Maybe not so much of a shrug

Almost 15,000 people are now signed up on the Facebook group: Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. That's maybe not the apathy we expected to greet the decision to keep Parliament shut until March 3. We here in the Ottawa bureau (feeling a bit like the Maytag repair people) would be keen to know of any other plans -- by MPs or the general public -- to oppose the prorogation.

** Update *** More than 1,500 more people have added their names to the Facebook group today (as of 3 p.m.ish) and organizing meetings for rallies in Ottawa and Toronto are being held this Friday night.

Comments

[Peter White]

The current Harris Decima Poll on Support for Prorogation of Parliament
Question: If the government were to prorogue Parliament again, this time until after the Olympics, would you say you'd be happy with it, unhappy with it, or indifferent to it?
Happy with it 15%
Indifferent 46%
Unhappy with it 34%
Maybe the 46% who are indifferent to prorogation are the very same folks who don't VOTE in Federal elections and the 34% do!!

[Rick]

33 million people in this country and you get 15000 people?? So what, that's a drop in the bucket. The PM is doing the right thing in keeping a bunch of twits off balance for a couple of months.

[Nola]

Susan .. How about some genuine investigative reporting on "where our political leaders spend their Holidays" (we know that Goodale was in Phoenix AZ) ??

Rumours are that Iggy has fled the country for warmer climes like his lil' villa in Provence only a stones throw from the French Riviera .. after he and Zsuzsu have spent Xmas with her parents in Budapest, Hungary.

Can you determine and advise Canadians where is Iggy, because he seems to have vanished off the face of Canada since his last twitter entry on Dec. 24th ... and then nothing, nada, zilch..???

[Barry W]

Susan - only yourself and a few other sad media people, who are currently without purpose, care. Where are the speeches by the loyal opposaition - other than a plaintive cry from Arizona (Ralph Goodale) it doesn't seem like much to me. But never mind, keep up the good work and maybe one day the Liberals will get back in and reward you for your loyal work.

[Savant]

I never put too much faith into these groups, I'd rather see a good poll done. However, if one wants to talk 'numbers', then the "Canadians Against a Liberal/NDP Coalition Gov't" facebook group has over 125,000 members. ( http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51442165364 )

I really don't think that 15K is much given how easy it is to pass around a link in the partisan blogosphere. Show me a poll with over 50% in opposition. I think you'll find most Canadians really don't care about a short recess, and they will care even less after the Olympics.

[geo]

Keep hoping for the great protect....won't happen.
It's the same anti-Harper,anti-Conservative,anything-to-try-to-make-the-government-look-bad bunch doing their thing.
Fact is, we Canadians don't care because there is nothing better to take over.
Harper may have his faults,but the opposition has offered Canadians nothing that shows they are better.
This is just a blip, that will become another blip like the detainee "scandal" the opposition is trying to start.
The only problem is, they have started so many we have become immune to the blips.
Fifteen thousand protesters on facebook? Talk to me when the number hits 15 million.
In the mean time relax take it easy in Ottawa and beware of the ides of March when Harper will be on his way to a possible election and a majority to give us some peace for 4 years.
Then your stories will be about the opposition leaders who retire get fired or quit.

[Bobby Wonderful]

You can count 2 more against prorogation that are not on facebook.

[Stephen MacLean]

Popular support for Parliament as the arena for political debate, and not subject to autocratic whims from an Executive and a supine caucus, can only be a good thing. Why would the Conservatives--the so-called 'party of the Constitution'--think running roughshod over Canadian parliamentary tradition (and contributing to its decline) would be acceptable in the short-run and conducive to the public good in the long?

[Ron]

Does anyone know if there is a Facebook group for those that support prorogation? It probably would have a similar amount of hits. Groups like these are, by and large, partisan in nature, run by activists trying to influence decisions. I have friends in political parties (I am active in one myself) and frequently get requests to support (or oppose) something. Having been around for a while, I am sure Ms Delacourt is well aware of the nature of these push polls or manipulative groups pretending to be the expression of the public will - she is doing her part to promote it and increase the push --- anyone out there surprised?

[Andrew]

More than 2,000,000 people in English Canada alone watched Canada play Latvia, and Canada play Switzerland in the Junior Worlds. (For each game, not combined.) So what's 15,000 coming from Liberal, BQ and NDP members and party e-mailing lists, and unions and campus groups? And, as I recall from a few years ago, the Star wasn't that impressed with 10,000 pro-lifers peacefully protesting at Queen's Park, so why should I be impressed by 15,000 people clicking a 'Friends' button?

