Stop Progrations and other Power Abuses Fund

Please donate now on this page to support court cases and the campaign to stop unjustifiable prorogations and other abuses of power by the Prime Minister and provincial Premiers. Donations to Democracy Watch’s Stop Prorogations and other Power Abuses Fund will be used to cover the costs of:

1. Pursuing in court a challenge of Prime Minister Trudeau’s request to Governor General Mary Simon to prorogue (shut down) Parliament until March 24^th, and;

2. Democracy Watch’s ongoing, long-term campaign to stop PM and Premier power abuses by making key changes to restrict abuses of power, as a large majority of Canadians want, and as politicians in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand did years ago.

Please also click here now to send your letter to the Prime Minister, all federal party leaders and key House and Senate committees, and your provincial politician calling for key changes to stop unjustifiable prorogations and other PM and Premier power abuses.

BACKGROUND

Politicians in Britain, Australia and New Zealand and many other countries have enacted key measures including clear, written rules to restrict the powers of their Prime Ministers or Presidents.

In 2019, Britain’s Supreme Court made it clear that shutting down Parliament is sometimes illegal and unconstitutional when it issued a unanimous ruling that rejected then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s shutting down of the British Parliament.

A large majority of Canadians want the powers of the Prime Minister and provincial Premiers restricted. A national survey of more than 2,000 Canadians by Harris-Decima in November-December 2012 showed that 84% of adult Canadians want enforceable rules to restrict key powers of the PM and the Premiers. And a national survey of 1,007 Canadians by Environics in May 2013 found that 71% want legal restrictions on party leader powers to ensure politicians in each party have more power and freedom to represent voters.

A majority of constitutional experts in Canada also support setting out clear written rules that restrict prorogations.

Enacting 8 key measures would restrict some of the most serious abuses of powers by the Prime Minister and provincial Premiers.

It won’t be easy — nothing worth doing ever is – but all together we can restrict the powers of the Prime Minister and provincial Premiers and stop their abuses.

Many countries around the world have taken steps to stop the abusive actions of their Prime Minister, President and/or premiers (and Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have also restricted the power of their Premiers). Most have measures restricting these powers in their constitutions, others haven’t made changes that are that strong and strict as that, but they have at least written down rules to restrict their powers in key ways.

Please donate now to support court cases and help keep this campaign going until key changes are made to stop unjustifiable prorogations and other abuses of power by the Prime Minister and provincial Premiers.

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