Vancouver Sun: Emerson Offends, is Unethical
(Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun) Emerson’s double-cross strictly about ethics, integrity
It would be easy to emit a big harrumph over David Emerson’s party switch, turn the page and move on to other matters.
But that would be wrong. The Vancouver-Kingsway MP has disenfranchised a large group of citizens and such a moral misdemeanour cannot be permitted to stand.
It was unethical for Emerson, pre-election, to pledge to represent a group of citizens in Parliament in a certain way, then to breach it post-election without reasonable justification.
But what was Emerson’s issue? He had none. He wanted to be in cabinet, even if that meant betraying those who voted for him.
His switch has robbed him of integrity, not just in Vancouver. More than 60 per cent of Canadians disapprove of his action.
[Emerson is] no longer endowed with the moral authority that derives from obtaining a mandate from The People.
Yaffe’s column goes on to cite some of the fiery and highly partisan rhetoric Emerson used to secure his re-election. Liberal organizers have circulated a videotape of Emerson at his anti-Conservative best, speaking at the Floata Restaurant, ironically the very same restaurant that Conservatives like to use for partisan shindigs – Stephen Harper was a featured speaker there once upon a time. I’m including a transcript of some of his words here:
Let’s just ask ourselves whether Canadians want the Conservative kind of change: Every man for himself, the strong survive, the weak die. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Taxation to benefit the rich, to take from the poor. Elimination of a child-care program that’ll help young Canadians become productive members of our work force in 10 or 20 years, regardless of their economic or social status.
Get rid of that, say the Conservatives. Turn your back on first nations, Metis, and Inuit. That’s what the Conservatives are saying.
I know the game they’re on to: once they are in office, they’ll start to cut social programs; start to run a deficit; start to raise taxes. I’ve seen that with every Conservative regime that I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve been in public service, involved in public policy, for over 30 years.
It’s a platform which is fraudulent. It’s a platform that is a recipe for deficits, taxes, and the decimation of social programs that have become part of the Canadian social fabric. David Emerson, Liberal Cabinet Minister standing for re-election on a Liberal platform
Wow. Strong stuff. That Emerson didn’t miss a trick – he essentially painted the Conservative party as poor-stomping, gay-hating scum. He decried our platform and called upon all who would listen to vote against the Conservative platform and choose him.
As Barbara Yaffe concludes in her article ”When Emerson next pronounces on anything, how seriously should Canadians take him? This guy will say anything if its in the script he’s handed.”
“As I have noted previously and on more than one occasion, David Emerson fought his campaign using the Liberal platform, Liberal accomplishments, and recently announced Liberal programs, as his backdrop. As a Liberal cabinet minister, Emerson was duty bound to support those programs, and as a Liberal candidate up for re-election, defend and support those programs he did.
Less than 24 hours later, David Emerson is in floor-crossing, cabinet position-grabbing negotiations with longtime Conservative MP and Conservative campaign co-chair John Reynolds (ex West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP). As new Conservative MP and cabinet minister, David Emerson is suddenly duty-bound to fight against all the programs he’d spent the last two years defending and helping to create.
Call it false advertising, call it fraud, call it a cynical power-grab, call it opportunistic—whatever turn of phrase is used, Emerson’s actions were wrong and are indefensible.
Emerson has lost the moral authority to represent us, and was never given the moral authority to govern. And Stephen Harper made it possible. Both should pay a price.
The only just solution is for Mr. Emerson to resign, immediately, and for Mr. Harper to issue a statement of apology to the people of Vancouver-Kingsway, to his caucus, to party members, and to all Canadians.