On Emerson and Fortier

I’ve been watching with some degree of amusement as the new Conservative government deals with being… in government.

On Emerson: The cynicism of the Canadian electorate has been fully justified once again. 2 Weeks after electing a Liberal in Vancouver-Kingsway in a close Liberal/NDP race. David Emerson has moved to the Conservatives.

Many have said that this is different than Belinda’s defection.. Belinda’s was worse because she “propped up” a Liberal government facing a non-confidence motion… many have have also said it’s equal to Belinda’s treachery… and is just another example of opportunism and ego.

I say it’s none of the above. If you look at it from the perspective of voters, which is the perspective that should matter to *us* the most… Emersons defection is far worse than Stronach.

Belinda Stronach was well known as a “Red Tory” in a “Red” riding… she moved over to the Liberal cabinet on a Liberal budget vote and she was subsequently returned to the House as a Liberal MP. While there is no doubt Stronach betrayed her Conservative colleagues (and her boyfriend)… as far as the voters were concerned, her affiliations were still in line with what could be considered the intentions of her constituents.

Emerson’s betrayal is much deeper. The Conservative candidate in the Kingsway riding came in a distant third place in the election (by over 12,000 votes see the link above)… the Kingsway riding hasn’t voted in a Conservative MP for decades… it’s no wonder there are protests outside his constituency office. The people of Vancouver-Kingsway had no intention of voting for a Conservative, their wishes should be respected and a by-election should be called ASAP.

on Fortier.

Not much to say on his appointment. Apparently the Conservative cabinet wouldn’t be legitimate without representation from Montreal? Please… as above, if Montrealers were that concerned about being represented in a Conservative cabinet, then they would have voted in a Conservative candidate. People don’t vote in terms of “power splitting” like that… they vote for who they want to see in power.

We are not the United States. Our cabinet ministers should be and must be held accountable directly by Parliament and by the electorate. Fortier has none of those checks. Stephen Harper has effectively side-stepped the democratic process… considering this was for the post of Minister of Public Works… a ministry at the centre of the Sponsorship Scandal… well, should we be surprised?

Stephen Harper has certainly made my life easier… he’s proven to me just how universally corrupt and self-serving our major political parties are.

I am a traditional NDP supporter… I have considered voting Liberal and Green in the past… but now I have only two options. NDP, and Green. I think if we were to have another election on Monday, you’d see many others with the same reaction.

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