Opposition members of Parliament joined together Wednesday to pass a motion that would prevent the prime minister from proroguing Parliament for longer than seven days unless supported by the House.
The motion, introduced by NDP Leader Jack Layton and passed by a vote of 139 to 135, is not considered binding, however.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/03/17/layton-prorogue.html
Hmmm! 274 votes cast, out of 308. That leaves 34 not accounted for. Who were they?
However, it is moot. Non-binding means it is an impotent gesture, and really all it does is allow the "opposition" to say they've done something, and continue to collect their paycheques ("truncated" though they may be, what with a temporary freeze on increases).
Stumble It!
Of course, the Tobin tax bill has been passed, with even the Liberals voting for it, umpteen years ago, yet, not even the Liberal government ratified it and Harper never would.
What do we have a parliament for if it is impotent to give orders to crooked governments ?
Ed Deak.