'Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament undemocratic,' Rota

Nipissing‐ Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota
News Release

********************

The recent decision by Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament, effectively shutting down the House of Commons and the Senate for the next two months, does not sit well with Nipissing‐ Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota. “This marks the fourth time in three years that Mr. Harper has shut down Parliament, derailing the nation’s business in order to protect his own partisan interests,” says Mr. Rota.

According to Mr. Rota, “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. Mr. Harper has proven once again that his first impulse when facing trouble is to shut down Parliament.”

By proroguing Parliament, Mr. Harper has also suspended the Special Committee on Afghanistan – which Conservatives have failed to attend for its last two meetings – and obstruct any action on the motion passed by Parliament demanding the government release documentary evidence concerning the transfer of Afghan detainees.

Mr. Rota says that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives must be held accountable for their actions. “It’s clear they will stop at nothing to prevent the truth about their government’s actions from coming to light – even at the expense of Canada’s critical economic recovery. Not only is their decision to extend their Christmas vacation by another two months to avoid scandal cowardly, it’s also undemocratic.”

“Canada is struggling to recover from the sharpest recession in generations. MPs were elected to do the job of putting this country back on track,” says Mr. Rota. “Ironically, whenever legitimate debate ‘delays’ the progress of a single piece of government legislation, Stephen Harper is the first to blame the opposition. But now, in a move of paramount hypocrisy, he is killing countless pieces of legislation currently in progress.”

“Rather than showing true leadership by facing the issues that plague his government, Stephen Harper’s solution is to avoid the Canadian people. He needs to understand that he can’t just make these legitimate concerns disappear, no matter how hard he tries.”

********************