De-Elect David Emerson signs are being stolen, lately at an increasing rate. One of these days a thief is going to be caught and identified… perhaps they’ll nab one of our “bait signs”, patterned after the highly successful anti-car theft Bait Car program.
What an embarassment to my party these jokers are. Not only is what they are doing wrong and against the law, its ineffectual. Kiddie kleptomaniacs have infiltrated the Conservative Party, not to mention a few mental midgets and unctuous usurpers of power.
The anonymous Alberta blogger Platty produces a lot noise about truth in reporting, but doesn’t practice what is preached.
The evolution of the blogosphere is very real, there are reporters who get it , for those in the media who do not get it, if we continue to hold their feet to the fire, they soon will. Platty
A blog posting ridiculing pro-democracy efforts attracted many comments on both sides of the issue. I weighed in, but apparently real facts are too inconvenient for ‘Platty’ as my two submissions were promptly censored. Those interested can see the comments as they were before censorship can view them here.
Holding feet to the fire should start at home, Platty. Update – apparently drawing attention to censorship has an effect, the posts are back.
Early on in the David Emerson saga it was reported that Emerson – then deep in hiding – was costing Canadian taxpayers thousands of dollars by requiring Ottawa bureaucrats fly to Vancouver to brief him, so the furtive federal minister could remain out of reach of the press and an angry public.
It is this idea, of the bureaucrats coming to him rather than him going to Ottawa that has raised the ire of the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation and its B.C. Director Sara Macintyre. “I think David Emerson, whatever ability he brought to that ministry has certainly been diminished by his poor political judgment,” said Macintyre.
In a Vancouver Sun report today journalist Derrick Penner provides an update to the story. What’s known so far – there are more financial records to come – costs for four of eight officials that travelled to see the embattled Emerson totaled $13,922.95.
Emerson makes the unbelievable claim that it was best to fly eight people out to see him, rather than for him to fly back to Ottawa to see them.
Speaking to reporters Friday following a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade, Emerson said travel by senior staff members was worth the expense. He said staff in his new department wanted to brief him on important files in the first weeks after he was named to the portfolio, but he had commitments to meet in his riding, which included meeting with stakeholders in the Olympics and parties involved in the Pacific Gateway strategy.
“In his riding”? Does that mean he stopped off at a Starbucks somewhere? The ellusive Emerson keeps forgetting that ‘his riding’ is not the mythical riding of the BC Business Community.
Lets hear Mr. Emerson tell us exactly what he did for his riding in the month of February, other than usurp the votes of 46,168 people. Here’s what we know he did not do in February:
- Emerson didn’t live up to his January 23rd election-eve promise to be a strong voice in opposition and represent Vancouver-Kingsway.
- Emerson didn’t live up to many of his pre-election promises as a Liberal candidate and cabinet minister, since as a Conservative cabinet minister he must vote against many of the plans, programs and policies he originally sold himself on.
- Emerson didn’t return calls, emails, requests for meetings from legitimate organizations in the riding who sought his attention on riding-specific matters.
- Emerson didn’t return calls, emails, request for meetings from legitimate stakeholders in his riding, namely his constituents.
- Emerson didn’t step foot in his constituency office once, a fact confirmed by his constituency office staff.
Emerson put himself completely out of reach of his riding – the real stakeholders he should be concerned about – yet we are to believe that he was serving us well during that time. To add insult to injury, its costing all Canadians more for the questionable privilege of having Mr. Emerson ‘serve’ us.
One of the reports on yesterday’s pro-democracy protest highlights something I’m not sure has been noted before. News 1130 caught my frank admission:
One of the demonstrators finds himself in a very embarrassing situation. Mike Watkins has been a card-carrying Conservative for years and tells News1130 it’s time for Emerson to step down and face a by-election… He says for all those years the Conservatives complained about the poor ethics of the Liberals it’s time for the party to stand up and show that they have a little more backbone.
That’s absolutely correct. When I turned on the live coverage of the swearing in ceremony on February 6th I expected to be pleased with many of Harper’s appointments to cabinet. Instead I was shocked, angered and embarrassed that in our first act of governing the country, after over a decade of promising that we’d do things better, our new prime minister pulled off such an undemocratic and unprincipled trick on Canadians. The appointments of David Emerson and Michael Fortier are a permanent stain on the record of this government, and will cost us votes in the next election.