The Harper-Emerson affair W
hen Vancouver-Kingsway MP and former Liberal cabinet minister David Emerson was sworn in on February 6 as a member of the Conservative cabinet, he not only crossed the f loor, he crossed the Canadian people. Democracy – meaning rule by the will of the people – is under attack by the very people who have sworn an oath to protect our country. Prime Minister Stephen Harper can’t be relied upon to stand up for democracy. He personally endorsed negotiations with Emerson, talks which began less than 24 hours after the January election. David Emerson clearly doesn’t understand democracy. The noveauConservative cabinet minister sees nothing wrong with what he’s been party to. In a letter sent out last month to aggrieved Vancouver-Kingsway constituents, Emerson as much as says “sorry, but I’d do it again.” Knowing no law could touch them, Harper and his middleman in the negotiations, former West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP John Reynolds, from the start brashly admitted that they had been in talks with Emerson the day after Canadians went to the polls. S eem i ng ly obl iv iou s to t he concerns of Emerson’s constituents, both Emerson and Harper have steadfastly refused to acknowledge the rising tide of anger and sense of betrayal felt by Canadians across the country. At every possible turn both have made matters worse by insulting citizens who feel they’ve been wronged. No matter what the justification is, no matter whom one voted for in this riding, not one single person voted for what they got. That’s not real democracy. Vancouver/Kingsway ground zero for democracy Located in the east-central area of Vancouver, more than 115,000 people live in the riding that ranges from Oak Street to Boundary and from 16th Avenue to 41st Avenue. It’s a largely middle and working-class urban riding where 64 percent speak a language other than English or French as their mother tongue. In the past, the riding has been represented at the federal level by either a Liberal or NDP MP except on one occasion in 1958 when the seat went to a Progressive Conservative during Diefenbaker’s sweep of the nation. It’s a place where people live and generally go about their own business w it hout generat i ng or get t i ng involved in controversy. So why are
people, eight weeks later, still up in arms about the Emerson affair? Understanding the issues Over time people’s understanding of the Emerson affair has deepened. At first, many experienced a visceral reaction to t he hy pocrisy of a Liberal cabinet minister being in negotiations to join the Conservative cabinet less than 24 hours after being elected. Emerson’s actions, following Harper’s orders, have further put our system of electoral politics and governance in disrepute. As further layers of the rotting onion are peeled back, many now realize that political parties do have a role to play in shaping policies which affect us all, and at times the differences in vision are profound. Emerson, the nouveau Conservative, must by rules of conduct now oppose many policies that he staunchly defended as a member of former pr i me m i n i ster Pau l Ma r t i n’s cabinet. One such example concerns the evident differences in policy each party holds towards child care. At the core of the issue lies another level of concern that the dual appointments further undermine the notion that the federal cabinet should be composed of elected parliamentarians. This dangerous road leads ultimately to an all-appointed, completely unelected, US-style cabinet. continued on p. 44
No matter what the justification is, no matter whom one voted for in Vancouver-Kingsway, not one single person voted for what they got. That’s not real democracy.
APRIL 2006
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