The federal cabinet was sworn in today.
No deputy PM - that’s fine, technically the position doesn’t exist.
In a Parliamentary system any MP can change parties. Am I buying former Liberal Industry minister David Emerson’s reasons for joining the Conservative Party today and receiving the portfolio of International Trade?
Nope.
So much for vowing to be Stephen Harper’s worst enemy. Vancouver Kingsway voters have to decide what they think about a pro-business technocrat who ran successfully on Liberal money showing up to be sworn in today.
I am not comfortable with this.
All Things Canadian has a question, and I don’t think Emerson’s qualifications should dazzle anyone, this cue/party jumping is not healthy for the electoral process.
Did the voters of Vancouver Kingsway vote Liberal or vote for Emerson? I have no doubt - both. Inkless(Paul)Wells makes a good point. It is about party too.
As a commenter notes at E-Group:
Crossing the floor before serving under the party to which the member was elected is a scary precedent. Finding that your party is moving in a direction which conflicts with your principles is one thing. Facing the electorate as a member of a party without serving any of the mandate as a member of that party is something entirely different. Should a party wish to ensure election in specific ridings, all they have to do is infiltrate all the opposing parties in the riding and manage to get a person nominated. Then, without ever having to serve as a member of the opposing party, the infiltrater will ensure that they have a sitting member.
Image problems - Stockwell Day in Public Safety? Jason Kenney - Michael Fortier? He was not elected and already a Harper senate appointment for political purposes?
Jim Flaherty owes the Ontario Conservative Party money as mentioned in The Toronto Star this weekend and he is now Finance Minister.
Jim Flaherty, who ran a $320,000 deficit in the 2004 provincial leadership race in which he finished second to John Tory, is in debt to the party between $25,000 and $64,000.
Flaherty, a former Ontario deputy premier who was also runner-up in the 2002 provincial leadership contest to Ernie Eves, was elected Jan. 23 as Tory MP for Whitby-Oshawa.
I also have no problem with a smaller cabinet. Democracy Watch questions Gordon O’Connor’s appointment in the defense portfolio.
It’s the first day - and reaction is part of the process. I have watched coverage off and on, and I think what is reasonable to note is that the country is fairly well represented by the appointments.
The House gets back to work April 3rd.
Will the minister of citizenship and immigration keep blogging?
Red rover, red rover we call David over!
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Not that I am too political Bene, but I so move that anyone who changes political parties after being elected must resign and a new election called for the seat so vacated.
Maybe then most candidates will be registered as “independent” and choose their affiliation after the election. We will then get to choose on the merits of the candidates themselves and not their supposed political membership.
OOOHHHH - I am so bad! Talk about chaos…
Two blogs have already sprung up (see Andrew Coyne) he has been on this all day, and you don’t need to be a political animal to know unethical when you see it.
The spin isn’t going to cut it. As much as I respect Deborah Grey, even she can’t help this pass the smell test.
“Maybe then most candidates will be registered as “independent” and choose their affiliation after the election…”
Snort! For not too political type, that ain’t too shabby.
Hope you weren’t in the middle of a slurp of Timmy’s when that snort broke free….
St. Timmy’s sounds good about now. There is some in the freezer for a day like this, because, the more I think about this the more irked I get.
Emerson doesn’t need the work - is this a coded message to the US about softwood lumber?:^)
No matter what Harper does he’ll tick off half the country.
Is a new-former liberal going to be the first sacrifice?
I read David Emerson’s statement about not being partisan earlier today and snorted. Now I find that he didn’t extend the courtesy of letting his campaign people know until this morning and his website is still marked Liberal??? Excuse me.
No matter when he crossed the floor there would be an unroar, but he could have shown a bit more class to the people that helped put him in.
I really hope this is serious St. Timmy chatter in his riding tommorrow.:^o
Bene, I think the guy should do the decent thing, resign, and run again as a Tory. After all, the Tories were screaming for blood when Belinda Stronach did this. They called her all sorts of street names for women that shouldn’t even appear in civilised political discussion. Our new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter McKay, commented at the time that ‘he was going home to his dog - at least dogs are faithful’. And now for Harper to have the hypocrisy to take advantage of a turncoat…
So much for the promises of ethical government. It’s unbelievable.
Mr. Harper is attempting to get Canada wide respresentation in cabinet. On the surface that makes sense.
However Emerson representing Vancouver and Fortier being given a senate seat goes against what was said in the campaign.
If Emerson stepped down and there was a by election I think most Canadians would be okay with that. And if the people of Vancouver Kingsway vote him back in I don’t think Canadians would have a problem with that.
For Mr. Harper to say this was decided in Ottawa because Montreal and Vancouver shut the conservatives out is to suggest it’s the voters fault.
Some procedural rules need to be changed for the good of the whole.