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 Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:47 am Post subject: Anti-prorogue rallies in Atlantic Canada |
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There is a growing movement in Canada protesting against the proroguing of Parliament by the current Prime Minister. The Atlantica Party supports this non-partisan movement.
Prorogation hobbles the ability of the people's representatives to oversee and restrain government. However prorogation itself is not the problem, it is a symptom of a fatal flaw in our federal and provincial styles of governance, government's control of the legislature. Should the legislature control itself (including when it sits) or be controlled by the government it is supposed to oversee? In order to preserve our democracy we need strong independent legislatures. "How can you oversee something when that something controls you?", asks Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party, "A simple policy regarding prorogation is not enough, we need a formal separation of government and legislature specified in a written constitution."
We urge our membership and supporters and all those people concerned about our democracy to attend the anti-prorogation rally closest to you. Please also consider volunteering. There are currently events planned in Antigonish, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, St. John's, Sydney, Truro, and Lunenburg.
Date: January 23ed
Time: 1pm
Location: check with your local chapter
(In Halifax Province House 1726 Hollis Street on the Granville side)
All details are available at the main website http://noprorogue.ca/
This facebook page has links to all events and all facebook groups associated with the movement.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=227662474562
Remember,
“When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.” - Stephen Harper, Canadian Press, April 18, 2005
and
"Democracy is not something that you believe in, or something that you hang your hat on. It's something that you do, you participate. Without participation, democracy crumbles and fails. If you participate, you win, and the future is yours." - Abbie Hoffman
So participate and win! |
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Hasdrubal
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 1112
  
votes: 5
Location: Nova Scotia
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| The more I hear about "proroguing" the more I question why the protests? And why not protest against the Liberal government when they did it? To me this is starting to look more like an ideological movement rather then a legitimate case of democracy. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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Hi again Hasdrubal,
It seems as if this latest instance strikes many people as very politically motivated. The good news is that many people are now questioning the role of government and the role of the legislature. And this is a non-partisan (and it is important to keep it non-partisan) discussion of how best to protect and enhance our democracy. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:17 pm Post subject: Yep |
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"Democracy is not something that you believe in, or something that you hang your hat on. It's something that you do, you participate. Without participation, democracy crumbles and fails. If you participate, you win, and the future is yours." - Abbie Hoffman
Yep and about 40 % of canadians get a F- for not voting in the last election.Then have the BALLS to complain about it.Your going to get taxed anyways regardless of how you vote so you might as well vote. |
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Ardvark
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 150
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Just to be clear, does the Atlantica Party want to open up and change the Canadian constitution in order to remove the power of prorogation? |
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Alan A.
Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 237
votes: 4
Location: Western Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Hasdrubal wrote: | | (...) To me this is starting to look more like an ideological movement rather then a legitimate case of democracy. |
Almost everything is, sadly enough. Now whenever there's a protest, you're 99% sure it's left-wing. It's always been like that, and it is not about to change. |
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Hasdrubal
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 1112
votes: 5
Location: Nova Scotia
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| atlanticaparty wrote: | Hi again Hasdrubal,
It seems as if this latest instance strikes many people as very politically motivated. The good news is that many people are now questioning the role of government and the role of the legislature. And this is a non-partisan (and it is important to keep it non-partisan) discussion of how best to protect and enhance our democracy. |
Personally I'm more concerned with the shape of the Atlantic economy then if the federal government gets prorogued longer then it should. I keep thinking about the massive amount of jobs that are being shipped out & the lack of them coming back in return. After looking at the statistics back on the 2006 census the average for most area's in a 200 kilometer radius was under 20K per year; with the recession that number is likely lower. Two of the top industries are retail & manufacturing, one is middle income, & middle skilled, while the other is low skilled & low income.
The low income & low skilled is on the rise & the middle income & mid skilled jobs are disappearing. Want to see my SQL server spatial database which is in development? I can show you, but the results seem to indicate that if Atlantic Canada was a country that we would be very much of a developing rather then developed country.
According to an article from research done on the top 10 industries growing in the United States six of the top seven growth industries expect between now & 2020 were low skilled & low paying positions. You almost expect a similar study may show similar results if one was taken for Canada. It's a shame that proroguing is more important then our eternally struggling economy. And we can not forget it's not just Harper, what about the undesirables at the provincial level doing little or nothing to stem growth? |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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Where are these massive protests that the opposition and media have been salivating about for weeks now?
