Matt McCann – The Aquinian
About 70 people suffered through a chilly -17C afternoon Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent proroguing of parliament.
The gathering, one of 50 protests across Canada, saw protestors dressed in thick coats, toques and gloves, carrying signs asking citizens to “stand up for Canada,” or urging Harper to “get back to work.”
“We care when our Prime Minister subverts democracy,” said Ella Henry, a representative for the New Brunswick Public Interest Research group, and one of five speakers to address the crowd.
On Dec. 30, Harper met with Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean to ask her permission to suspend parliament until March 3.
It marked the second time this year Harper had done so.
Parliament was originally set to resume Jan. 25.
According to government public relations, the move was intended to give the Conservatives time before moving on with their economic plans.
But opposition parties have accused Harper of trying to escape public scrutiny on whether the government had some knowledge about allegations that Afghan detainees were being tortured.
Harper has also been accused of trying to fill senate vacancies while parliament is away, which would essentially give the Conservatives control over the senate.
Maeghan O’Neill, a third-year UNB science student, said she was at the protest “to show my support for our country and our democracy.”
“We need to band together against this,” she said. “There’s no good reason to (prorogue) at this point.”
“The bills that will be started over again are important bills,” she said, referring to the more than 30 bills killed by Harper’s move.
Eileen Malone, a retired registered nurse and senior citizen’s advocate, was another speaker at the demonstration.
She alluded to the potential financial downside to the parliamentary suspension.
Malone said that over 12,000 federal employees have been laid off as a result of Harper’s decision, and there are some who will fall 22 days short of qualifying for pension and health benefits.
At one point, Malone’s voice was drowned out when a car drove by, the passenger window rolled down, and a middle-aged woman yelled “yay Harper! yay Harper!”
Malone continued on unfazed.
“You close the doors of our country’s parliament, and leave town,” she said.
