Prorogation: Let the games begin!

[AgentM]

Prorogation means no Parliament on Monday, but that doesn't mean a reprieve from politics.

There will be no official debates, no Question Period, no committee meetings, no discussion of consequence about Canada and its future. But there will be press conferences – a slew of them – as parties aim to seize political advantage while Parliament is suspended.

Liberals will kick off their strategy on Monday by showing up en masse on Parliament Hill to highlight the absence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives. The entire caucus will join Leader Michael Ignatieff for a morning scrum with reporters.

And, throughout the day, Liberals will hold public “jobs roundtables” in Ottawa.

When prorogation ends and the government is back in session, the Liberals want Canadians to be left thinking that the party is serious about issues that are important to the people of Canada, says a senior Liberal official.

Prorogation means no Parliament on Monday, but that doesn't mean a reprieve from politics.

There will be no official debates, no Question Period, no committee meetings, no discussion of consequence about Canada and its future. But there will be press conferences – a slew of them – as parties aim to seize political advantage while Parliament is suspended.

Liberals will kick off their strategy on Monday by showing up en masse on Parliament Hill to highlight the absence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives. The entire caucus will join Leader Michael Ignatieff for a morning scrum with reporters.

And, throughout the day, Liberals will hold public “jobs roundtables” in Ottawa.

When prorogation ends and the government is back in session, the Liberals want Canadians to be left thinking that the party is serious about issues that are important to the people of Canada, says a senior Liberal official.

<snip>

Prorogation: Let the games begin - The Globe and Mail

It'll be interesting to see how the Liberals manage to use this to their advantage over the coming months.

 

[AgentM]

Update: Protests planned across country

Several hundred people attended a rally in Halifax today to show opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s move to suspend Parliament until early March.

The crowd chanted anti-Harper slogans outside the legislature and listened to speakers including Liberal MP Geoff Regan and former Nova Scotia NDP Leader Robert Chisholm.

Many carried signs, bearing the NDP logo, that said "Stand Up to Harper".

Demonstrations are planned in dozens of cities and towns across Canada.

“I feel what the prime minister has done by closing the House ... he’s shutting down democracy and that’s wrong,” Mr. Chisholm said in an interview as the rally began.

“All of the issues, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s our role in Afghanistan, it’s all about the people of Canada having their voices heard in our House of Commons.”

A large crowd gathered on Parliament Hill, where Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, NDP Leader Jack Layton and Green Leader Elizabeth May spoke.

Mr. Layton is proposing legislation that would curb the prime minister’s power to prorogue Parliament. He says the only time Parliament should be suspended is when a majority of MPs vote to do so.

<snip>

Protesters denounce prorogued parliament - The Globe and Mail

This is an interesting development, the heat is really getting turned up a notch.

 

[Middleground]

I love prorogies. Especially with sour cream. :2razz: