A group of constitutional scholars contends that democratic conventions—like fixed date elections and when the legislature opens and closes—must be set in writing.
Duff Conacher is with Democracy Watch in Ottawa. He told VOCM Morning Show co-host Fred Hutton that most scholars asked agree that straight forward rules must be set out and adhered to.
One of those conventions is establishing when and how the legislature opens and closes.
He cites the example of former Premier Kathy Dunderdale who didn’t open the legislature until six months after she was elected premier.
Instead, she governed without having parliament confirm they had confidence in her government. That, he says, goes against the principle of responsible government which is the foundation of governing in Canada.
Conacher says there have been several examples of “unreasonable and abusive” shut downs of parliament in Canada in the last decade.
Other rules include what constitutes a vote of non-confidence and when and how the opposition parties get a chance to govern if they did vote non-confidence in government.
All those issues and many more are unclear, says Conacher, because they’re unwritten. Write it down, and then prime ministers and premiers can’t abuse their power.
