Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper seeks a shutdown of parliament in order to escape the ongoing expense scandals plaguing Ottawa.
On Monday, Harper confirmed that he will request the Governor General – the Queenâ„¢s representative in Canada – to prorogue Parliamentary sessions until October, when the neo-Conservative government plans its next speech from the throne.
Å“There will be a new throne speech in the fall; obviously the House will be prorogued in anticipation of that. We will come back – in October is our tentative timing,” Harper said Monday.
Experts accused the Harper government of averting debate and dialogue on important issues during its seven years in power.
Å“People who are in politics, who study the relations are right to say that this is the first time that they are seeing this parliamentary procedure being misused. I believe this will be the 106th time itâ„¢s used, but thisâ„¢ll probably be the third time that we see it used for a partisan issue over scandals that are developing,” said political analyst Michelle Robinson.
The announcement marks the third time in the past five years that Harperâ„¢s government is asking Canadaâ„¢s Queen to close down parliament.
In December 2008, opposition parties attempted to form a coalition group to displace the then minority Conservative government.
In December 2009, the Canadian government was condemned for its involvement in torture in Afghanistan.
Å“There really isnâ„¢t a very valid excuse here other than we all know that thereâ„¢s a huge scandal with the senate, just as there was a huge scandal with the torturing in Afghanistan the last time he did it. We need to see the pattern, realize that this is a partisan, strategic move,” said Robinson.
Harper has been accused by the opposition of failing to take appropriate measures to counter the global economic crisis.
In 2011, the Canadian Governor General dissolved the parliament and announced new elections after the opposition voted no-confidence for Harper’s government.
GMA/KA
Republished from: Press TV