Letter sent to the Governor General
I'm disappointed in our "symbolic" head of state, and have decided to sent a letter to her at info@gg.ca. Feel free to borrow this letter if you share my view.
Dear Governor General,
In a time when minority governments are becoming the norm in Canada, much as they are in many European countries, I am concerned as a Canadian that you have taken a dangerous step in allowing the prorogation of parliament at this time.
My understanding of Canada's form of government is that we are a Parliamentary Democracy, where the people elect the members of Parliament to make decisions on their behalf. My understanding is that the role of Governor General is to ensure and protect the function of Parliament, and to ensure that the will of Parliament is fulfilled within the bounds of the constitution and law.
The prorogation of parliament at this time is clearly not an expression of the will of parliament, but rather the will of the Prime Minister and his party alone, who were elected by a minority of Canadians. The reason for prorogation, as expressed by the Prime Minister, was to prevent the will of Parliament from being fulfilled by means of preventing it from functioning at all during the current session. This seems to be the very sort of thing that the Office of the Governor General exists to prevent, and is happening during a time of rapid change in the nation, when a functioning parliament is absolutely necessary to steer us through.
Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. There have been several incidents in history where a Prime Minister could have attempted to abuse their ability to request prorogation in this manner. They have refrained from doing so in the past, whether out of respect for our system of government, or out of a confidence that the Governor General would not allow such abuse. In the future, they will have no such reason to refrain.
So long as minority governments are the norm, the Prime Minister will henceforth feel that they have the prerogative to prorogue parliament whenever they lose the confidence of Parliament, rather than submitting to its will. I fear that your decision today may have far-reaching effects in the years to come, and may lead to requests for prorogation stymieing the ability of the Canadian government to function.
I sincerely hope that I am wrong, and that this decision has been carefully thought through. I also look forward to reading in the near future a public statement regarding the reasoning behind your decision.
Dear Governor General,
In a time when minority governments are becoming the norm in Canada, much as they are in many European countries, I am concerned as a Canadian that you have taken a dangerous step in allowing the prorogation of parliament at this time.
My understanding of Canada's form of government is that we are a Parliamentary Democracy, where the people elect the members of Parliament to make decisions on their behalf. My understanding is that the role of Governor General is to ensure and protect the function of Parliament, and to ensure that the will of Parliament is fulfilled within the bounds of the constitution and law.
The prorogation of parliament at this time is clearly not an expression of the will of parliament, but rather the will of the Prime Minister and his party alone, who were elected by a minority of Canadians. The reason for prorogation, as expressed by the Prime Minister, was to prevent the will of Parliament from being fulfilled by means of preventing it from functioning at all during the current session. This seems to be the very sort of thing that the Office of the Governor General exists to prevent, and is happening during a time of rapid change in the nation, when a functioning parliament is absolutely necessary to steer us through.
Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. There have been several incidents in history where a Prime Minister could have attempted to abuse their ability to request prorogation in this manner. They have refrained from doing so in the past, whether out of respect for our system of government, or out of a confidence that the Governor General would not allow such abuse. In the future, they will have no such reason to refrain.
So long as minority governments are the norm, the Prime Minister will henceforth feel that they have the prerogative to prorogue parliament whenever they lose the confidence of Parliament, rather than submitting to its will. I fear that your decision today may have far-reaching effects in the years to come, and may lead to requests for prorogation stymieing the ability of the Canadian government to function.
I sincerely hope that I am wrong, and that this decision has been carefully thought through. I also look forward to reading in the near future a public statement regarding the reasoning behind your decision.