Harper Suspends Parliament

A decision by Canada’s opposition to form a coalition with the goal of ousting the Conservative government set the stage for a political battle in Ottawa this week. In the chess game for control, Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspended Canadian Parliament until January. To give an idea of the historical nature of this event, Jeffrey Feldman explains in the Huffington Post that a parliamentary suspension—known as a prorogue—has not occurred since Charles I suspended British Parliament in 1628.

The opposition formed the coalition having accused Harper of failing to respond quickly enough to the global economic downturn infecting Canada. During the political melee this week, Canada's dollar dropped in value based on concerns about the power struggle as well as the sinking price of crude oil. A new analysis by RGE Monitor’s Rachel Ziemba shows that Canada’s leading indicators demonstrate a marked decline and notes that a controversial economic statement released last week by Harper’s government sought to cut spending by roughly $4.8 billion, leading to the opposition’s protest. The Conservatives’ proposal also included controversial measures that would eliminate public funding for political parties and outlaw the right to strike for public-sector unions.

Although the proposals were withdrawn, the opposition carried on its plans to form the coalition. Had it come to pass, a December 8 opposition vote in the House of Commons against the Conservatives’ economic package would have resulted in a “no confidence” vote and would have likely toppled Harper’s government. In response, Harper took steps to suspend Parliament by requesting the order for the suspension from Governor General Michaelle Jean, appointed by Britain’s Queen of England in what is primarily a ceremonial position. Parliament will reconvene at the end of January to deliver a budget.

In an address to the nation following the suspension, the prime minister accusing the opposition of "attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent, and without your vote." He noted that the coalition had taken steps to gain power without proposing an economic plan, pointed out the Conservatives' withdrawal of some proposals and he invited the opposition to present its own set. His remarks also slammed the coalition for including the Bloc Quebecois, which seeks a Quebec state separate from Canada.

What will happen when parliament reconvenes at the end of January, as well as who would lead should Harper be forced out at that time, remains in doubt. As leader of the largest opposition party, the Liberal Party's Stepháne Dion would have taken the reins from Harper if the coalition had succeeded in gaining control. But Dion, who tendered his resignation after his party suffered its worst defeat in decades during the October 14 elections, is scheduled to step down as party leader in May when the Liberals will select a new head at their leadership convention. Furthermore, Dion's disastrous video rebuttal, featuring what has been described as amateur-quality footage, to Harper's address last night did little to boost support for the Liberal leader. As the Toronto Star reports, a lack of confidence in Dion's ability could push Liberals to scramble to find new leadership.

With the country now waiting until January to learn the resolution of this standoff, Canadian media finds itself divided over the week's events. The conservative National Post commends the governor-general for granting Harper the right to prorogue Parliament, saying, "If the government makes good use of this month-and-a-half long break, it will find talk of a coalition has quieted in the interim." But the Globe and Mail called termed Harper's action a "blunder" and said the "final lasting knock from the past week may be that Mr. Harper will never win the trust of the opposition."

The Economist describes the power struggle this week as "a most un-Canadian caper" that could change Canadian politics forever: "Coalition politics may be inevitable. Even so, Canadians have little idea who might be governing them after Christmas."

Read AS/COA coverage of Canada’s October election.

Updated December 5, 2008.