David Emerson: Media Watch
Media Highlights for Saturday March 18 2006 – David Emerson
(Peter O’Neil and Miro Cernetig, CanWest News Service) Public won’t forget or forgive floor-crosser
Rick Anderson, the top adviser to former official opposition leader Preston Manning, was one of many who initially dismissed criticism when the Emerson appointment was made. He has since acknowledged he underestimated the public’s reaction.
He said the anti-Emerson movement is surviving because there is legitimate grassroots fury.
”The people who are most angry about it are the people who have the least to do with politics,” he said.
A little late, but Rick gets it! Now if only Rick and other Reformers would jump on board and help out. They more than anyone ought to remember that Reform was born in part to fight against exactly the sort of undemocratic stunt which the leader of my party has unfortunately pulled in appointing Emerson and Fortier to cabinet.
March 17 (Letters, Vancouver Courier) Defection a lesson for West Side students
I’d like to thank MP David Emerson for providing me with excellent fodder with which to teach the new Civics 11 course recently created to strengthen democracy among young Canadian citizens. The topic we are studying in our West Side Vancouver high school is “Flaws in our Democratic System.”
Voter apathy, a lack of informed voters, and a lack of proportional representation are near the top of the list, of course, but Emerson’s changing of political parties a few days after the election provided the clearest example of why democracy is suffering in Canada.
Supporters of democracy can only hope Emerson takes the ethical option and runs for the Conservatives in a byelection. My students certainly hope so. Paul Orlowski, Vancouver
I hope that Paul encourages his students to attend Walk for Democracy, Sunday April 2nd – the day before parliament resumes sitting. We’ll have music, humour, and informative speakers at the rally point, just to the east of Emerson’s constituency office.
March 17 (Letters, Vancouver Courier) Voter to Emerson-crap attracts crap
I didn’t realize this was a local issue, but just in case that’s how our democracy works these days, I happen to be one of the voters from Vancouver-Kingsway that David Emerson shat on, and I can tell you it was a direct hit, the pile is high and the stench just won’t go away. Roger Barany, Vancouver
March 17 (Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier) Campaign volunteer not going away until Emerson ‘does the right thing’
“I was prepared to go to jail to support what I thought was a fundamentally held belief in Canadian democracy and values, and I think I put that to the test,” he said. “This is such a fundamental attack on Canadian values. Canadians tend to be very quiet people who don’t make a lot of fuss, but boy you just don’t wake a sleeping bear, you know.”
By now Emerson and Harper’s spin doctors are fully aware that the bear is awake and headed straight for them. Collatoral damage is bound to follow, and there must be a few BC politicians wondering why they jumped on the Emerson bandwagon early on. People like Sam Sullivan and Gordon Campbell and Jack Poole and the heads of the Vancouver Board of Trade and BC Chamber of Commerce who support Emerson even as he makes a mockery of democracy are skating on thin ice. People will remember. We’ll help them.
March 16 (Matthew Burrows, The Georgia Straight) O Emerson
Tom Little, a Vancouver Kingsway voter, was not to be dissuaded. Surrounded by about 40 protestorsâmany of them from the De-Elect Emerson campaignâhe sang his rendition of âO Canadaâ:
âOh, Emerson!
You tromp upon our rights!
Treacherous naked ambition under Harperâs command.
With breaking hearts we see thee lie
You mock democracy!
From all of us, an angry cry
âGive back my vote to me!â
God keep our land glorious and free
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.â Tom Little, Vancouver Kingsway
And lets not forget Emerson Must Resign by Andy Vine: “Mr. Harper are you listening, its a democractic system, and Emerson must resign” ...