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In the wake of Canada’s May 1979 general election, Joe Clark’s new Progressive Conservative government chose not to recall Parliament until October — a full 140 days later.

Why am I recalling this piece of political history? And why should you care? Because history may be about to repeat itself.

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While Parliament is nominally scheduled to be recalled after the current election on Nov. 16, this can easily be delayed by whoever leads Canada’s next government — whether it is an incumbent or new government.

The prime minister, whoever he may be, might indeed find it to his advantage to delay meeting Parliament for as long as possible. That option should not be open to him.

The central tenet of Responsible Government holds that the executive governs only as long as it enjoys the confidence of the legislature. For Responsible Government to operate in a meaningful way, it is necessary that the House actually sits to fulfill its fundamental responsibilities, including extending and withdrawing confidence as it sees fit.