I must admit, it’s fantastic to live in a country where the Prime Minister can prorogue Parliament for two months because – well – he wants to.

Sure, Harper’s ladled out the usual horseshit – he’s done it so that the government can “consult” with Canadians and businesses as the Conservatives move into the “next phase” of their economic “action plan”.

Consult Canadians and businesses? How, exactly, is the federal government going to “consult” with tens of millions of people in two months directly? I was under the impression that elected members of Parliament were the people’s representatives – so shouldn’t Parliament be in session so that his government can “consult” with them directly?

It would seem not.

Mr. Harper has prorogued the government twice in one year – three times in three years. In short, the Prime Minister of this country has simply shut down Parliament because he’s “deemed it necessary”, and the Governor General, who basically has absolutely no backbone, has allowed it.

Now, if that doesn’t worry you, well, given how our government is supposed to operate – it damn well should.

Of course, there are reasons why Mr. Harper may have chosen to do it this time around, as MP Libby Davies rightly pointed out at the end of December…

“NDP House Leader Libby Davies said she was “appalled” by Harper’s decision and accused the prime minister of “running from” opposition demands for a public inquiry into what and when the government knew about allegations of torture of detainees transferred into Afghan custody by Canadian soldiers in 2006.

“By proroguing Parliament, he is unilaterally making a decision to stop any kind of disclosure from happening,” Davies told CBC News from Vancouver.”

Libby’s a smart cookie, and a friend, so I trust her instincts.

At the end of the day though, you’re government, the one you pay for, the one that is supposed to be at work running this country and dealing with more than just Mr. Haper’s economic “action plan”, will now sit on their asses and do jack shit until March 3rd.

Gather ‘round the fire. Time to do one of two things – read the kids The Hobbit or tell them the story of the “Legend of Canadian Democracy”.