Edmonton Journal: Parliament silenced again

[tuvor]

As a political operative, Stephen Harper has proven to not only possess a wicked slapshot, but also to be uncommonly lucky. For a variety of reasons, he and his Conservative colleagues have managed to wriggle out of several dodgy situations over the past year. As 2009 ended, the latest potential hit involved the Harper government's candour vis-a-vis Canada's treatment of detained prisoners in Afghanistan.

Apparently, rather than having parliamentarians revisit that troublesome file after the Christmas break, the prime minister has once again turned to the governor general for help to shut down Parliament, as he did a year ago to head off a coalition government. The recent prorogation manoeuvre may well work again. Already, concerns over our possible role in Afghan prisoner abuse have been trumped as a news story by the tragic deaths there of five Canadians.

But while proroguing Parliament made sense in late 2008 given the bizarre circumstances at hand then, it is simply wrong and dishonourable this time.

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http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Parliament+silenced+again/2407011/story.html