Even though the catastrophe in Haiti has captivated Canadians over the last few days, organizers of an anti-prorogue rally are optimistic that a large crowd will turn out for a rally on Parliament Hill this Saturday.
“We’re making sure that (the prorogation) doesn’t just fall off the radar,” said Jesse Root, one of the organizers of the Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament rally in Ottawa.
The group has sent out press releases, put up posters and set up a Facebook page that has over 1,100 people confirmed for the event. While that is not a promise that people will attend, Root said many more participants have already committed to the event offline.
Anti-prorogue rallies are scheduled for over 33 communities across the country this weekend.
The rally on Parliament Hill will begin at 1 p.m. Root said they will have speakers from various non-governmental organizations affected by various bills killed when Parliament was prorogued.
Organizers sent out invitations to all five federal parties to speak at the rally. Four have confirmed their participation. Root said they are still waiting to hear back from the Conservative party.
“That’s one thing we’ve really been trying to push, the non-partisan aspect,” he said.
In early January, when planning began, their intent was to pressure the government to get back to work. Before the prime minister pulled the plug, the MPs would have returned on Jan. 25.
That is still the message, but Root said they also want to let the government know that Canadians are aware of what’s going on and these things should not happen without their consent.
