demonstrations across Canada.
I joined this group as a Canadian who sees democracy under attack, and I spoke outside Oshawa MP Colin Carrie's Oshawa office on Saturday and said exactly that. Members of my family fought in the Second World War against actions like this, and while our troops are over in Afghanistan fighting for democratic freedoms Stephen Harper is back home trampling on ours.
There was no need for Mr. Harper to prorogue Parliament. None. He did it simply to avoid questions about the Afghan allegations of torture and accountability, and then he has the nerve to tell me that Canadians "don't care about Afghanistan, they care about the economy."
Funny, I don't recall Mr. Harper asking me what I thought and I am perfectly capable of thinking for myself, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
Any MP who steps out of line or causes waves is up for demotion, or as Mr. Harper has said himself: "You will find your political career very short."
Monday was to be the day that MPs were to be back in the Commons, representing their constituents and doing the job we are paying them to do.
Instead, we have closed and locked doors on our House.
Durham resident Laura Feeney has contributed to this space before.
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