On August 18, 2020, Canada’s Governor General prorogued Parliament until September 23, 2020 on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request. Damien Kurek, Member of Parliament for Battle River-Crowfoot calls this move “outrageous.”
“This is an outrageous abuse of power,” Kurek states, “This is the definition of a Government in chaos. At a time when Canadians need leadership, Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Government are failing on every front.”
Proroguing Parliament is a perfectly legitimate tool that exists in our democratic system that has been used by various Governments. It is clear however, this is not one of those times.
Even the Governor General has faced controversy in recent days calling into question Justin Trudeau’s judgement in every way. This action effectively shuts down the many investigations into the conduct of Canada’s highest office holders, provides greater uncertainty at a time when it is needed most, and shows that there is a leadership vacuum in Canada’s executive branch of Government.
“When watching the press conference where the Prime Minister tries to defend his actions, he came across as dictator drunk with power, daring his rivals to challenge him.” Damien goes on to say: “the abuse, corruption, division, and scandal that this Prime Minister has brought upon our country are unprecedented in good times, but to use a global health and economic crisis to dismantle democracy is unbelievable. At a time when our nation needed leadership, this Prime Minister and Government have failed.”
