David Emerson: Media Watch
Media Highlights for Tuesday March 14 through Friday March 17 2006 David Emerson
Media watch is updated throughout the day until the end of the day.
March 17 (Barbara Yaffe, The Windsor Star) Harper’s date with reality
But, in a day or so, [Harper will] return to matters at hand—the ethics fuss over David Emerson’s cabinet appointment.
This story, it turns out, has big, hairy tarantula legs. It’s crawling around six weeks on, with no end in sight. At this point most would agree, Harper excluded, he miscalculated.
Emerson’s anointment has triggered a hurricane of grassroots ire in Vancouver-Kingsway and a nasty imbroglio in Ottawa involving the ethics commissioner.
All of which represents an unfortunate distraction at a time when Harper is trying to set a governing agenda and create an important first impression as the nation’s numero uno.
This points to some of Harper’s character flaws, with which Canadians are bound to become more familiar over time.
In a political analysis that appeared last week on a Canadian academic website, political scientist Reg Whitaker wrote: “I am worried about (Harper’s) personal qualities of intellectual arrogance, inflexibility, and an apparent inability to tolerate criticism.”
I cannot think of, and have not read, any better descriptives for the Conservative leader.
Nor can I.
March 17 (Vancouver/CKNW AM980) David who?
VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) – The politician who used to be accessible and attentive about talking with community groups in his riding, is now anything but.
Members of neighbourhood groups in the Renfrew – Collingwood area are confused and disappointed that their calls and emails are going unanswered by David Emerson.
For several days now, calls and emails to Emerson’s office have not been returned; either by Emerson or his spokesperson Jennifer Chiu.
Paula Carr, Executive Director of Collingwood Neighbourhood House says her group has been eager to chat with Emerson on things like daycare and homelessness.
Emerson’s lack of attentitiveness underscores the untenable position he is in. What will Mr. Emerson say to Carr? Sorry, I used to support your organization, now I don’t? As a Liberal cabinet minister campaigning through the last election, Emerson exhorted voters to avoid my party as we would begin “a massive set of cuts to government programs.” Out of home child care and early learning programs – programs introduced under Emerson’s watch as a Martin cabinet minister, which Emerson fought for during the election – will be among the first of those cut under Stephen Harper’s five priorities of government. Few in my riding voted for that.
March 17 (Amy Smith, The Chronicle Herald) Strahl defends PMs shaky start
Chuck Strahl is chalking up the Harper governments rough start to partisan politics. “Theres a lot of inside baseball being played,” the federal agriculture minister said Thursday in Halifax. “The prime ministers not a guy whos easily deterred from things,” Mr. Strahl said. “When theres some flak, especially partisan flak, he just ignores it.
Here we see the “partisan” dead-horse being trotted out. Well that won’t work Chuck, no matter how many times the PMO tells you and everyone else in cabinet to repeat that falsehood. The fact remains – over 80% within the riding voted for anyone but a Conservative, and in polls taken since then, close to that number would vote against a Conservative again, particularly if David Emerson is the candidate. Chuck – you ought not to defend the indefensible. The people here made their choice and our party ought to have respected that choice, no matter how much we might disagree. Dismissing the voice of the people is most certainly not a Conservative value, and its high time we Conservatives got back to our roots and stood up for Canada for real. Once upon a time we were the guardians of this great country, but as of late we are evolving to mere charlatans.
March 16 (Letters, The Georgia Straight) Floor-crossing praised, but Emerson condemned
The fact that so many people who object to it are invoking democracy as their ally shows only that they have no idea what democracy is. Democracy is not equivalent to electoral politics; indeed, the most democratic of systems would need no elections at all. Karin Litzcke, Vancouver
The letter writer may be correct in some abstract but unrecognizable form of democratic process, but ultimately democracy requires knowing the will of the people and call it whatever you will, a vote of any sort is a form of election. Regardless of the form of a system of government: all democratic systems rely upon the collective will of the people. If you were take the pulse of this riding you’d find the answer is clear: the people want Emerson to hold to his word and run again as a Conservative. In a by-election. Now.
I have to wonder if the prime minister will live up to his campaign promises and the first person up to the plate to be interviewed by Mr. Shapiro, or will he just stall and obfuscate for months and months, ultimately refusing to meet with the commissioner like he did during the Gurmant Grewal inquiry?
