Common Ground: The Harper Emerson affair

Local independent publication Common Ground has published an editorial I wrote on the Harper-Emerson affair. Its worth picking up a copy or reading on-line for the editorial cartoon alone, drawn by local artist and columnist Geoff Olson.

When Vancouver-Kingsway MP and former Liberal cabinet minister David Emerson was sworn in on February 6 as a member of the Conservative cabinet, he not only crossed the floor, he crossed the Canadian people.

Democracy—meaning rule by the will of the people—is under attack by the very people who have sworn an oath to protect our country. Prime Minister Stephen Harper can’t be relied upon to stand up for democracy. He personally endorsed negotiations with Emerson, talks which began less than 24 hours after the January election. David Emerson clearly doesn’t understand democracy. The noveau-Conservative cabinet minister sees nothing wrong with what he’s been party to. In a letter sent out last month to aggrieved Vancouver-Kingsway constituents, Emerson as much as says “sorry, but I’d do it again.”

Knowing no law could touch them, Harper and his middleman in the negotiations, former West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP John Reynolds, from the start brashly admitted that they had been in talks with Emerson the day after Canadians went to the polls. Seemingly oblivious to the concerns of Emerson’s constituents, both Emerson and Harper have steadfastly refused to acknowledge the rising tide of anger and sense of betrayal felt by Canadians across the country. At every possible turn both have made matters worse by insulting citizens who feel they’ve been wronged.

No matter what the justification is, no matter whom one voted for in this riding, not one single person voted for what they got. That’s not real democracy. More >

Common Ground’s print run was 68,000 copies and each issue is read by some quarter million Canadians.