Webster defines the word “prorogue” as termination of a legislative session of the British parliament by royal prerogative. In Canada it means the same thing if we substitute the words royal prerogative with the words “the Governor General, at the request of the Prime Minister”.

Prorogation is not a new thing, so why all the fuss? A year ago, the Governor General prorogued parliament when the Prime Minister was on the verge of losing power in the House of Commons. This time he says he needs time to ‘recalibrate’ his economic policies. A few nights ago, Tom Flanagan, political scientist at the University of Calgary and former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, told Evan Solomon on CBC Television “that the government's talking points (on this matter) really don't have much credibility. Everybody knows that Parliament was prorogued in order to shut down the Afghan inquiry and the trouble is that the government doesn't want to explain why that was necessary”.

A letter published earlier this week in the Ottawa Citizen, by Daniel Weinstock of the Université de Montréal and 170 Canadian academics says "The Prime Minister's actions risk setting a precedent that weakens an important condition of democratic government -the ability of the people, acting through their elected representatives, to hold the government accountable for its actions."

"It's yet another step in a pattern of leadership and governance by Prime Minister Harper that is authoritarian in direction," said Peter Russell, a constitutional scholar at the University of Toronto. "He seems to want to minimize his exposure to critical review. And I think that's a very dangerous thing."

An e-mail reported from Donald Savoie, Canada Research Chair in Public Administration and Governance at the Université de Moncton and one of the leading authorities on the powers of the prime minister says “Everyone should take a valium”. He said “the issue of the role of Parliament, the Prime Minister and Cabinet requires a fundamental rethink. If one is after big game – and the role of Parliament in my view is big game – one should not be sidetracked by a rabbit.”

Rabbits, notwithstanding more than prorogation seem to be at play here. Mr. Harper and his Cabinet emissaries have a history of smearing opponents, shutting down committees, cutting off information channels, pouring distain on public concerns and firing public servants who don’t agree with them. Think of Richard Colvin, the Canadian diplomat who served in Afghanistan and testified before a Parliamentary Committee about suspected Afghan tortures. Think of former Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission President Linda Keen, Canadian Wheat Board Vice-President Deanna Allen, Military Police Complaints Commission Chairman Peter Tinsley, Canadian Council on Learning President Paul Cappon and others.

The next one to go could be Canada’s Budget Watchdog, Kevin Page. Earlier this week, he said that Canada is teetering on the brink of an economic chasm as debt continues to pile up. Page predicted that by late 2013, when the economy will be back at full capacity, the federal government will still have a deficit of nearly $20 billion, more than $8 billion higher than Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's forecast and it could last well into the future. We have to start dealing with a ‘structural’ fiscal problem that's going to get bigger and bigger “said Page.

Mr. Page said the federal government is faced with the unpalatable task of cutting spending and raising taxes in order to get Canada back to normal. Paul Martin recognized that reality in the 1990s. Finance Minister Flaherty has suggested that government can rebalance Ottawa's books over time without raising taxes or slashing federal spending programs. He says that the deficit can be phased out by retarding the growth in Ottawa's spending. Many economists are skeptical.

Prime Minister Harper brushes off criticism of his decision to shutdown Parliament, calling the move a ‘routine’ procedure that will enable the government to "recalibrate" its agenda. In his first public remarks since the decision, the Prime Minister conceded that one of the factors in his decision to prorogue was the ability for more/new Conservative senators to take their seats once the new session begins in March, thus allowing the Tories to finally outnumber the Liberals in the Upper House. Harper has long complained that the Liberal-dominated Senate has been holding up government bills. The new senators will have lots of time to get used to their news seats because all those government bills have been scrapped as a result of prorogation

Mr. Harper’s need to recalibrate his economic agenda seems ominous. Is he going to return to Parliament with heavier taxes and a lighter crime package or is he simply going to focus on senate reform and the battles of constitutional change? Time will tell.

W.E. (Bill) Belliveau is a Shediac resident and Moncton business consultant. He can be contacted at bill.bellstrategic@nb.aibn.com