The Martlet

An estimated 1,500 people descended on Centennial Square on Jan. 23 to protest the federal government’s decision to shut down Parliament until March — and Facebook played an essential role.

“There were actually a lot more people than we expected,” said Victoria protest organizer Craig Ashbourne. “We’re frustrated to see the Prime Minister do something like this to avoid the issues.”

The Rally to Resume Parliament-Victoria was one of a series of rallies across the country stemming in large part from a 215,000-member strong Facebook group called Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. The group was started by

University of Alberta student Christopher White. Much of the national and local organizing, publicity and coordination was done via Facebook.

“I wanted to be at the rally because I wanted to live up to my ‘Facebook activism’,” said Sheena Gardner, who, like many, engaged with the protest on the social networking website.

“Also, while I have never been a fan of the way Harper conducts government, I think he is really abusing the system for his own benefit and that this latest action shows that he disregards the opinions of Canadians.”

While Parliament was scheduled to resume on Jan. 25, on Dec. 30 Prime Minister Stephen Harper quietly announced the prorogation of Parliament on until after the Olympics. The government says that it will have a speech from the throne on March 3, followed by a federal budget the next day.

Victoria NDP MP Denise Savoie slammed Harper’s decision at the rally and advocated for legislation that would require the approval of the House of Commons before the Prime Minister could prorogue.

“Just because it’s legal does not make it democratic,” said Savoie, who returned to Ottawa along with the rest of the NDP and Liberal caucuses for the originally scheduled resumption of the House on Jan. 25. “This afternoon, I urge you to support legislation that will require a majority vote before prorogation.”

Other speakers at the Victoria rally included Esquimalt Liberal MP Keith Martin, UVic political science professor Denis Pilon and Jamie Biggar, a member of Canada’s Youth Delegation at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. Green party leader Elizabeth May, who is running in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding in the next federal election, was represented by her campaign manager John Fryer while she spoke at the rally on Parliament Hill with other opposition party leaders.

“Our government must be representative for us and be representative to us,” Biggar told the crowd. “As a Canadian, I’ve never been so ashamed of my government but so proud of my fellow citizens.”

Dozens in the crowd held signs emblazoned with slogans like “Prorogue Harper,” “No Taxation without Representation” and “My House, My Rules.”

Critics have charged that Harper is temporarily shutting down Parliament in an attempt to avoid questions about the treatment of Afghan detainees and to buy time for the Tories to gain a majority in the Senate.

The government has refuted this saying that they need time to consult with Canadians and give them an overview of the next phase of their economic action plan designed to help get Canada’s economy out of recession.

While political parties continue to argue, Ashbourne believes that the role of a site like Facebook to mobilize a grassroots movement may be indicative of a new form of politics.

“We see that people are no longer relying only on electoral politics every four years to let their elected officials know what they want,” said

Ashbourne. “It’s an ability and an opportunity for people to set the agenda.”