Governor General Johnston formally prorogues Parliament
Posted September 13, 2013 9:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – Governor General David Johnston formally prorogued Parliament, Friday, announcing that the new session will start with a throne speech on October 16.
The new session was originally set to begin on Monday, September 16.
Over the next four weeks, Prime Minister Stephen Harper – along with other ministers – will put the finishing touches on their strategy for moving the country forward leading up to the next election in 2015. This will vaguely be laid out in Johnston’s throne speech, with details to come later when the government tables legislation.
While it’s not uncommon for majority governments to reset halfway through their mandate, University of Toronto Political Scientist Nelson Wiseman says this is a political move which helps for policy, but also serves as a way to avoid criticism.
“The problem for the opposition is getting media attention, when Parliament isn’t meeting.”
The NDP has been accusing Harper of running from his problems, by proroguing for the 4th time since he took office. The criticism comes as the Tories face the fallout of the senate expense and robocall scandals, and next month’s return of Parliament will give opposition parties a fresh opportunity to put these back in the spotlight.
“There’s some things that have come out in the media in the last few days, and of course, you never know what could come up,” Wiseman says.
However, he adds that Harper may have a strategy to deal with both, as the federal government has promised changes for Elections Canada, and has asked the Supreme Court for advice on senate reform for the upper chamber.
“I think what [Harper’s] going to try to do is to lead the parade,” he said.
