Peter MacKay, Defender of Ethics?

Peter MacKay has come out in support of Stephen Harper’s decision to appoint David Emerson, elected as a Liberal, to cabinet as a Conservative.

“What David Emerson did, I would suggest, is different, in the sense that he has done this early after the election in hopes of continuing the important work that he was doing inside a government which he was obviously very disillusioned with,” Mr. MacKay said.

This obvious tripe requires rebuttal. Mr. Emerson used every partisan trick in the book to get elected – twice. He defended the Liberals, pilloried the Conservatives, at every turn. Emerson just before his election was reminding voters in his riding that he’d never seen a right wing government come to power without savaging social programs early in its mandate. This election is not the first time Emerson had used this argument to bolster his support:

“Either they’re going to take us into a big Mulroney debt or they will be slashing social programs,” said Emerson.

“I’ve heard right-wing governments say for years they were going to save money by reducing inefficiency,” he said. “It’s a bunch of horsefeathers. It doesn’t happen. If you don’t cut programs, you don’t reduce expenses.” (Vancouver Sun, June 5, 2004)

David Emerson’s big disappointment with the Liberals is simply that they didn’t win government – that’s his disillusion. His conversion from stalwart opposition MP to unethical politician didn’t take long. As the results poured in on election night, he said:

“We have got to look at this as Ground Zero for rebuilding a stronger, more vibrant, healthier, winning Liberal Party.” David Emerson

As we now know, Mr. Emerson was in discussions with Conservative campaign chair John Reynolds the very next morning.

Choose Your Defenders More Wisely

Its also a bit rich having Peter MacKay stand up for the ethics of others. After all, this is the former Progressive Conservative leadership candidate who proudly, and repeatedly during the campaign, announced:

I can tell you right now, I am not the merger candidate. I am not interested in institutional marriages with other parties. Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay won that race, in part on that promise, because failed leadership candidate David Orchard implored his supporters to vote for MacKay on the final ballot.

Within several weeks, MacKay and Stephen Harper were engaged in merger negotiations which ultimately resulted in the institutional marriage of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.

When MacKay, now Canada’s voice to the world as Foreign Affairs Minister, speaks to leaders of other sovereign nations I do hope they don’t assume Mr. MacKay is telling the truth.

Ironies abound in politics. My favorite line out of this election was David Emerson’s. Elected as an opposition MP, on election night he exclaimed to supporters and reporters ”I would like to be Stephen Harper’s worst nightmare.” Clearly Emerson’s wish has come true.