Is it possible that Facebook astroturf group can't find a dozen people to organize rallies out of the 100 thousand plus "outraged" among them? |
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teabag
Joined: 30 Nov 2008
Posts: 479
votes: 6
Location: Mississauga Ontario
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| I think the Haiti situation has kind of taken the steam out of other issues. There is an emergency at hand that makes the proroging issue seem small and insignificant. I wonder how many on the left crying out really understand the state of the senate and how prorogation will change the makeup. To appoint senate seats seems like a much better reason to prorogue rather than avoid Afghanistan torture committee. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Ardvark wrote: | | Just to be clear, does the Atlantica Party want to open up and change the Canadian constitution in order to remove the power of prorogation? |
The Atlantica Party is a provincial party registering in Nova Scotia so we have no aspirations federally. However we have proposed a series of reforms to help strengthen democracy here in Nova Scotia, many of them revolve around making the legislature free from government control, of which prorogation is a blatant example. A formal separation of powers. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Alan A. wrote: | | Hasdrubal wrote: | | (...) To me this is starting to look more like an ideological movement rather then a legitimate case of democracy. |
Almost everything is, sadly enough. Now whenever there's a protest, you're 99% sure it's left-wing. It's always been like that, and it is not about to change. |
Isn't democracy an ideology? And surely not a left wing idea. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Hasdrubal wrote: |
Personally I'm more concerned with the shape of the Atlantic economy ... |
As are we. We are the only provincial party advocating free market, small government, an end to business subsidies, strengthening individuals, low taxes etc etc
Atlantica Canada can have an amazing future if we just trust in the entrepreneurial spirit of its people and get government out of the way! |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Cool Blue wrote: | Where are these massive protests that the opposition and media have been salivating about for weeks now?
Is it possible that Facebook astroturf group can't find a dozen people to organize rallies out of the 100 thousand plus "outraged" among them? |
Free individuals should take to the streets when they see their government abusing power and subverting the people's legislature. Prorogation is a non-partisan issue, it is a freedom issue. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:51 pm Post subject: Re: Anti-prorogue rallies in Atlantic Canada |
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| atlanticaparty wrote: | | There is a growing movement in Canada protesting against the proroguing of Parliament by the current Prime Minister. The Atlantica Party supports this non-partisan movement. |
Non-partisan movement?? That's the funniest thing I have read in some time!
Take a look at the event page ...... EVERYTHING is anti-Conservative in nature. If you really wanted to make it appear to be "non-partisan" there would be mentions of the Liberal usage of proroguing under Chretien. Such a blatant omission is one of the pathetic tactics being used by left-leaning wing-nuts who are trying to make the case that everything in Canada was fine until we have a Conservative government.
| Quote: | | Prorogation hobbles the ability of the people's representatives to oversee and restrain government. However prorogation itself is not the problem, it is a symptom of a fatal flaw in our federal and provincial styles of governance, government's control of the legislature. Should the legislature control itself (including when it sits) or be controlled by the government it is supposed to oversee? In order to preserve our democracy we need strong independent legislatures. "How can you oversee something when that something controls you?", asks Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party, "A simple policy regarding prorogation is not enough, we need a formal separation of government and legislature specified in a written constitution." |
So the Atlantica Party is clearly putting forth the idea of making an amendment to the constitution ..... good luck with that! IMHO, for the Atlantica Party to join the supposedly populist pile-on in regards to the proroguing issue only weakens (or destroys) their credibility. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| atlanticaparty wrote: | | Cool Blue wrote: | Where are these massive protests that the opposition and media have been salivating about for weeks now?
Is it possible that Facebook astroturf group can't find a dozen people to organize rallies out of the 100 thousand plus "outraged" among them? |
Free individuals should take to the streets when they see their government abusing power and subverting the people's legislature. Prorogation is a non-partisan issue, it is a freedom issue. |
That wasn't my point.
I'm asking, where are these people "taking to the streets". I see a lot of university students and political activists joining facebook groups but I don't see much action in the real world... |
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