Response from Jack Layton, NDP leader, regarding the prorogation of parliament

I sent Jack Layton an email a few days ago regarding Harper's prorogation of parliament.
I just received this reply from the NDP leader:

Thank you for your previous message about Stephen Harper`s decision to
close down Parliament. New Democrats also share the outrage and
disappointment that you and many other Canadians have expressed about
this suspension of Parliament.

I have called on Prime Minister Harper to re-convene Parliament on
January 25. If he agrees, our Party will accept the re-instatement of
all pending legislation before prorogation - a common practice used in
past Parliaments. That said, we would continue to vote for or against
these Bills, based on whether they are good for Canada and Canadians.

I have also been clear that the work of the NDP caucus will not stop as
a result of Mr. Harper`s decision. We are going ahead with our January
18 winter strategy meeting and New Democrat MPs will be:

- participating in the January 23 protest rallies organized by citizens
across Canada
- returning to Ottawa on January 25 to hold our regular Caucus meeting
- working on parliamentary reform proposals including measures to ensure
that prorogation cannot be misused again
- holding the government's feet to the fire on the economy, climate
change, the war in Afghanistan, retirement security, and consumer
protection

Parliament has vital work to do. Canadians can't prorogue their credit
card bills, their pension shortfalls, their unemployment, or their
worries about the future. We think MPs should be working on these issues
and representing the priorities of their constituents and communities in
the annual pre-budget work.

Again, I appreciate your desire to stand up for democracy. Feel free to
pass along my message to anyone who may be interested. All the best.

Sincerely,


Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats