(updated)
via CKOM radio – David Emerson ( Vancouver Kingway) has “crossed the floor” to sit as a Conservative.
Scary Stephen Harper pulls up in a minivan. Heh.
Well, there are a lot of people losing money in the Cabinet Minister pool. No Deputy MInister, either.
CTV has the list of key appointments.
Oh, and yay for our own MP, Carol Skelton!
Oh, and that “what about Belinda, you hypocrites!” meme starting in the comments? As I said at the time (when I was chastized for publishing her cell phone number);
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
However – three wrongs break a tie!
(hey, and at least Emerson is qualified) Coyne has more, including a full list, the “diversity scoreboard” and something I hadn’t realized –
Tories get a two-seat swing in the balance of the House. Standings now are 125-102-29-51-1. So Tories plus NDP equals majority. Andr� Arthur is no longer the swing vote.
oops – Dan Cook emailed to fact check me.
To pass any bills, they need 155. Not to mention they have yet to appoint a Speaker of the House, which I would assume would be one of their own. This would bring the numbers back down to 153.
I fact checked him by pointing out it’s Andrew Coyne who can’t count.
I report, you do the addition.
Now, I”m going to town to do errands. You can yell all you want in the comments till I get back. Get it out of your system. Keep the profanity to a low roar, though, or to Deleteville you will go. (I’m now back and the trolls have been expunged.. And more.)
Further response to comments like this;
Spin away Kate. This is hilarious. Soon your floor crossing posts will come up.
Regular readers will know that when Stronach crossed the floor, that I criticized her roundly for doing so. Now, please be advised dear Liberal readers, that I am in no way impeding or objecting to your criticism of David Emerson for doing the same. Have at ‘im!
Now, back to regular programming.
I really do not like this ‘crossing the floor business ‘, but this one makes sense ideologically. I’ve seen Emerson in action here in Vancouver and he is a fiscally conservative, free-market thinker who understands the economic challenges Canada is facing. Good move.
Well, well, well.
Emerson is a great MP and if he has the industry or trade portfolio, then that is going to be good for Canada.
Still, I’m anxiously waiting for the conservative bloggers to start critiquing Harper and Emerson for blatant opportunism, disloyalty, selfishness, cabinet post bribery, etc. etc. the way they did with Scott Brison. Belinda was clearly a desperate move and opportunistic move by both Martin and BS, I’ll give you all that, but there was a lot of vicious invective over “principle” in Brison’s departure so it will be very interesting… and telling… to see, read and hear how the Conservative rank and file react when it goes the other way.
Ted
Cerberus
Somebody pinch me I’m dreaming.
I hope this isn’t another “Bouchard is Dead”?
I guess Sean over at “Liberal Leadership Odds” is going to have to change his online poll now.
I have a theory.
Suppose Martin has planned to force a non-confidence vote and ask the GG to allow him to form a minority coalition rather than have another election. This might explain Emerson’s jumping to the government benches so quickly, rather than face the prospect of having to work with the NDP.
That or he thinks BS is getting ready to buy out the leadership and is inheiriting Martin’s inner circle.
This could be very interesting.
Forgot as well all those calls from Conservatives for a recall/re-vote requirement whenever someone crosses the floor. Wonder how loud those voices will be now.
Ted
Cerberus
David was my neighbour a few years back, didn’t know him well but i could never understand why he joined the Lieberals – he is honest and basically a conservative businessman.
Must have been an odd fit around the Liberal Cabinet table with the kleptos and liars.
And just how clean are his hands? Can any ex-Librano be trusted? Is he friends with Warren Kinsella?
How intimate is he with that blond Mata Hari?
it will be very interesting… and telling… to see, read and hear how the Conservative rank and file react when it goes the other way.
It’s good to get someone of Emerson’s credentials on the CPC team, but I can’t say I like how it’s happened, so soon after an election. This dosen’t have the same reek of desperate dealmaking that the Belinda affair did, but in substance it ain’t much different and I’ll be awaiting to hear how it gets spun by the Tories…
TB,
I don’t believe that it is inherently wrong to cross the floor. If Belinda had really done it based on principles, then I would have accepting it much more readily. However, naming a minister who has just crossed the floor to cabinet creates the “appearance” that the minister was bribed. And bribing a mininster is definitely wrong.
So with this new case of David Emerson…if he’s named to cabinet as it seems he has been…it also creates the appearance of a bribe, and that is wrong.
Especially that only 2 weeks ago, voters in his riding who voted for him voted for a Liberal. They wanted to be represented by the Libs, so crossing the floor so soon after that without hinting at it through the campaign is dishonest.
Please, please, David, don’t give Hot Cross Hedy any ideas.
Did this guy just finish the election talking about how scary the conservatives were and about a hidden agenda? Hate to admit it but I kinda agree with Cerebus.
The rules should be changed that crossing the floor must trigger a by-election. Let the constituents decide if they want the person or the party.
If ever a room needed a do-over by the “Trading Spaces” crew, it’s the one where the swearing-in is taking place. What garage sale did that painting come from?
Hmmmm….. soft comfy furrrrrrrrrr.
I’m reminded of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”:
“Meet the new boss… same as the old boss…”
It’s going to be a fun 18 months for the Liberals.
Ted
Cerberus
After the tonne of vitriolic screed that was generated when Brison and Stronach crossed the floor, I can hardly wait to hear the conservative blogshpere do the same to Harper and Emerson. Oh wait… it seems that THIS time it is OK. After all, he is a good guy, a conservative at heart, etc. The hypocrisy is thick in these here parts. I would have expected more from a bunch who say it is all about principle.
Disgusting!
I agree with Warren Kinsella, who just posted:
“I guess all of the noise in May 2005 about Belinda Stronach crossing over for the promise of a cabinet post was just that, noise.
I deplore what was done in her case, and I deplore this. This is one of the principal reasons why people are so cynical about politicians. Shame.”
It also subtly or not-so-subtly promotes the same concept of a one-party state so assiduously cultivated by the Liberals.
Not good, makes them the same….however quality addition.
HE would be better to have resigned but it wasnt on the eve of a vote.
Emmerson would have resigned anyway rather than sit in opposition. The liberals are going left, he knows it. Emmerson is a blue grit, there will be others. Any other Blue Grits in BC?
Sadly he should have gone independent or run in a by election.
I can’nt believe they gave O’Conner the defence portifolio. He’s not well liked by a lot of people in the military. And that’s in spite of being a former General.
An awful lot felt like they’d been sold out when he began spouting off about the legalilty of grenade launchers.
It was little more then an illinformed act of political whoring.I expected that from most Canadian politicans but not from somebody who’d”been there” so to speak.
I must ask – in BC, is not the Liberal party closer to the centre than the Ottawa Liberal flavour?
So this elected member, who sounds an honest and serious sort, may well fit the Conservative party?
(Not fit the party of Liberal liars/airheads/losers?)
Bad, bad, bad. But not as bad as Belinda, for the reasons just listed out by Stephen.
I’d love to see the conservatives have more seats, but having it happen this way is less than ideal. Especially when it happens immediately upon the resumption of parliament following an election. What do these guys really stand for when they run their campaigns?
I could see it only if something really compelling had arisen during this time. Perhaps the Dingwall coverup was the stimulus, in which case, that scandal about to go nuclear.
another sleazy bit of treason for a cabinet position. I’m disgusted…
Nope, first I want to see all those Liberals jump to his defence!
I agree with Kinsella (God, did I actually write that?). As a Conservative I deplored this when Brison and Stronach crossed and I deplore it even more now. The voters in his riding just got duped! Emmerson should resign and a by-election be called. I will be emailing the CPC with my outrage.
You just can’t keep those Liberals away from the trough, can you?
It’ll be interesting to see how Harper & Emmerson manages this little escapade.
Where is Maurice Vellacott calling David Emerson’s act one of prostitution? It should be interesting watching how conservatives react when the shoe is on the other foot.
Shameful and embarrassing. This is no way to conduct responsible government.
I actually hope the CPC gets the flack they deserve over Emerson crossing the line. At the very least, when you bemoan defections for more than a year, you don’t go and reward the first person (I know that Anne Cools defected in the Senate, but this is more important) that wants to jump a sinking ship by giving him a Cabinet post. Emerson should have sat in the backbenches and earned his way into a Conservative cabinet. This is really just pandering to the cities, so that Vancouver can have a member in the Privy Council.
