A request by Stephen Harper to shut down Parliament again marks the fourth time in three years that he has derailed the nation’s business in order to protect his own partisan interests, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said today.
“Mr. Harper is showing his disregard for the democratic institutions of our country,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “The decision to prorogue is about one thing and one thing only – avoiding the scrutiny of Parliament at a time when this government is facing tough questions about their conduct in covering up the detainee scandal.
“By shutting down Parliament four times in just three years, Mr. Harper is showing that his first impulse when he is in trouble is to shut down Parliament,” Mr. Ignatieff said.
Mr. Ignatieff made it clear that as a consequence of proroguing Parliament, Mr. Harper is able to suspend the ongoing work of the Special Committee on Afghanistan – which Conservatives have failed to attend for its last two meetings – and further obstruct any action on Parliament’s demand for the government to release documentary evidence concerning the transfer of Afghan detainees.
“Mr. Harper wants to run and hide from Canadians and elected MPs who are demanding full documentation on detainees and a full public inquiry,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “But Mr. Harper needs to understand that he can’t just make this cover-up scandal go away, no matter how hard he tries.”
Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale said that while it is clear to anyone paying attention that the Conservatives have very few ideas to put forward and a very thin legislative agenda, proroguing will kill some 35 pieces of legislation they have insisted were important.
“MPs were elected to do the job of putting this country back on track after the sharpest recession in generations. By pad-locking Parliament, Mr. Harper shows that he is more interested in partisan manipulation than in governing for the benefit of all Canadians,” he said.
“It’s clear Mr. Harper will stop at nothing to prevent the truth about his government’s actions from coming to light – even at the expense of Canada’s critical economic recovery.”
