Harper kills parliament until after Olympics… what kind of democracy Canada has?
I’m very, very angry. Last year when the opposition threatened to bringing down the Tories with a coalition — which is completely legal and constitutional in Canada — Harper could still remotely, barely able to justify to ask GG for a prorogue. But this year… it’s absolutely unjustifiable… it really is an abuse of power. It’s clear that he is proroguing to avoid scrutiny on the Afghan detainee issues. And it’s clear that he wants to keep his rep clean before the world during the Olympics. But the media — to my dismay — aren’t beating up harsh enough criticism. The public will definitely be not informed enough to know what our country is going thru. The timing is tricky too… announcing such a “boring” news on the eve of New Year’s Eve? It’s obvious what is going thru in PMO’s mind.
So what do we have now?
First of all, the cabinet has always been a one-man (or two-men, including Jason Kenney) playground since Harper took office. Even heavyweight ministers such as Stockwell Day looks small in front of a few young staff of the PMO (as we witnessed during the China trip). The media has been castrated by the PMO after 4 years of heavy-handed treatment by the PMO. Some media have been tamed so much that they’ve become the Tory mouthpiece. And now, the parliament cannot act out its function too. Harper is ruling without checks from the public, the media, and the parliament and its elected MPs.
Do Canadians know the country is slipping into a no-check, no accountability dictatorship?
Tags: conservative, democracy, Stephen HarperParliament suspended until March 3
CP – The federal Conservatives have suspended Parliament until after the Winter Olympics, a move that gives Prime Minister Stephen Harper a tighter grip on the country’s political agenda.
The Tories said Wednesday they need to make a clean break and reboot Parliament now that the economy is no longer in crisis. They’re even considering making prorogation an annual event, so they can start each year anew with a throne speech that serves as an overview of what they plan to do in the coming year.
But the opposition says the shut-down is just a ploy to avoid questions about the handling of Afghan detainees and climate change.
“The specific reason here is that Stephen Harper doesn’t feel like coming back to town and answering questions about his government,” NDP Leader Jack Layton said in an interview.
“Even though Canadians elected a majority of MPs to hold him to account, he prefers to stay away.”
Instead of resuming work as scheduled on Jan. 25, Parliament will start afresh on March 3 with a speech from the throne, followed by a new budget the next day, said Dimitri Soudas, spokesman for Harper.
The prime minister did not make the announcement in person, nor did he meet face-to-face with the Governor General to ask for a formal prorogation. Rather, Harper made that request over the telephone, Soudas said.
“Now is the time to also engage with constituents, stakeholders and businesses in order to listen to Canadians, identify priorities and to set the next stage of our agenda,” Soudas said in justifying the suspension.
“Minority governments have a different horizon than majority governments, and also those change quickly. So this is time to recalibrate, consult and deliver the next stage of our plan.”
The suspension of parliamentary activity means Conservative cabinet ministers won’t face daily questions from their political opponents.
It also means all committees will be disbanded, scuttling the hearings into the controversial handling of Afghan detainees, for example.
It means the Conservatives will have time to fill five Senate vacancies with their own allies, robbing the Liberals of a majority in the upper house.
And it means the Conservatives will have more control over the timing of an election call, by making votes on the budget and the throne speech a confidence issue.
But Soudas said private members’ bills in the works – including a Conservative backbencher’s bill to kill the long-gun registry – would survive the suspension of Parliament. Government bills will also be re-introduced, although in their original form and not with the amendments proposed in the previous session.
While the opposition will no doubt try to make hay out of the suspension, new polling suggests the public will shrug it off.
Almost half of Canadians in the survey – conducted before Wednesday’s announcement – said they don’t care whether the government prorogues Parliament until after the Olympics. Another 15 per cent said they would actually be happy about it.
“Right now, it doesn’t carry nearly the same risk it carried a year ago. There’s a high level of indifference,” said pollster Doug Anderson.
The Canadian Press-Harris Decima survey of just over 1,000 people, taken Dec. 17-20, asked Canadians how they felt about prorogation now compared with a year ago.
At least one constitutional analyst called Harper’s inclination to prorogue an “abuse” of power.
“What’s going on here is, it’s a way of avoiding Parliament – the only institution elected by all Canadians,” said political scientist Nelson Wiseman from the University of Toronto.
Harper has orchestrated three prorogations since he took office, subverting the democratic process, Wiseman said.
“It’s alarming for parliamentary democracy,” he said in a phone interview.
In 2008, Harper used prorogation at the height of the global financial crisis, to avoid handing over power to a coalition of opposition parties. Public opinion is split over whether it was the right or wrong thing to do.
The opposition parties argue that the shutting down of Parliament for several extra weeks has nothing to do with the economy, as the Tories claim. Rather, they say the Tories are running away from their problems and are trying to sidestep accountability.
The governing Conservatives are clearly feeling heat from hearings into whether Canada knowingly sent Afghan detainees into situations where they would be tortured, the Liberals say.
“They’re trying to smother the issue. They’re trying to deprive it of oxygen. But it will not go away,” said Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale.
Layton points out that the government needs to report to the United Nations on its climate change intentions by the end of January, under the new deal negotiated in Copenhagen earlier this month.
With no House of Commons in session, he said, Harper can’t be held accountable for his stand.
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Short URL: http://www.chineseinvancouver.ca/?p=10187
You sounded like Expat_HK_Boy? You don’t like Canada? Go home!
haha that’s a very interesting comment
i’m a canadian. this is my home. i have no where else to go. i love this country so i want to see it behave and be healthy.
liking canada doesn’t mean i have to like its current government
ChengFan, how long have you been in Canada?
The latest poll suggests most Canadians (almost 70%) support the Harper government. If you have a problem, you have to go …
ChinkTalk,
For too long … but I am leaving soon.
BTW, sn, you are not Canadian.
You are just a Chinese-immigrant forever.
ChengFan, why are you leaving, if you don’t mind my asking.
Why am I leaving?
Let’s see … rising and high taxes, high cost of living, no jobs, human rights abuse, White racism, governments are stupid, unfair and undemocratic and etc., etc., etc.
Look at this:
http://bcpolicecomplaints.org/index.html
It reminds me of Stalin’s U.S.S.R. or Hitler’s Nazi’s Germany.
One more thing, I feel the local general populace has no humility, no human decency, and generally has no respect for their own law.
The end result–look at the crime rate and how people ALWAYS have to use the court system to get things resolved.
Last but not least, sn banned expat_hk_boy for no good reason. Why should I stay if she could do this in Canada?
chengfang, i might be a chinese immigrant forever from the point of view of the ruling whites. however, i’m a canadian by heart and it’s a fact and i’m paying mountains of taxes just like all canadians. isn’t that immigration minister jason kenney is promoting?
isn’t it good that we can resolve things in the court? what do want to resolve disputes otherwise? fight and kill ppl you don’t like or not agree with? i don’t understand
and, btw, the latest poll numbers for the tories put them at a little less than 40% in voters’ support. if they have 70%, they’d have a major majority long time ago
A canadian by heart? Interesting. While you fully understand no one will recognize you as canadian (either in Canada OR outside Canada), you want to make believe in your mind that you are canadian? Is that delusional or what? I am tempted to call VGH to give you a free psychiatric evaulation.
So you prefer to settle things in court? No wonder there are so many crimes here. People are supposed to commit crimes with impunity, and IF THEY GET CAUGHT, the whole thing will be dragged through the court system for years? Do you understand why they don’t bother to prosecute drug crime, petty crime, property crime around Vancouver downtown eastside? Why stop there? Extend the policy to the whole province.
I was talking about the popular poll. That poll doesn’t mean much with 35% conservative, 25% liberals, 17% NDP, 14% Green and 10% Bloc. I was talking about the poll which asked people whether they think the harper government is doing a good job.
I forgot you also said, “it’s a fact and i’m paying mountains of taxes just like all canadians.”
That fact is indispute and it is nothing sacred about you paying taxes–a slave is supposed to serve the economic interest of their master. Don’t forget to kiss their ass every now and then, since you are no longer required to PAY MORE as before under the Chinese Head tax.
ChengFan you sound awfully like HK_boy. I do agree that HK_boy should not be banned. There is no such thing as freedom of expression for some people only.
