A federal court has agreed to speed up a court hearing that challenges Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s prorogation of Parliament.
A lawsuit, backed by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, was filed by two Nova Scotia residents earlier this month.
Their lawyer, James Manson, told the publication, Canadian Lawyer, that the lawsuit seeks to test the power of the prime minister.
“What is the power of the prime minister or the executive, in our system of government, to suspend Parliament? Are there limits to that power? And if there are limits, what are they?”
Much as we sympathize with their frustration over the prorogation, this sets a dangerous precedent. In a parliamentary democracy such as ours, Parliament makes the laws and the courts enforce them, not the other way around. Yes, there is a recent precedent from the U.K. In 2019, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson controversially prorogued Parliament. After legal wrangling, the prorogation was ruled unlawful. That was misguided. We are governed by politicians, not judges, and the Governor General, on the advice of the prime minister, must prorogue.
That was the way it was when former Prime Minister Stephen Harper controversially prorogued. It’s true for this current controversial prorogation.
That said, by proroguing at such a critical time in our history, Trudeau has left this country naked against any aggressive measures President Donald Trump may implement. We cannot pass any legislation or approve any budgetary measures until Parliament returns on March 24. Let’s not forget, that this country is in this dire position due to the vain political ambition of one man: Trudeau. He clung to power for far too long. Had he quit last year, or had NDP leader Jagmeet Singh not propped him up, we would by now have had an election. We would have a new government and a new leader with a strong mandate.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre this week called for Parliament to be recalled immediately: “Liberals have shut Parliament in the middle of this crisis. Canada has never been so weak and things have never been so out of control,” he said.
Trudeau can and must re-open Parliament. That way, we can finally use that other great lever offered by a parliamentary democracy: We can vote this dreadful government out of office.