It's always a pleasure.
I'll just start with a bit of a brief I've prepared.
On January 23 a curious thing happened. Across the country, thousands of Canadians from all walks of life came together in the name of a routine parliamentary procedure that, up until a year ago, many had never even heard of.
We represented various political circles, unified by our interest to preserve democracy and keep the government responsible. Even if we were encouraged by politicians, we owe our success to our ability to organize ourselves, to debate and discuss on the Internet and in our committees.
Much has been made about the legitimacy of political engagement through social networking. Some have disparaged the 226,000 proud Canadians who signed into the “Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament” Facebook group. They said it was incredibly easy to simply click a “join” button, which is true, although I would add it is no more difficult than marking an X on a ballot, but none here would doubt the importance of the latter.
The low barrier of entry to online political participation is actually one of its strengths. Contacting members of Parliament, demonstrating, and circulating petitions can be intimidating at first. For many, CAPP was their first experience in political involvement and many are now self-professed political junkies. To any politician who pays more than lip service to citizen engagement, they should be encouraged by this and work towards finding ways to bring these tools to their constituents.
We showed that Canadians are very interested in our democracy and the way our Parliament works. We are not against prorogation as such, but we are against the flagrant abuse of power that was displayed in December 2009. It is now the responsibility of the House to find a solution to ensure that this does not happen again.
I recognize that any truly binding regulations would require opening up the Constitution, for which there does not seem to be an appetite. I favour proposals to introduce new conventions through the Standing Orders or legislation. Proposals to date have considered a maximum length for prorogation, when it can be called, and if it should require a vote.
At the foundation of any new convention should be that the House, the body that represents the will of Canadians, be given the power to decide when it does and does not sit. You cannot simply introduce a convention and expect it to stick. A convention, by its nature, is a voluntary practice reinforced through tradition and repeated use. Indeed, much of what guides our government is convention alone, an agreement by its actors to behave civilly and treat one another with respect in the interest of serving Canadians. Perhaps that's why we're in trouble.
The most common objection I've heard to CAPP is “So what? Who needs Parliament anyway?” This must give you cause for reflection, that some see your role as destructive at worse, and irrelevant at best.
Prorogation hit a nerve because it touched upon the greater issue of Parliament, and of democracy, and how the two play out in Canada. Even if you supported the Prime Minister's decision--which I can respect--you owe it to the nearly quarter of a million Canadians to at least acknowledge their concerns. If Parliament does not take its role seriously, then people have every right to become cynical.
We need an opposition focused on the issues, not chasing scandal for the sake of political goal-scoring. We need a government that answers questions directly instead of deflecting or shifting the blame.
All of that being said, I do have reason for hope. The very fact that I sit here before you today is proof that the government is taking this issue seriously. A recent motion brought forward by the member for Wellington—Halton Hills addresses the issue of decorum in the House and hopefully will lead to new conventions on respect in and for the chamber.
Last week's decision from the Speaker called upon all parties to work together, presenting an opportunity to renew your commitment to serving the best interests of Canadians. Prorogation has kicked off what will hopefully translate into greater citizen engagement with the democratic process. You can help to foster this by working together on a solution to protect and strengthen the role of Parliament in the decisions that guide and shape our nation.
Thank you.
