Politically Charged: Fast track to change?
Parliament resumes in March with the federal budget and a confidence motion at the forefront of the issues. It's pretty clear the House doesn't have confidence in the Harper government; they've said so several times and even tried to put in place a coalition government.
But there most likely won't be any coalition attempts nor will there be any moves to vote against the budget and rush Canadians to the polls like sheep to a shearer.
Although, to say the government's move to prorogue Parliament has fluffed sheeps' wool wouldn't be accurate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the great political tactician, has actually ruffled some feathers. London NDP member of Parliament, Irene Mathyssen, is one of them. Mathyssen's party looks to put the wheels in motion to curb the prime minister's power.
Change. Yes we can. This is Obama's message but it's Canada's parliamentary opposition's feeling. The NDP will bring forward new legislation come March when the parties return from the Parliamentary break and Mathyssen says, “[It] will compel the prime minister to put prorogation as a vote before Parliament.” Changing up who gets the power to essentially kill parliamentary sessions is also picking up popularity in the Liberal camp. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff wants to put together a prorogation committee, “It would be a positive sign of good faith if your party joined with ours in supporting [the committee]...,” wrote Ignatieff in his letter to the prime minister. If a vote was needed to prorogue Parliament than a prime minister wouldn't be able to run off to the governor general for a rubber stamp approval of proroguing parliament. The prime minister would need to ensure the House is on board with his or her plans of breaking Parliament.
Mathyssen doesn't want changes to stop there. She agrees with the likes of Martin Lawrence, columnist for the Globe and Mail, that Canada's democratic system is broken and needs repairs. Mathyssen says it's time to get rid of the Senate, “As for the Red Chamber well, we could turn it into a Child Care Centre. It is now why not make it official?”
Fanshawe College politics professor Matt Farrell isn't so keen on the idea of axing the Red Chamber. He does notice the recent prorogation of Parliament has peaked students interest in politics and possibly coerced them into more political engagement.
“As somebody who sees new crops of students every couple months, I can attest that there is more engagement surrounding this prorogation of Parliament,” he said.
The rally against proroguing Parliament like the one in Victoria Park is just one example of Londoners getting politically engaged. Will this political engagement translate into pressure for democratic reforms like Mathyssen would like to see?
Mathyssen would like to see Parliament move to a proportional representation style of voting in members of Parliament. This is different from our current first-past-the-post system. Proportional representation means that 30 per cent of the national vote translates into 30 per cent of the seats in the House. In first-past-the-post, you can hold a majority government in the House with about 40 per cent of the national vote. The votes don't exactly translate the same. It's up for debate as to what's fairer.
In the end, Harper's move to prorogue Parliament looks like one of his biggest miscalculations. His Tories are slightly ahead of the Liberals in the polls and it looks like the sheep have begun to think for themselves. Changes like closing the doors to the Senate for good or readjusting who has the power to prorogue Parliament along with other suggested reforms like addressing the funding scheme for candidates are measures that need the support of constituents. Politicians won't budge unless people get behind certain ideas and demand them carried through. After all, the voter does hold their constituent's job on their ballot.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
But there most likely won't be any coalition attempts nor will there be any moves to vote against the budget and rush Canadians to the polls like sheep to a shearer.
Although, to say the government's move to prorogue Parliament has fluffed sheeps' wool wouldn't be accurate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the great political tactician, has actually ruffled some feathers. London NDP member of Parliament, Irene Mathyssen, is one of them. Mathyssen's party looks to put the wheels in motion to curb the prime minister's power.
Change. Yes we can. This is Obama's message but it's Canada's parliamentary opposition's feeling. The NDP will bring forward new legislation come March when the parties return from the Parliamentary break and Mathyssen says, “[It] will compel the prime minister to put prorogation as a vote before Parliament.” Changing up who gets the power to essentially kill parliamentary sessions is also picking up popularity in the Liberal camp. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff wants to put together a prorogation committee, “It would be a positive sign of good faith if your party joined with ours in supporting [the committee]...,” wrote Ignatieff in his letter to the prime minister. If a vote was needed to prorogue Parliament than a prime minister wouldn't be able to run off to the governor general for a rubber stamp approval of proroguing parliament. The prime minister would need to ensure the House is on board with his or her plans of breaking Parliament.
Mathyssen doesn't want changes to stop there. She agrees with the likes of Martin Lawrence, columnist for the Globe and Mail, that Canada's democratic system is broken and needs repairs. Mathyssen says it's time to get rid of the Senate, “As for the Red Chamber well, we could turn it into a Child Care Centre. It is now why not make it official?”
Fanshawe College politics professor Matt Farrell isn't so keen on the idea of axing the Red Chamber. He does notice the recent prorogation of Parliament has peaked students interest in politics and possibly coerced them into more political engagement.
“As somebody who sees new crops of students every couple months, I can attest that there is more engagement surrounding this prorogation of Parliament,” he said.
The rally against proroguing Parliament like the one in Victoria Park is just one example of Londoners getting politically engaged. Will this political engagement translate into pressure for democratic reforms like Mathyssen would like to see?
Mathyssen would like to see Parliament move to a proportional representation style of voting in members of Parliament. This is different from our current first-past-the-post system. Proportional representation means that 30 per cent of the national vote translates into 30 per cent of the seats in the House. In first-past-the-post, you can hold a majority government in the House with about 40 per cent of the national vote. The votes don't exactly translate the same. It's up for debate as to what's fairer.
In the end, Harper's move to prorogue Parliament looks like one of his biggest miscalculations. His Tories are slightly ahead of the Liberals in the polls and it looks like the sheep have begun to think for themselves. Changes like closing the doors to the Senate for good or readjusting who has the power to prorogue Parliament along with other suggested reforms like addressing the funding scheme for candidates are measures that need the support of constituents. Politicians won't budge unless people get behind certain ideas and demand them carried through. After all, the voter does hold their constituent's job on their ballot.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
