Sunday, January 3, 2010

Public urged to `kick, scream' in protest

Susan Delacourt      

Ottawa Bureau      

OTTAWA–Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is urging Canadians to "kick and scream" in protest against Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to shut down Parliament for the next two months.
...

"We need to kick and scream at this insult to democracy – because that is what it is. We need to support each other, efforts by other parties, non-political leadership," May wrote.

"Harper's move this week is premised on the assumption that enough Canadians simply do not care about democracy or the role of Parliament. ...

"In the interests of democracy, let's hope this time his cynicism has miscalculated."

Governor General Michaëlle Jean should be consulting with opposition parties to take their assessment of the situation, May added in an email to the Star on Thursday.

May's comments came amid an initial wave of negative media commentary in reaction to Harper's decision, announced Thursday, to prorogue the current session of Parliament and keep the doors closed until March 3.

There was near-unanimous editorial condemnation of the decision in Thursday's media, including a front-page editorial in one newspaper and hundreds of critical comments logged on the websites of the Star and other major media outlets.

The decision means more than 30 pieces of legislation die on the order paper and dissolves the parliamentary committee probing the transfer of Afghan prisoners by Canadian troops
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

416 225 2777

www.jmortonmusings.blogspot.com

3 comments:

Stephen Downes said...

Where has Ignatieff been on this? I haven't seen a thing. Seriously - I haven't seen a single thing from him on this. Maybe he made a stern comment or something equally forgettable.

ridenrain said...

I can't seriously believe Canadians would listen to May about anything anymore.
She and her party have been rejected so often that even Layton is looking more credable.

Anonymous said...

Is this your plan James?

Following Elizabeth May in her campaign of kicking and screaming?

If we are dreaming of assuming leadership at any level, we need to do better than this.