Harper to deliver throne speech on Oct. 16, starting new session of Parliament

OTTAWA – A speech from the throne will usher in a new session of Parliament on Oct. 16.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will ask the Governor General on Friday to prorogue the current session of Parliament, which had been set to resume next Monday.

Harper has said he wants to lay out the government’s agenda for the next two years, leading to a scheduled fall 2015 election, with the throne speech.

A spokesman for Harper said the speech from the throne will focus on jobs and the economy, the same core issues that won the Conservatives a majority in 2011.

The Opposition NDP has promised to keep pressing the government for answers on the Senate spending scandal that has embroiled three high-profile former Tory senators.

The coming prorogation, which Harper had confirmed in August, has drawn criticism from political opponents who said the government is simply trying to dodge questions about the Senate scandal in the House of Commons.