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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 8, 2010 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager End political games We find Lisa Raitt's plan to hold three town hall meetings in Halton tomorrow (Saturday) equivalent to a slap in the face to hard-working Canadians in light of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament until March 3. While Ottawa's elected officials were not expected to return from their winter break until Jan. 25 -- at least three weeks later than ordinary folks who are lucky to have a few weeks of vacation every 365 days -- Harper apparently decided there wasn't any point in coming back for less than a month, only to break again when the Olympics start up on Feb. 12. It's not so much the postponement of Parliament that we find irksome. It's the timing of it, the frustration of knowing the nation will go ungoverned for 63 days and the growing perception -- right or wrong -- that the prime minister will do whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases, simply because he can. Having, so far, weathered last year's economic equivalent of a tsunami, some political pundits have posed the possibility that Harper may be hoping to harness the afterglow of next month's Olympic Games being held on Canadian soil, in order to boost his party's popularity in advance of yet another federal election call. With this in mind, we question whether Raitt's sudden interest in the opinions of Halton constituents amounts to little more than a pre-campaign effort to re-connect with voters following her very public series of political missteps. Until this week, the Halton MP who enjoyed a meteoric rise to Ottawa's cabinet as minister of natural resources has kept mostly quiet and out of the political spotlight. For Raitt to announce town hall meetings immediately after her boss has made a move that has been condemned by ordinary Canadians and constitutional experts alike, is like pouring salt in the wound for anyone who expects their elected leaders to govern in an even-handed and transparent fashion. Could it be possible that Halton's MP is acting as a sort of advance scout, to gauge the electorate's mood, as the Conservatives prepare to battle their political enemies yet again? In this era of historically-high voter apathy, it's difficult to know how many will attend the Halton town hall gatherings. Considering the fact that Harper last invoked the right to shut down Parliament last year, when his political foes were teaming up in an effort to topple him, it's hard to fathom this latest interruption is anything but another political pre-emptive strike. We wonder how much longer Canadians are willing to tolerate such gamesmanship from their highest-ranking elected officials. Perhaps in Halton tomorrow we -- and Lisa Raitt -- will find out. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editor Prorogue necessary to reform Senate says Oakville MP With respect, the Beaver editorial on the proroguing of Parliament came to the wrong conclusion on several fronts. I would appreciate the opportunity to respond. Nobody in Ottawa wants an election, with the exception of Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff who has been trying to force one since September. I do not predict an election this year. Instead our government is working hard to introduce legislation that will improve the lives of Canadians and make Parliament work. For example, the NDP recently voted with our government to extend Employment Insurance benefits for long tenured employees during the recession. This is a much-needed relief for those people and their families and is being implemented immediately thanks to my government and the NDP. The Liberals voted against this E.I. extension for the unemployed, trying to cause an unnecessary election. Parliament will be more democratic due to prorogation, not less. One afternoon in November last year, as I worked in my East Block office, I heard a bell ringing down the hall. I thought it was the bell calling the senators to a vote, but it went on for an hour-and-ahalf. I later found out it was a bell calling the senators to form a quorum. I think they eventually gave up. That is the antiquated institution that Prime Minister Harper has tried so hard to reform. Without the support of the premiers and senators his hands were tied, and the only way to do so was by appointing new senators, who are committed to reform the Senate from within. Currently, a handful of out-of-touch senators, appointed years before and accountable to no one, undermine and block legislation passed by the elected House of Commons. This is a very serious issue. They recently blocked a consumer safety bill passed unanimously by the House, which would have empowered Health Canada to order unsafe toys off the market to protect children. What if children were injured by Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Opposition silenced says Oakville Liberal candidate Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the second time has evoked a seldom used parliamentary procedure to prorogue the Parliament of Canada. The principal effect of ending a session by prorogation is to terminate business. Members are released from their parliamentary duties until Parliament is next summoned. All unfinished business is dropped from or dies on the Order Paper and all committees lose their power to transact business, providing a fresh start for the next session. No committee can sit during a prorogation. This was a bold and extraordinary strategy used by Stephen Harper in 2008 to avoid a nonconfidence vote. To have a repeat of this to end a second consecutive sitting of the parliament is now a disturbing and cynical act by a rogue minority government intent on high-jacking the democratic process and abruptly denying Canadians the right to see the completion of government business. Despite outrage and dismay from Canadians, the Conservative Party appears oblivious to the will of the people. Please make no mistake that there is a vast difference between the dissolution and See Harper's page 7 Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com See Prorogation page 7