Harper prorogues Parliament for a second time

Harper has decided to prorogue Parliament again (although it seems as though no one can get confirmation from the Governor General's office).

It is mildly disturbing how one elected member of Parliament (even if it is the Prime Minister) and a supposed figurehead (the Governor General) is able to halt the operation of the only elected body on the federal level (the Parliament).

A few have argued that this is perfectly legal, and by all technicalities, it is. Yes, the executive isn't able to rule by decree or anything like that. Yes, Parliament still holds its legislative power. At the same time, only two individuals have managed to halt any work being done by the proxy will of the people (the elected Members of Parliament). The federal government has basically ceased functioning until the prorogation ends. Furthermore, it resets a lot of work, including bills introduced by government and not yet passed into law (although private member's bills are not affected). The count is 37 bills (or 32 bills) having to be started from scratch.

That is a cause for concern due to the precedent set. Any future Prime Minister of any political affiliation could do the same thing. Normally, prorogation is used whenever a legislative agenda has more or less been completed. Remember, Parliament is our elected federal government. It does work for us, not whenever a Prime Minister feels like Parliament should be doing stuff.

One way to fix this would be to allow Parliament itself to decide when to start and end its own sessions. It may require modification of the Constitution, which would require a lot of support for change. A more permanent solution would be to remove all powers from the Governor General (and by extension, the Monarchy) and leave the Governor General for pure ceremonial purposes only. A change to the Monarchy and office of the Governor General, however, requires "unanimous support" (that is to say, all provincial legislatures, the House of Commons, and the Senate).

Regardless, I foresee a lot of "do-nothing" Parliament sessions for at least the near-future (regardless of whichever political party is governing)...

Peace and long life.

EDIT: The last time a minority government prorogued more than once during their mandate was under Lester B. Pearson's Liberal government. Presumably, each prorogation was after some legislative agenda was completed, given the current outrage, although I can't seem to find anything definitive right now.

H/t to Impolitical for the links.