We should not take jabs at each other, that is what people in the West are wishing, Chinese implosion.
I have never seen so much hate and anti-Chinese sentiments in Canada than the last few years, the funny thing is that for the longest time, China was never part of my psyche, I always thought of myself as being culturally white and looking Asian was just an inconvenience. But for the past few years, there are hate and acrimony against the Chinese and China that has taken a dangerous lynch mentality in the mainstream society. I was appalled by the lies and fabrications of hate against China and the Chinese promulgated by the Western media in general and the Canadian media in particular. Of course that mobilizes the impressionable general public to accept hating China and the Chinese as the norm. This is the Canada that is new to me. I could never imagine a hateful Canada, but this Dr Jerkyll and Mr Hyde flippancy unnerved me. My grandmother used to recount to me the stories of the 1907 riot which started initally from intolerance. Like the japanese internment, I never thought that history could ever repeat itself, but given the recent racist attacks against things Chinese most notable the pouplar call for boycott “Made in China”; the 1907 riot started with the boycott of Chinese laundries.
In the past, we believe that we can rely on the integrity of the Western democratic governments to uphold the civil liberty of the Chinese even if things turn ugly. But looking at the present Western governments and their fumbling ways and Western politicians condoning lies and illegal wars, etc. I doubt it very much that the safety and welfare of the Chinese will be a priority. Especially when many of them are part and partial to encouraging hatred towards China and the Chinese. When you look at the anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia, India, and Britain, the Western governments never aided the Chinese civilians.
If the Chinese won’t help each other, no one else will.
chinktalk: you couldn’t imagine how taunting it was to keep peace when someone didn’t respect the rule of game and showed no respect for others. i started to wonder why i should bear with this kind of mental harassment just by keeping a blog alive. i hope such this will never need to happen again.
i can’t agree with you more, chinktalk, about the level of hate against the chinese and china in the last two years. i was, too, only awaken last year (i mean in 2007) that the western media would be so willing to sacrifice the “values” they have seemingly held dear to distort facts — in cohesive effort — when reporting about china. i have never been able to digest why the west welcome the rise of japan when it was still in denial of war crimes committed against china and the chinese, but the rise of china has to been interpreted as threats. why are the chinese always been hated, in history and in present tense? why does the west always look at china thru tainted glasses? why double standard?
you’re right, if the chinese don’t bend together — no matter where we were born, CBCs or FOBs — we as a people will fall prey to western discrimination forever.
Chinktalk,
Remember Albert Cheng in the other [GB] post Tempest in a teacup?
鄭經翰
http://www.hkatv.com/v3/infoprogram/08/albertchengshow/index.html
I am not different than what he thinks, and most people agree with him. Mingpao or statscan last reported the demographics of Chinese in B.C.–70% are from mainland china, 15% are from Hong Kong, 10% local CBCs and 5% are from taiwan. Compared to the mid-1990′s, 80% are from Hong Kong, 15% from taiwan and 5% local CBCs.
Where did all those Hong Kong people go? I think I answered that up there earlier and you can also ask Albert Cheng or anyone else who went back to HK. (btw, they aren’t Canadians. They are Hong Kong Expats who went back to their home country–Hong Kong, unlike what Harper said during his visit to China)
Regarding the Western media’s “nazi-style” hate propaganda against China and Chinese, well, you grew up in this regime of hate and stereotype and you wonder why they do that? These ‘White Animals’ can only justify their own existence with a perceived enemy–a barbarian at their gate. You remember the Cold War? All those propaganda in the 1950′s, 60′s, 70′s, 80′s … What they do to China now has been toned down (with a dash of political correctness) compared to what they did to U.S.S.R. and the Eastern bloc.
You never thought history would ever repeat itself? Why wouldn’t it? If it wasn’t for the boatloads of hk chinese immigrants who have come to Vancouver since the mid-1980′s, a CBC like you would still be living in Chinatown and having the same chinktown-chinese life as it was 100-years old in 1907?
Did you honestly expect white people to improve your Canada-chinks’ standard of living?
ChengFan is expat_hk_boy reincarinated
if the chinese don’t bend together — no matter where we were born, CBCs or FOBs — we as a people will fall prey to western discrimination forever.
