Those Facebook-convened Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament failed to change Stephen Harper's mind, but their sentiment endures. There is a national appetite, and this is a national moment for a new movement advocating democratic accountability in Canada. It will succeed if it casts the widest possible net.
Such a movement should not become a merely anti-Harper, anti-Conservative sect, even if activists see it as a tempting vehicle, and even if other grievances against the government moved a lot of the original protesters to take to the streets in the first place. Left-leaning political parties in Canada have to face their own inability to form a united front against the Conservatives.
And although the latest prorogation was egregious, the Conservatives' diminishing of parliamentary government just added to an existing trend. One day another party will take the reins, with all the accumulated prime ministerial power.
A growing number of Canadians laments this state of affairs: people who used to be engaged politically (from Rotary Club members to party activists) and yearn for a time when contacts with their MPs meant something; tech-savvy users of social media or online data who hope to make their government more efficient and responsive; and, of course, many Canadians who never had a stake in politics, but were outraged by Mr. Harper's latest tactic. They are disenchanted with political parties and recognize that the mere act of voting is no longer enough to make a government accountable (and many, as a result, do not vote).
If these Canadians, from all parties and none, hailing from all socioeconomic backgrounds and regions of Canada, come together, the results could be profound. Organizers of the original protests promise that the group will live on, as Canadians Advocating Political Participation, to educate Canadians about the political system, encourage greater participation and strengthen accountability. These vague goals can take on some flesh with the creative involvement of citizens.
Shenanigans in Ottawa proceed apace, but much of Canada's political life away from Parliament Hill has become too genteel. Some public agitation is welcome and necessary. A smart, tough, civil movement of Canadians pushing for meaningful democratic accountability - call it the anti-Tea Party movement - might just reclaim some of the public space that Canada's government and elected officials have occupied without their consent.