Other than that, I am thrilled with the choice of Flaherty for Finance and O’Connor for Defence. As far as the military not being happy about O’Connor speaking out about grenade launchers, we needed someone that understands the post. O’Connor, apart from having an active service history, fully understands the problems our miltary has with procurement issues.
Well,
So the first thing to go is honor, whats next?
I have wasted way too much of my time trying to convince people that NOT all politicians are alike. Hmm, never again.
Today, for me, politics just became permanently synonymous with hypocrisy. Yes, I’ve heard all about the ‘game of politics’ but I’m tired of games. NDP games, Liberal games, and now Conservative games. What’s the difference?
Justify it all you want but this looks to me to be “pure political opportunism”. Now where have I heard that before? For the price of credibility, can anyone explain to me what is gained by this move? Keep in mind, they just lost the high ground.
Mike_RoA
I’d wait on that hypocrisy comment BCL… it seems that a lot of CPC supporters are not happy about this one bit. Myself included.
As much as I like the idea of sticking it to the Liberals for Belinda’s baseless buyout, I never liked the concept of a MP elected under a different party crossing the floor for a plum cabinet position. It is especially difficult in light of how soon after the election that this one happened.
And I agree with a growing sentiment that this spits in the eye of CPC MP’s who have been helping to build the party for years who didn’t get a cabinet position relative to their dedication to the party and their constituents. This will no doubt be a big thorn at the first gathering of CPC MP’s and I imagine Harper will get an earfull for it.
I would have been fine if Emerson had crossed the floor and just been given the file for the Vancouver Olympics. I mean, at least THAT would make sense since there are no CPC MP’s in Vancouver and they will need somebody in government in there to get this file in order. But, the fact he gets both the Olympic file and a Cabinet post is too much and unacceptable.
Not that this will prevent me from voting for the CPC in the future. I understand politics and know that sometimes games are necessary in order to make things work. But I will definitely be making my noise heard over this.
Monte Solberg – Citizenship and Immigration
Whoopee!
That “crash” you hear is the Tories falling off the moral high ground.
Dammit, how could Harper have agreed to this? What kind of message does it send to the country that on your very first day in power, you pull a trick right out of the books of the outgoing guys who you called corrupt, unfit to govern, etc? The first day of Question Period ought to be a riot.
I’d like to know more of the details about how Emerson made this decision.
Was this agreement reached during the election or after?
Was there ever a promise of a cabinet seat in exchange?
Was he asked or did he come on his own?
One difference here is that there isn’t a pending n/c vote and Harper is in the process of creating a cabinet…mild diff, but needed to point that out.
What this really shows is that Harper isn’t going to be a boyscout like Clark was. If the liberals want to repeat Trudeau’s 79 stunt they may be in for a bit of a surprise.
By the way, can anyone tell me where in the rules for creating a cabinet says the PM has to select only government MP’s?
I guess if I was a liberal I’d be right royally PO’d. Such as it is, Harper has just shown he isn’t above pulling some tricks on the opposition. Goes to show that they underestimated him yet again. If I was a liberal patronage appointee I’d be packing my bags and submitting my resignation tout suite.
Let’s all remember that ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro has recently ruled that it is perfectly ethical to bribe an MP to cross the floor, just so long as he’s not taping you.
Looking forward to the renaming of the blog “Buckets of Grewal” or whatever it is now, into “Unethical Emerson”, or something like that….
For the record, I don’t like it either – but let’s not waste this precious moment of shadenfreude, please.
And the beat goes on. So much for accountability and reforming parliament. First day on the job and already the bribes and plum postings are being distributed. Really shouldn’t have expected anything different, but then again I did try and believe a politician for the first time in a long time.
The difference between Emerson and Stronach is in the first case he probably thought that his move would lead to the greatest happiness of the greatest number in the riding he represents. In Stronach’s case I think it was more an act that lead to the greatest happiness of Belinda Stronach herself.
The difference between Emerson and Stronach is in the first case he probably thought that his move would lead to the greatest happiness of the greatest number in the riding he represents. In Stronach’s case I think it was more an act that lead to the greatest happiness of Belinda Stronach herself.
Geez, there is a lot of whining going on here.
I thought crossing the floor was part of the parliamentary system.
It is not like this guys phone is NOT ringing off the hook right now.
