Prime Minister Stephen harper has requested Canada's Governor-General (which office represents the sovereignty extended of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Canada through the shared Crown) to prorogue the Canada Parliament's House of Commons to January 26 2009. By this it is supposed, Prime Minister Mr. Harper, might better address a confidence issue of his minority Conservative party; and better resist the opposition coalition in potential majority to him. This insult to Canadian democracy today, shortly after Canadian general elections; involved the manipulation ot Governor General Michelle Jean; and would be modernly un-precedented, even if presented without genuine emergency, to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, by any of her British Governments.
This event was not wholly addressed by Canadian Chartists in seeking a firm Canadian Constitution, and spells political disaster for Harper, who lost his electoral search for a majority.
Harper could have negotiated a Recess in Commons, or a delay, but sought this extraordinary executive device in face of a certain no-confidence motion which he was likely to lose.
As Canadian power ambiguities go, were this blogger Canadian, and as a democratic-republican (who, and which philosophy, also embraces good constitutional monarchy), the House of Commons would be asked to meet with minimal quorum or better today, in spite of the Governor General's Prorogue, test its constitutionality, elect a new Speaker, and quickly move the issue of a new Government.
Mr. Harper should arrange to speedily GO. He has disgraced himself, and axed his own back!
Americans, firm chartists, with a firm division of legislative and executive powers, long know that only the United States Congress, or any of its Chambers in the majority, may suspend or recess itself. Its terms are fixed. No modern Briton would seek to embarass or thrust the Monarchy into the center of a political wicket as Mister Harper has; and none would seek any Prorogue of the British House of Commons save from the Executive Committee and its Chair - the Cabinet and the Prime Minister - itself. No minority Government would so entreat the Crown (assumedly too successfully) save in decision to request dissolution and new elections.
GO CANADA for Constitutionalism ... and GO, please leave, Mr. Harper.
