I've never done this before, but for anyone who's interested in the wild, unexpected, unprecedented constitutional crisis going on up here in the incredibly frozen North, I'll be giving you updates here. Please Rec if you feel so inclined -- it's an incredibly exciting time up here, and all us political geeks are jittery as hell at the moment.
Update: Our Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has just gone in to speak to Governor-General Michaelle Jean, to ask her to prorogue -- basically, adjourn -- Parliament after a mere two weeks without introducing a single bill. The Liberal and NDP opposition parties have proposed the formation of a coalition government with the support of the Bloc Quebecois to address the current financial crisis, because they feel that Prime Minister Harper has lost the confidence of Parliament. The Governor-General has four basic options: allow prorogation to allow Harper to try and save his minority government's confidence; refuse prorogation and allow the coalition to govern; refuse prorogation and call an election; or call a suspension of Parliament to allow all parties to negotiate.
Live CBC coverage is here, although I don't know if the link works in the U.S.
Updates will follow as news arrives.
Update #1 -- Well, actually, more like some editorial. This is HUGE up here in Canada. It's garnering the sort of attention usually given only to Olympic hockey games. The Conservatives are shouting that it's a challenge to the electoral system, that the Liberals and NDP are handing the country over to separatists, that the people of Canada must be allowed to decide. The Liberals and NDP are vowing to destroy Parliament if they aren't allowed to rule, that Stephen Harper is so ineffective that they'd rather face an election less than two months after the last one wrapped up than work with him, and that Parliament was elected to protect the interests of Canadians, that Parliament has the right to decide who executes policy in this country. It's basically a battle between responsible and representative government, and it opens the door to a lot of talk about proportional government replacing majoritiarian government -- an overhaul of our entire system of government. It's democracy at a boiling point, and it's exciting as hell. If you're a policy geek, this is the height of entertainment.
Update #2 -- Harper is still speaking with the GG -- which doesn't bode well for prorogation. That would likely have been a very quick meeting. Question Period (our daily theatre of politics -- it's hilarious to watch on CPAC) is about to begin in the house, and there's no PM, no clue as to the GG's decision, zip, nada, zero, zilch. My God, this is so surreal....
Update #3 -- The GG will be meeting with Dion and Layton this afternoon according to the CBC. At this point, I'm not entirely sure what that could mean, although in my view it's not a great state of affairs for the Harper government. However, I hate to speculate, so I'll keep my eyes and ears on the news.
Update #4 -- Harper's coming out.
Update #5 -- Wups, not yet. Still waiting.
Update #6 -- The meeting with Dion and Layton has NOT been confirmed.
Update #7 -- 65 minutes, no action. This is going to be the last update until Harper comes out the door -- y'all can bite your fingernails along with me without taking up server space.
Update #8 -- I didn't think I would ever spend two hours of my life staring at a door.
Update #9 -- They added a podium! Excitement!
Update #10 -- A quick explanation of prorogation. Prorogation is basically a fancy way to say adjournment. It is usually invoked or granted near the end of a Parliamentary session, when the government has completed the business it set forth in the Throne Speech, which is given at the opening of that session. The unusual thing in this case is that Harper is basically asking to prorogue Parliament before any business has been put forward.
Harper about to speak -- more later.
Update #11 -- Word is that prorogation has been granted...
Update #12 -- It's on all the Canadian channels (all two of them :) ), so it looks like prorogation has been granted. Canada is suspending governemnt operations in the midst of a recession. The answers we're waiting for now are for how long and with what conditions?
Update #13 -- Harper is outside. The Canadian government has been prorogued until January 26th, when the Conservatives will present their federal budget.
Update #14 -- Harper is answering questions. First question (in French) was what took so long and how did he convince the GG to grant prorogation. He stressed constitutional convention and stressed a newfound devotion to concensus with the opposition in the preparation of the budget. (Kind of a moot point, since they've already stated that they won't work with him.) He also said there are four political parties in Parliament, and three of them have a national obligation to work together. That's a BIG slap in the face to the Bloc Quebecois. Second question was what kind of constitutional legitimacy he can claim, what with the intransigence of the opposition. He again stressed his newfound belief in the Church of Consensus and reiterated his attack on the Bloc in English. Third question was something in French (sorry, I'm a little rusty, I didn't catch it); Harper again stressed the budget and working together in the interests of Canadians. I totally missed the fourth question because my friend called me outraged about the prorogation (she's a political geek too).
Final Update -- Looks like that's it for now -- prorogation with no qualifications (at least none that have been announced), and Harper gets at best a temporary stay of execution, provided the proposed coalition hangs together. I may do up a diary tomorrow on the reaction of the opposition and what the Canadian political map looks like now that the dust is starting to clear. Then again, it's midterm season at school, and I'm behind in my readings, so no promises.
It's been a lot of fun. I'll continue to check comments and answer questions while I get ready for a Christmas party. Have a great day and thanks to all you Southrons who cared enough to help us keep an eye on our government.