The federal Liberals need to be congratulated for putting their money where their mouths are.
Rather than simply criticizing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the leader of the ruling Conservatives, for proroguing Parliament until March 3, Liberal MPs and senators will be getting down to work on Jan. 25, the approximate date Parliament would normally be called back into session.
While the Conservatives are AWOL from Parliament Hill, the Liberals will be holding roundtable discussions with experts on a variety of issues considered important by Canadians.
And they’ll be holding unofficial hearings into the Afghan detainee issue — the very issue critics say is behind Harper’s decision to put off Parliament’s start.
While the Liberals may not be able to officially accomplish anything major before Parliament starts, as they are still in Opposition, at least they’re doing something.
The tactic could be public relations gold — while the Conservatives are still absent from the House of Commons, Liberals will be able to show Canadians that they’ve been working on the issues.
The Liberals could simply be whining away about the proroguing of Parliament. Instead, they’re putting their words into action.
