Media highlights for April 19th through Thursday April 20th
April 20 (Metro) Tory convert unhappy
They hate the f——ing Liberals and theyâre doing everything they can to screw them. Trade Minister David Emerson on the Tories, according to a former aide
April 20 (CTV News) PM rejects claims Emerson frustrated with Tories
Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed claims from David Emerson’s former aide that the trade minister is privately complaining he is frustrated as a member of the Conservative government. “Minister Emerson said no such thing [...] I think that not just Minister Emerson, but I know all of my ministers, are pleased not to be in the Liberal party these days,” Harper told reporters in Montreal on Thursday.
Sources and several journalists I’ve spoken to since this story broke yesterday feel the comments from the former Emerson aide are indeed legitimate. Harper’s in damage control, and his quips won’t help him here.
April 20 (CKNW Vancouver) Emerson back in Vancouver tomorrow
David Emerson will make another rare appearance in Vancouver tomorrow. The former Liberal Cabinet Minister who crossed the floor to the Conservatives will be the key speaker at the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Annual B.C. Economic Forum. This news comes on the heels of a report out of Ottawa indicating Emerson may regret his defection.
And protests will be there too…
April 20 (Jared Ferrie, Metro) Critics seek apology over alleged remark (6MB PDF)
Members of the De-Elect Emerson Campaign are demanding an apology after a Conservative official allegedly made a xenophobic remark to to volunteers. [Manuel Pereda and Jurgen Claudepierre] are accusing New Westminster-Coquitlam Conservative Electoral District Association president Peter Appleton of asking, “Why don’t you just go back to the country where you came from?”
Standing just a few feet away from Appleton, I also heard him yell the remark at Manuel, Jurgen and others including an Asian-Canadian who prefers to remain out of the press limelight. I’d rather hoped we’d expunged xenophobic and racist people from positions of power in our party, but it seems not. Appleton must resign.
April 20 (CTV News) Emerson frustrated by Tories, ex-aide claims
A former aide claims Trade Minister David Emerson is privately complaining that he is frustrated as a member of the Conservative government, according to a report in the Toronto Star. Since joining Harper’s Conservative cabinet on [Feb.] 6, after winning a seat as a Liberal on Jan. 23, Emerson has been dogged by protests from voters in his Vancouver-Kingsway riding who say they feel cheated by his decision.
April 20 (Les Whittington, Hamilton Spectator) Partisan Politicos
Trade Minister David Emerson is telling former associates privately that he is frustrated being a member of the Conservative government, according to an ex-aide.
April 19 (CP, Edmonton Journal) Protesters call for byelection in Emerson’s riding
Before reading this morning’s Toronto Star article, consider the source: Jay Epworth is the former legislative assistant to David Emerson back when he sat in Paul Martin’s cabinet. Epworth is now Liberal leader Bill Graham’s assistant. His comments on the Emerson affair will be seen as nothing more than a partisan attack. That is irrelevant, what matters more is whether his comments are truthful.
Jay Epworth, Emerson’s legislative assistant when he was industry minister in the Paul Martin government, said Emerson recently told him he has been shocked by the Harper government’s fierce adversarial approach.
“Behind closed doors, the Conservatives are worse partisans than the Liberals ever were,” Emerson said, according to notes Epworth wrote after his conversation with the minister.
“They hate the f——ing Liberals and they’re doing everything they can to screw them,” he quoted Emerson as saying.
Emerson had been explaining that the partisan nature of politics is “just something he was not able to really wrap his head around,” recalled Epworth, who is now the legislative assistant to Opposition Leader Bill Graham.
Emerson’s communication’s director, Bob Klager – a former journalist – has unsurprisingly denied the conversations ever took place.
From my vantage point the article has more than a ring of truth to it. Epworth worked closely with Emerson for some time, and legislative assistants must have a relationship of trust with their MP, particularly when working with a high profile cabinet minister. Its entirely credible that Emerson would confide in Epworth based on their prior relationship, regardless of which side of the house each currently represent. Epworth is quoted to add:
Epworth, asked to evaluate Emerson’s remarks to him, said, “I don’t think he was feeding me a line or anything. He was saying what he felt.”
Emerson also said he is not content being in the Conservative cabinet and would like to get out of politics if he could, according to Epworth.
“He said he would have quit by now but his wife wouldn’t let him.”
Epworth added: “You know what else he said to me? He felt that his influence in this cabinet would obviously be much less than in the last cabinet.
“And I said, `Well, duh, minister, they don’t really trust you. They’re glad to have you on side, but they’re not going to trust you.’”
Both Harper and Emerson are in uncomfortable territory here. Both need to save face. Best for both would be an honourable exit for Mr. Emerson so he can return to private life and rebuild his reputation, and give Stephen Harper a stage upon which he can try to demonstrate to Canadians that he is serious about standing up for Canada by:
- Calling a by-election for Vancouver—Kingsway
- Have his government introduce and work to pass floor-crossing prohibition legislation in this parliament
- Have his government pay more than lip-service to erasing the so-called democratic deficit.
The people, as is obvious to all but the spin-doctors, will stand for nothing less.
The latest revelations that David Emerson is deeply unhappy as a member of the Conservative cabinet and caucus should come as no surprise to anyone, least of all David Emerson. He did promise to be Stephen Harper’s worst enemy, and so its been proved.
Party politics is like a marriage – one doesn’t switch partners overnight without serious consideration. A compatibility test might not be a bad idea.
Then again, it takes two to tango, and Mr. Harper probably didn’t take his own advice, delivered during one of the English-language leadership debates during the last election:
Get to know your candidates. Get some sense of who they are and where they stand, whether they have integrity. Stephen Harper
Had he considered whether the formerly-powerful Emerson would work well under his thumb, Mr. Harper likely would have chosen some other bright-eyed local MP to take on at least some of Emerson’s roles, instead of spending so much political capital on a lead weight.
Port Moody Conservative MP James Moore was one such star, oft-touted as ministerial material. I’ve previously had much respect for Mr. Moore but on the Emerson issue Moore can’t figure out where his opinion should be. Of Belinda Stronach’s crossing he said:
I think it shows there are two kinds of people in public life—people with principle and people like Belinda Stronach MP James Moore
… yet earlier this week he stood up for David Emerson. Curious.
Moore’s not alone in the double-standard department. Peter MacKay called former Conservative Scott Brison’s move to the liberals:
a completely cynical manipulative move by Mr. Brison to enhance his own personal career. MP Peter MacKay
MacKay doesn’t apparently believe that Emerson’s career is enhanced as a cabinet minister rather than the opposition member that his voters sent him to Ottawa as.
Long-time conservative Chuck Strahl, the former critic for democratic reform, and recently annointed senior political minister for British Columbia (that’s Emerson’s old job) plays both sides of the fence too. When out of power, Strahl was a champion for measures that would put more power into the hands of ordinary people, and bring transparency into the workings of government. During the 2006 campaign Strahl promoted the idea that Conseratives would bring (welcome in my mind) checks and balances on the powers of the Prime Minister.
Have we seen those checks and balances yet? No. Instead we’ve been delivered muzzled ministers, an overturning of the votes of 46,168 people in Vancouver-Kingsway, and an undemocratic appointment to cabinet by literally sneaking into the Senate someone that didn’t even run for office so that Mr. Harper could get a former campaign co-chair into cabinet.
Is that the sort of democratic reforms Chuck had in mind? Or shall we take his late endorsement of David Emerson as a sign that power means more then principle for him too?