The reviews are in

The Star Phoenix keeps up the outrage over Harper's choice to shut down Parliament:

Mr. Harper has again sabotaged his cause by arrogantly proroguing Parliament instead of delivering accountable government as he promised.

It doesn't help that, having miscalculated the impact of a bit of high-handed political gamesmanship, the prime minister can't seem to offer Canadians a credible justification as to why he felt the need to prorogue Parliament until convening a new session in early March.

The latest rationale Mr. Harper offered this week in a Business News Network interview, that a minority government under the constant threat of confidence votes in Parliament "creates instability that affects the economy," is as pathetic as is it laughable.

As if investors and the market will have greater confidence in a country whose primary institution of democracy, its Parliament, can be shut down at the whim of a prime minister who doesn't want the fuss and bother it takes to conduct the nation's business in an open and accountable manner.

Meanwhile, Carol Goar makes clear what Canadians need to do in response:

Our Prime Minister has a rather unflattering view of us.
...
He gambled in 2008 that we would re-elect him if he promised there would be no recession and no deficit on his watch. That worked.

He gambled 13 months ago that he could shut down Parliament to avoid a vote of confidence that would have toppled his government. That worked.

He gambled he could convince us that his government's stimulus plan – which consisted primarily of small grants to municipalities for already slated construction projects – sparked Canada's economic recovery. That seems to have worked.

And he gambled he could promise a "new era of accountability," then systematically silence voices that contradicted his own: those of parliamentarians, public servants and members of independent federal agencies. So far, that has worked.

If we want a national leader who respects us, we're going to have to change.

A brief display of indignation won't do it. Harper has waited out several of those.

Nor will a temporary withdrawal of our political support. Harper has turned the polls around before.

The way to show the Prime Minister he is wrong about us is to start defying his predictions and keep doing it till he gets the message.