In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

Opposition rages about prorogation

(CBC)  

Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued parliament on Dec. 30, 2009, stating the government needed a break to formulate a new budget and a new strategy for 2010. Since then, citizens, media and opposition have been frenzied criticizing and picking apart the Prime Ministers decision. Leader of the official opposition, Michael Ignatieff says Harper's move was a political game to avoid scrutiny about the torture of Afghan detainees, NDP leader Jack Layton is proposing legislation to limit the PM's power to stop government, and Canadians young and old are participating in anti-prorogation rallies across the country this Saturday. Parliament will not resume until March 3.

1.

Legal Information about Prorogation

Law FAQs - Prorogation of Parliament
This site gives basic legal facts about proroguing parliament and even has information about the legality of Harper's recent prorogation of parliament. The site is run and maintained by The Legal Resource Center of Alberta, who state their mission is "to enhance the accessibility and quality of justice realized in Canada. It addresses its mission by creating learning opportunities and building learning communities."

2.

Key Dates in Parliamentary Sessions

Library of Parliament - Key Dates
Maintained by the Library of Parliament, this page details key dates within each session of parliament. By clicking on the numbers in the left hand column, viewers can see important dates, details and happenings of the particular parliament. For instance, by clicking on the 37th parliament, viewers can note that while Paul Martin was Prime Minister with a majority government, parliament was prorogued twice. The page gives the date of the prorogation as well as the intercession or time parliament was out. According to the website, parliament has been prorogued approximately 20 times in the past 45 years; five times by two Conservative Prime Ministers and 15 times by Liberal Prime Ministers.

3.

Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament

Canadians Against Proroging Parliament Facebook Group
This facebook page, created by Alberta resident, Christopher White, encourages Canadians to join in lobbying parliament against Stephen Harpers actions. The website has well over 200,400 members and is growing every day. It gives Canadians encouragement and resources to write to their members of parliament about changing the rules on prorogation. It also has 1,500 discussion topics, videos and promotes upcoming events where supporters can take action. Since the creation of the group, Jack Layton has spoke out about restricting the Prime Ministers ability to prorogue.

4.

Liberal Party Speaks Out

Liberal Attack Ads
The Liberal Party of Canada has created several attack ads, slamming PM Harper for closing parliament. They allege that Harper suspended parliament so he wouldn't have to face questions about recent controversies such as the torture of Afghan detainees, climate change and unemployment. Both Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton, leaders of the opposition parties, have been extremely vocal about criticizing Harpers decision.

5.

No Prorogue - Promoting Citizen Activism

No Prorogue
No Prorogue is another citizen run website that encourages Canadians to get heated about the Prime Ministers suspension of parliament. While the site was originally created by Colin Carmichael, "a blogger and social media veteran based in Cambridge, Ontario," anyone can register on the page to contribute information or blog. The site has details about local events across Canada, information about the prorogation and provides an opportunity for supporters to donate to fund national rallies.