Canadian crunch

As the outcome of today’s meeting, between Jean and Harper, becomes clearer we are also gaining more of an insight into the process itself.

It is clear from the duration of the meeting that Jean did not simply nod and say yes when Harper asked for the much-anticipated and highly-sought after prorogation of Parliament.

Some might say that this demonstrates her awareness of her constitutional duty and the importance of discharging it diligently.

Jean seems to have Xeroxed the Kerr template (see my ‘Canadian checkmate’ post below) which means essentially that Harper can have his prorogation but with hefty terms and conditions attached.

The first and most obvious is that this will only be a short prorogation and the second is that a more bipartisan approach to policy formulation and implementation, be adopted by both Harper and the wider party.

Perhaps most importantly Jean seems to have been all too aware of the possibility of setting a precedent for political prorogation.

The developments over the past two weeks have been unprecedented.

The truth is that this could just be the beginning.