Well Mr. Harper, I challenge you: will you show Canada some real backbone and be the first up to bat? Alex Boivin, Vancouver
Prime Minister Harper has already set a bad example to us all by declaring quite bluntly he is loath to cooperate.
You should also be apologizing to your own party. If there is anything that is likely to ensure that the next election will not result in a Conservative majority (and possibly not even another minority), it is your blatant disregard for principles you espoused before and during the campaign. Denise Goodkey, Vancouver
This is one of the reasons why I, a Conservative, have been speaking out against Harper, Emerson and Fortier. Our party ought not to champion principles only when out of power, or the people will put us back out soon enough.
March 16 (Guy Macpherson, The Georgia Straight) The Snides of March
British Columbia has a bit of a reputation nationally for being a flaky province full of weirdos. I always thought that was an unfair characterization. But after seeing Double Exposures The Snides of March, I finally see what its all about. If their parodies of local personalities are any indication, were certifiable freaks.
There were some great lines scattered throughout: ... Robertson as David Emerson insisting that only 15 percent of his constituents want him recalled (“Eighty-five percent of the people in my riding want me to go hunting with Dick Cheney”).
A resignation and by-election are all we really want. Visit Cullen Robertson Productions for tickets and more information on The Snides of March
March 16 (Greg Felton, US Media Monitors) Harper’s Bush-league government quickly rises to the level of its own incompetence
Ethics, or lack thereof—Harper’s contemptuous (and contemptible) dismissal of Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro looks like a play sent in by Bush himself. The commissioner has been asked to investigate the ethical propriety of Liberal MP David Emerson’s lightning-quick defection to the Harper Party. The request came from NDP MP Peter Julian and others, and speaks for many Canadians, not the least of whom are Emerson’s constituents.
Harper might not like Shapiro’s inquiry, but his pointed refusal to co-operate, his denigration of Shapiro, and his intent to replace him were inexcusable. Fact is, the ethics commissioner answers to Parliament, not the prime minister, so Harper’s fussin’ and fumin’ was just so much impotent bluster that made him look like an autocratic rube who can’t take criticism and is contemptuous of the national legislature.
More international coverage of the Harper-Emerson affair, from an admittedly biased source.
March 15 (Bill Rodgers, Toronto Sun) Watchdog snarls
Files 2 complaints about turncoat MPs and wants ethics czar fired – The group alleges turncoats Stronach and Emerson broke ethics rules when they bolted their parties and wants the complaints to be handed over to a provincial ethics commissioner for a ruling. Democracy Watch also names Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, saying their role in encouraging the floor crossings should be looked at for a possible breach of the code for public office holders.
I applaud Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch for his dogged determination in applying principles of ethics and democracy in such a rigorous fashion. Emerson and Harper’s media manglers will attempt to focus the attention on Conacher’s call for a new untainted ethics commissioner—lets not let the PMO‘s spin-meisters cloud the important overall message Conacher sends.
March 15 (Bill Rogers, The Calgary Sun) Watchdog slams ethics commish
Note how this is the very same article as published in the Toronto Sun, only with a stand-out title that is more supportive of the Prime Minister’s case. This type of editorial slant (and much more) happens with national stories on a daily basis. Something to watch out for.
March 14 (James Travers, Brandon Sun) Harpers lone mistake may cost him
In doing almost everything right, Harper is doing one thing wrong: he is ignoring that the tiny village clustered below the Peace Tower adjusts its behaviour to the prime minister. And on the issue that remains the talk of this town, Harpers behaviour is a nasty amalgam of spoilt child and arrogant adult.
Sometime between winning the election and forming a cabinet, Harper forgot that the current Conservative success is directly connected to the very public failure of Liberal situational ethics. Somehow it slipped a shrewd mind that Canadians tentatively trusted him with power expecting it would be applied differently; that he would do what he said, not what is expedient.
Canadians and Conservative Party supporters alike were hoping those “Stand Up for Canada” signs were for real. Apparently not.
March 14 (CP, Calgary Sun) Brothers arrested in smelly protest
Two men are in custody facing mischief charges after Vancouver police caught protesters dumping manure outside embattled MP David Emerson’s constituency office yesterday.
Whether one agrees with civil disobedience or not, this is not the first time citizens have resorted to such tactics to protest the actions of politicians or even sports figures.