Trying to get the best people into position is very tough in this system and if PM Harper saw an opportunity to get a good person into a much needed position than GOOD FOR HIM.
If he fixes the mess the NDP and Libs made of the softwood negotiations then he will be IMHO one of the best appointments made.
BC really does need a deal in the softwood negotiations.
Emmerson had better hold a bi-election within a year
To move away from the Emerson meme for a moment:
I love that part about the Conservatives arriving in cars and taxis rather than limos, and about Harper arriving in a minivan. They want to seem closer to ordinary Canadians, and good for them.
But here’s the thing: they’re not ordinary Canadians. They’re our government. And don’t they need bodyguards in some way? Or some kind of protection? It’s not like I like that limo thing, but I also don’t want any wacko assassinating PMSH or cabinet ministers, either. Anybody know that there are indeed security precautions when these guys travel?
The “whining” is about principles. It may very well be that Emerson will be a good minister, perhaps even with Conservative policies.
But why did he then run as a Liberal?
Since he did, he should not become part of a Conservative government, just as Belinda should not have become a Liberal minster when elected a Conservative.
This is not a good start for Harper, I’m afraid.
David Emerson would easily win in a bi-election. He is well liked by his constituents.
Emerson, is just the first of the centre-right liberals that will be jumping ship shortly.
The liberals are going to go even further to the left in the next few years, we may see a merging or uniting of the left.
The liberal party is dead…..
When the theft and graft of the liberal regime these last 10 or so years FULLY comes out,and the left gains more control, centre-rights will abandon the liberals, and be looking for a new home.
The liberals and the NDP can finally unite and be the left leaning party they should be.
We are finally getting the left – right split we have needed for 35 years now.
I think there should be a by election to be fair to the people who thought they were voting for a Liberal David Emerson, I like the idea of the Cons upping their numbers, but let’s be fair, practice what you preach and all that…
Poll on the crossing Here
Poll here: http://plattytalk.blogspot.com
Comparing Emerson’s floor-crossing to Belinda’s is absurd. Apples and oranges, two very different scenarios. MPs have been crossing the floor since Confederation, but Belinda’s defection was so venal, so over the top in it’s treachery and malfeasance – SHE WAS DATING PETER MACKAY FOR F**KS SAKES AND DUMPED HIM FOR 6 MONTHS OF CABINET!!! – that it goes down in Canadian history as the most treacherous backstabbing of all time. Almost nobody will remember Emerson’s floor crossing ten years from now, but even the most casual observer of politics will remember Belinda’s treachery for decades.
I mark anyone who believes the two scenarios are MORALLY EQUIVILENT as “unenlightened” (I’m being charitable) or, even worse, deceptive.
Hey relax y’all, this is good for Vancouver and good for the Olympics. He may turn out to be a great asset to the CPC.
They need more seats. Crossing the floor is not that unusual and if it’s the worse thing the CPC does in it’s first year, big deal … let’s wait and see.
Keep in it perspective. We all know that politicians are self interested so don’t be shocked. Let’s make the best of this event and hope it helps.
His constituants can toss him in the next election if they are really pissed.
Duke
Can I speculate that part of the deal to get Emerson to cross was immunity from prosecution regarding TGP?
That way Harper can find out where the dead bodies are without the bureacracy stonewalling him.
Just a thought.
I’ll hazard a guess the bait was thrown out to likely floor crossers the minute Martin announced defeat, the only thing being offered is that the liberals in question devulge any info on past misdeeds.
I’ll restate my comment earlier that some of the liberal patronage appointees should resign ASAP and catch the next flight to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Canada.
Spin away Kate.
This is hilarious. Soon your floor crossing posts will come up. Emerson defrauded his constituents. He should resign and try to win again. I’ve never liked this kind of thing and saw the Stronach move as a lie to her electors.
It’s a good political numbers move to eliminate the vote of the Quebec independent, but people had faith that things would be diferent. The Liberals small vices of hypocrisy were symptomatic of a much darker, more corrosive form of moral corruption.
What hypocrisy reveals most often is that one’s stated belief system is one of expedience and false purity, in short: a huge, fucking lie.
As for the new cabinet appointments, noticeably absent are the Ministries of:
Multiculturalism
Culture & Heritage
Women’s Issues
Silly Walks