Harper should respect Parliament: Brison

Thursday, December 31, 2021

CBC News

"[Prime Minister] Stephen Harper is not interested in consulting with Canadians," Brison said Thursday. "If he was really interested in the views of Canadians, he would respect the Parliament that Canadians elected last time."

On Wednesday, the Conservatives shut down Parliament for two months, until after the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, said the government sought the suspension to consult with Canadians, stakeholders and businesses as it moves into the "next phase" of its economic action plan amid signs of economic recovery.

"This is quite routine but it is also important to give Canadians an overview of where we will be taking the country over the next little while," Soudas told CBC News from Ottawa.

But Brison said the prime minister is simply trying to avoid having to answer his critics in question period and in parliamentary committees.

"Stephen Harper is operating more like a dictator than a democratically elected prime minister," Brison said. "This is an abomination of Parliament and of democracy. This is a prime minister who doesn't like Parliament, does not respect the democratic institutions that govern our country."