What’s the point of doing that? Clearly, you don’t belong here if you have to fight for your basic rights in your “pseudo” country? Foreign tourists are treated better than you by the locals.
hkboy, aka chengfan, as long as respect is shown, you’re more than welcome to come back! happy new year!
ChengFan said: You never thought history would ever repeat itself? Why wouldn’t it? If it wasn’t for the boatloads of hk chinese immigrants who have come to Vancouver since the mid-1980’s, a CBC like you would still be living in Chinatown and having the same chinktown-chinese life as it was 100-years old in 1907?
Absolutely correct. Before the arrival of the Hong Kong influx, Chinese people in Canada resigned to the acceptance of being second class citizens along with the Aboriginals.
To me, it is with the arrival of the Hong Kong people in the 70′s and the rise of China that Chinese people in Canada are starting to have a voice. Imagine that, the Chinese have been in Canada since Confederation and it is not till the 1980s that they are allowed to have a say, speaking of democracy? Human rights?
If you’d read the Ugly Chinese Canadian’s blog, you would see that he railed against the FOBs that they never understood the trials and tribulations that the native Chinese Canadians went through, it is not that he is against the FOBs, but he felt that the FOBs hadn’t paid their dues. Of course, it is unfair to do that because you really don’t want anybody to go through what we the native Chinese Canadians went through.
If you follow the Canadian media, you are certain to see that anti-Chinese and anti-China is on the rise. The only defence against this is for all Chinese people, whether native or not, to be united.
I really do believe in the saying that :”united we stand, divided we fall”.
And we all know what happens when China and the Chinese people are weak.
I read the ugly Chinese Canadian blog.
FOBs didn’t went through the sh*t and abuse by the criminal whites? Yes, we didn’t and we also don’t care.
His problem is none other than “soured grapes”. It is typical of people who grew up in this regime. How so? What does this regime teach you? This regime says this place is the Best Place on Earth. You people are supposed to be at the Top of the World. How dare these FOBs who came from 3rd-wold sh*thole countries here with EQUAL RIGHTS and boatloads of MONEY without having to beg for it or fukk with White people like ALL COLORED PEOPLE have to do here?
The term FOB itself is derogatory towards others, which reflects the nazi-like supremacy of the mainstream White race and White culture.
About the “united we stand, divided we fall”, I am sorry but we immigrants are not interested in fukking with White people in a perpetual racial war that has no tomorrow. I see more and more local CBCs emigrate to Hong Kong and China (as seen in the hk entertainment industry) for jobs and better prospect in life than Canada.
Whether China or Chinese people are weak or strong is immaterial, we don’t need White people’s approval to live our lives in HK, Taiwan and China.
When Harper visited Hong Kong just now and said it was a Canadian city, I bursted out laughing for 20 mins.
What does Canada offer to Hong Kong immigrants? (or immigrants from other countries)
There is now a big group of recent African refugees living in Toronto (they weren’t there in the mid-1990′s). I don’t see Harper go to Africa and say Africa is a Canadian continent … probably because Canada doesn’t want to give away any Canadian FREE MONEY to Africa no more?
BTW, you know why I love using the word, Nazi.
Well, the Nazi party in Germany was democratically elected and had held many national referendums to decide on national policies. Nazi Germany also has had a comprehensive legal system which applies to virtually all aspects of life; as a result, legislation consists of adjustments and amendments to existing laws to take social developments into account and to cope with social problems afforded by a democratic state are manifest both in substantive and procedural law.
Historically speaking, German law in part goes back to Roman law and in part dates back to numerous other legal sources in the various German regions. A uniform system of private law was created for the entire German Reich for the first time in the 19th century. To this day, the Civil Code and the Commercial Code have preserved the liberal spirit of those times.
Do you know that in certain European countries, the use of “88″ as an ID is illegal.
“88″ stands for HH or Hail Hitler
88 as ID is illegal? Where did you get that? BTW, I think you meant Heil Hitler. Google it?
A friend of mine from Britain told me. Yes, you are correct, typo on the Heil Hitler.
ChinkTalk,
Read this:
http://www.canadaimmigrantblog.com/an-interview-310/#comment-1230