All eyes turn to the GG

[bcholmes]

Harper is expected, today, to ask the Governor General to prorogue parliament until late January. Does she have grounds to refuse?

Wikipedia says:

Peter H. Russell, a Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, has suggested that if Harper were to seek a dissolution, the Governor General would have to consider carefully whether his request is reasonable. Her primary concern must be to protect parliamentary democracy, and repeated short term elections, in Russell's view, would not be healthy for parliamentary democracy. In that case, with the coalition available with a reasonable prospect of holding the confidence of the House for a period of time, she might refuse his request for dissolution, requiring Harper to resign under constitutional precedent, and commissioning Dion to form a government.

Constitutional scholar Ned Franks has suggested that the Governor General could agree to prorogue the House, with the condition that the government could only manage day-to-day affairs until Parliament was reconvened. The Governor General would not approve orders-in-council requiring cabinet decisions, meaning that the government could not undertake major policy initiatives until Parliament was re-summoned, much like the way governments govern during an election campaign. However, this would be unprecedented in Canadian history as no governor general has ever refused a prime minister's request for prorogation or put conditions on it. Likewise, no prime minister has ever asked for a prorogation when facing an imminent confidence vote.

Emphasis added.

It could be a very interesting day.

Comments

[rbowspryte.livejournal.com]

*bites nails*