“The Emerson Affair.”

Voters of the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada remain embroiled in their united front to evict Emerson from his elected position of representing them in his Federal riding because he defected to the Conservatives shortly after winning his seat on behalf of the Federal Liberals.  There campaign seems to focus on the feeling he deceived them when after winning the election he crossed over to the Conservative Party and accepted the post(s) of Conservative Minister of International Trade and the Minister responsible for the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.

Here in perhaps lies the truth, as I envision it, about the ongoing and seemingly targeted deployment of subversive Liberals and other politico aficionados from both the Conservative camp and the NDP.  If we were not hosting the 2010 games in Vancouver, would we have such a disturbance over a federal MP crossing the floor to the opposition? What is the real reason and who is fueling the cause and for what personal gain. Is it a Liberal plot in an attempt to take the public focus off the Sponsorship scandal courtesy of John Chrétien and then Fiancé Minister Paul Martin and later Prime Minister (Paul Martin)?  One can only surmise if the truth will ever surface.

The electorates of the Vancouver-Kingsway riding need to realize that Emerson, in crossing the floor, was not the first and nor will he be the last.

Past defections to the Liberal Party include Scott Brison, Belinda Stronach and Dosanjh himself – all became front-line ministers of the now powerless Liberal government.

Never was there a De-elect campaign against any of those members and yet because Emerson chose to leave the Liberals to better serve his constituents all hell has broke loose.  Were he to have been a Conservative and crossed over to the Liberals lies the real question, would there have been a campaign to discredit him then as there is now?

Personally, I am neither in favor of his removal any more then I am of his crossing the floor as many of his fellow MP’s have done in the past.  My concerns remain attuned to the ideal of what if Emerson is honest in his commentary. Emerson stated, "I fundamentally went through the thought processes many times over, and came to the conclusion I can be more helpful to the people of my riding, the people of my city, the people of my province and the people of my country doing this, as opposed to being in opposition and trying to become a powerful political partisan which I have never been."

Compared to Belinda Stronach who with the backing of her fathers financial empire and the seemingly lust for power vs. the thoughts and concerns of her constituents at hand as she espoused. "The country must come first."  This coming from the former president and CEO of auto parts maker Magna International Inc. who lost the Conservative leadership race to Harper in March 2004. 
Stronach's father, Magna founder Frank Stronach, ran unsuccessfully for the federal Liberals in 1988 when John Turner was leader of the party.

In respect to Emerson, Harper stated, that he approached Emerson based on merit. “During the last parliament, as I sat across from the government benches, I was consistently impressed with David Emerson," Harper told reporters after being sworn in as Canada's 22nd prime minister.
"He (Emerson) is a man of great intelligence, a man with a stellar record in the private sector, who is clearly committed to public service.”

New Democrat leader Jack Layton said Harper's controversial decision to appoint a cabinet minister who was elected as a Liberal flies in the face of his election pledge to clean up government.
Layton said MPs who cross the floor to another party should be forced to return to their constituents for a by-election in order to remain in office.

Layton’s comments like others seemingly ignore the past defections of Brison, Belinda Stronach and Dosanjh. 

It seems that his (Emerson’s) only crime was to join the Conservative Party to ensure he could better represent his constituents.  If crossing the floor to allow for better representation of ones constituents is now a crime in Canadian Politics then God have mercy on us all.

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