[M.P. Janigan]

Harper has been seeing how far he can twist the rules and the Laws to try and manipulate things to suit his secretive agenda's. If he was to reveal his true intentions it's unlikely he would ever of made it this far. I just hope we don't t have go through the same experience that us in Ontario had with Harris. That is to put him in power (majority) and then realize too late that we've made a huge mistake.
Harper has succeeded in dividing the country, East vs West, Religous vs Non and
traditional Canadian values vs American Neocon Values. We must stop him.

[Patricia M]

I am tired of you sanctimonious conservative supporters always accusing the opposition party leaders of being away on a brief rest. Do you know where Stephen Harper is right now? After all he phoned the GG to get her to prorogue and only sent a message to be read by the media when our soldiers and the first journalist were killed in Afghanistan. I spend my winter in Mexico and know for a fact Stephen Harper and Jean Charest often spend their offtime over Christmas and New Years and beyond at the same place in Mexico, as I do. So stop carping about other politicos who go out of the country.

Put me down against proroguing also.

[Lore]

Facebook doesn't matter.

[Gabby in QC]

"I spend my winter in Mexico and know for a fact Stephen Harper and Jean Charest often spend their offtime over Christmas and New Years and beyond at the same place in Mexico, as I do."

We "sanctimonious" conservatives want pictures and/or a video ... nothing else will do.

But if it is true ... wasn't it a couple of years ago that some people - non-sanctimonious folk, I suppose - complained this PM had never stepped outside Canada?
Ah well, damned if you do, damned if you don't ...

[lorne]

In perspective ,15000 sign ups is about the population of Yorkton Sk , or 1.5 percent of Saskatchewan population , maybe they should wait a while for bragging rights,.

[Welby]

Facebook does matter!

[hollinm]

Signing up on Facebook does not make a political movement. I would like to know the background of all those that signed up. Supporters of the Liberal party, members of the leftie media etc.
Nobody cares Susan no matter how hard the media try to work up a sweat over this thing. An extra two weeks (after the break for the Olympics) is hardly anti democratic. If the opposition feel so wronged then vote non confidence on the throne speech and the budget. That will separate the men from the boys eh Susan.

[Nola]

It's January 4, 2010 ... and nobody knows the whereabouts of Iggy & Zsuzsu ... and this is the guy who wants to be our PM while the country is going to hell in a handbasket. You would think that Iggy would be on top of all the issues of concern to Canadians ... like Taliban detainees, proroguing Parliament, HST for BC and ON, Copenhagen Conference ...!!!!
Maybe Iggy is taking long walks in Algonquin Park, thinking deep thoughts, contemplating his future, taking in the winter scenery and loving it .... but Canadians hear nothing from Iggy in these turbulent times.
Even his last entry on his Twitter page is..... "11:33 AM Dec 24th, 2009 from mobile web" .... almost as if he popped in that message while jetting out of Canada ... ya think ...???!!!

[William Campbell]

Proroguing parliament is very serious business. It stops completely the government from enacting legislation that may be required for an emergency which in the present world where terrorism is a mjot threat to all democratic countries.
Our constitution may allow it but should we not consider amending the constitution that would limit the use of this, by a minority government, without a free vote by all sitting members and a face to face meeting with the GG which would include the leaders of the opposition parties where the GG would be given the pros and cons of such action before making a decision one way or another on allowing parliament to prorogue.
In a minority situation the governing party does not represent the majority of the electorate so there should be some means to limit what actions they may wish to take without having to go to a full election.

[Nola]

Just confirmed on CBC News:
Iggy is vacationing in Europe...and the Laytons are snorkeling in Belize...nothing on Duceppe.... but PM Harper is still in Canada... working ...!!!
CBC will be interviewing PM Harper on Tuesday at 9PM EST ... stay tuned ...

[s.b.]

I'm sorry are you an activist now, helping to promote and organize protests or a political commentator? You're losing some credibility with this one.

[MJH]

This minor skirmish will have no effect. Mucha to dao about nothing. BUT the Star and CBC will just love it!!

[Jennifer Smith]

These groups may not be all that important in the long run, but if we're going to play "my Facebook Group's bigger than yours", I wouldn't dismiss the anti-prorogation numbers so quickly. For one thing, there are at least three groups. The big one has almost 21,000 now, another has over 3,000 and a third (with the exact same name as the first - c'mon people!) has another thousand. That 25,000 total.

And keep in mind, this all happened over the Christmas holidays.

[Thane]

Which makes it about half as many people as have joined a group agreeing to meet at the Bunnings Warehouse in the event of a Zombie Attack. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76633949730&ref=search&sid=671415279.3058766879..1

Maybe that should be your next column? 30,000 people prepare for immenent zombie apolcalypse?