I have been trying to collect my thoughts on this whole issue for sometime. As a Conservative and a conservative, who fully supported the party, I must say I am upset and angry with the Rt. Hon. Harper for bringing in the Hon. Emerson from the Liberals. I think persons like
James Moore and
Jay Hill earned a spot at the big table. James is an up and coming member of the Conservative Party, I think he has earned a shot and proving his worth. As the new parliament secretary for PWGSC, I think he will still be able to show the Prime Minister, that next time, he can handle himself in cabinet.
Jay Hill though the last parliament showed that he had a steady hand, and I think earned the support and respect from a lot of conservatives. As Whip, I know he will contiune to show his value to the Conservative Party. Both of these men would have done a fine job repersenting the interests of Vancouver and British Columbia in cabinet.
All that said, I am going to try and lay out the ground as both the PM and Emerson saw it. This is not to say that I agree with Harper. Only trying to put the action into some context.
PM - Softwood lumber is a big issue in BC, where my seat count went down.
- John has a good relationship with Emerson, who was hard pressed to run for the Liberals in 2004.
- Emerson is the best guy to get a deal on Softwood Lumber, quickly. Getting softwood lumber off the table is in the best interests of Canada.
- I'll take a hit, but it should be out of the media in a few days. Olympics coming up. New parliament. It should be alright
- Emerson can repersent Vancouver, and may be he, with his business contacts, can get 2010 under control
- Emerson, whether it was Canfor or YVRAA (Ed. Vancouver is by far one of the most progressive airports in Canada), has served Canadians and British Columbians well.
- Emerson is well respected. Bright and is near the end of his political career at 60.
Emerson - I came into politics to solve the softwood lumber issue
- It seemed that some progress was being made
- It looks like the Tories will have at least two years in power, that will make me 62 during the next election. Do I want to be in politics until I am 65-66?
- Harper is giving me a chance to finish what I started. He is showing some confidence in my abilities to solve this issue by asking me to be Min. of International Trade
- Its pretty sick to see that Liberal team in action in this election.
- May be if I joing the Conservatives, I can get this done quickly and retire from politics.
If anything, I think both men actually want to see one major issue solved. Harper for political gain in the future and end a tireless debate. Emerson, because this is the one central issue as to why he entered politics. Can I blame them? To a degree. Does it mean the end of the world? No. Will i still support the Conservatives? At the moment, yes.
The question remains, what to do about Emerson. Should he run in a by-election? As an old school sort of guy -- history degree after all -- I am not so keen on the idea of forcing by elections in these cases. One thing I was really hoping for under Harper was to see more free votes, so Canadians would be encouraged to vote for the person, not the party. It saddens me that good Canadians were defeated in the last election because they were Liberals, and that some Canadians were elected because they flew a blue flag. I think we as Canadians need to sart trying to elect the best people for the House of Commons. We will all be better off if that is the case. With a good government and strong and honourable opposition.
As for Emerson, I think he needs to find a way to account for his own actions. This is an action that must take place between him and the people of Vancouver-Kingsway. Right now there is a lot of outrage in the riding. I say give it time. He will end up facing his own record in time.
