David Emerson: Man of the People or Out of Touch?
The core issue for BC voters now is not what David Emerson can do for them, but whether David Emerson is one of them.
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The political culture in British Columbia is unique, and that is the polite description. In fact, politics in Canada’s westernmost province are often downright bizarre. BC politicians range from the eccentric, to the inept, to the crooked (two premiers were crazy; four have been tried in court).
BC’ers suffer never-ending polemic debates on all manner of issues: trade, sustainable development, tourism, drug policies, native land claims, official languages, transportation, and immigration.
The economy is a mixed bag, and the voting population is just as diverse. The 2001 census indicates that the immigration rate is more than double the provincial birth rate, outpacing every other province. Three of every four new Canadians coming to BC live in Vancouver, along with 65% of the population of the entire province. The city enjoys the highest average real estate prices in the country. Urban development is frenetic and arguably corrupt.
Municipal politics are far more influential in BC than in the rest of Canada. It seems the province’s issues naturally exist across all levels of government – from the municipal level into the provincial and again into the federal. Their former premier became a cabinet minister in the last federal government and the outgoing mayor of Vancouver was recently appointed to the Senate.
So what’s my point? Simply put, British Columbians have a right to say that politics on their side of the Rocky Mountains are unique (again, that is the polite description). And certainly, in many ways exception has become the defining feature of BC’s internal political dialogue. British Columbia prides itself on being terra incognito to the rest of Canada. A casual read of any Vancouver Sun column will help drive this point home. BC’s political commentary routinely describes the rest of Canada as out-of-touch with BC.
When Vancouver MP David Emerson unexpectedly joined the Conservatives this month after crossing the finish line of the federal election as a Liberal, one could reasonably expect an indignant response from BC voters. Not just because he lied and not just because he was arrogant (these are regular features in politics.) In addition to the usual arguments against this kind of democratic insult, Emerson has to contend with another factor. His floor crossing was not a made-in-BC idea, and underscores just how out-of-touch David Emerson is with his home province.
To many BC voters, Emerson is now equivalent to Belinda Stronach in Ontario or Scott Brison in Nova Scotia. He represents politics as usual in the rest of Canada, something that does not bode well in BC. Despite all his arguments to the contrary, David Emerson can no longer claim to be a unique product of British Columbia’s political culture. In the minds of many he is a denizen of political Ottawa and little else.
Emerson may claim to have British Columbia’s best interests at heart, but his actions are not consistent with that message. In fact, he is now significantly less empowered in the current government to act specifically as an agent for BC. Local Vancouver pundits were quick to point out that, in Stephen Harper’s cabinet, he lost his status as political minister to British Columbia (political minister roles were discontinued under Prime Minister Harper).
Emerson ran on his ability to bring home the goods for BC and continues to use that strategy to deflect criticisms about his defection and appointment to the Conservative cabinet. However, the core issue for voters now is not what David Emerson can do for them, but whether David Emerson is one of them.
Emerson was a qualified parachute candidate under Paul Martin; he has experience in the highest levels of BC’s provincial bureaucracy and corporate culture. As a result, few constituents were concerned with his undemocratic acclamation in the Vancouver—Kingsway Liberal riding association, where he was declared the candidate, not elected.
He squeaked into office without much agitation or competition. The Tory candidate who ran against Emerson in the Vancouver—Kingsway riding (whom he essentially replaced) garnered only 19% of the vote. The riding is historically an NDP bastion and not supportive of any past or current incarnation of the Reform or Conservative Party.
Voters were upset by his decision to join a party with little support in the riding. They roasted Stephen Harper and David Emerson for ignoring the democratic will of the electorate. The common feeling in Vancouver, as Sun columnist Barbara Yaffe writes, is that “[t]hese are two big-picture guys, arrogant types who want to get things done expeditiously.”
This is a dangerous classification for a politician in BC, which recently held a province–wide consultation on electoral reform that made recommendations geared towards empowering the individual voter. David Emerson’s unilateral decsion to change parties is the furthest thing one can get from a made-in-BC solution.
Emerson’s logic, that he can broker his new power on behalf of his constituents, is not wise. Further, if he can’t read the writing on the wall, he’s probably not tuned-in to his constituents. So the question is, was this a minor misinterpretation of the will of his constituents? Or is he simply out-of-touch?
David Emerson doesn’t live in Vancouver—Kingsway. Further, a Vancouver Sun poll from Feb. 8th concluded that he was not well-known in his riding. Just one quarter of respondents could identify their MP, and 90 per cent could not name a single accomplishment he’s made since being elected to represent the riding in 2004. Constituents are clearly not voting on his record.
Still, the Minister is annoyed by criticism. He has feigned ignorance and mock outrage, saying that he “did not realize that it would be the kind of firestorm of protest and so on that has developed.” He has even questioned the breadth of discontent. An opinion poll released yesterday found that 62 per cent of 800 British Columbians surveyed disapprove of Mr. Emerson’s defection, including 48 per cent who “strongly disapprove.”
Mr. Emerson responded by saying that he is “[resolved] to not be driven from office by what has been going on with a lot of the partisan zealots and party operatives who have been spinning the media.”
Media spin is one thing, but a deep misunderstanding of domestic political culture is quite another. It is the latter that is really driving the “firestorm of protest and so on”. It may not drive him from office, but it certainly underscores that Emerson – and Ottawa – is out-of-touch with BC.
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This article was written by alevo.
February 16th, 2006 at 10:10 am
Interesting piece. The first days with PM Harper have been interesting, to use the polite term. How the Conservatives manage to justify the Emerson debacle after their howls of outrage when Belinda decided to up and leave is beyond me. It truly does take a politician.
As for Emerson, if he’s got balls and is truly convinced he can do for his constituents as a Conservative what he couldn’t do as a Liberal, he ought to run in a new byelection there. To many this must seem like an utter subversion of the democratic process. After all, in Canada’s political system one often votes for the party or the party leader, not necessarily one’s MP.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Emerson – Harper: How to strike a blow for democracy …
Or: how to make sure your vote counts!
So far, voters have been powerless to force Emerson to resign and run in a byelection. But hope is around the corner.
I quote below from an posting in thetyee.ca a story about a Vancouver lawyer who believes a case can be made in court that the Charter rights of voters in Vancouver Kingsway were breached when Emerson and Harper unilaterally decided to ignore the votes cast by 82% of voters in that riding, and simply agree to Emerson becoming a New Tory when the voters expected him to be a Liberal.
What can we do? Spread the word – have bloggers unite to find funding and support for a legal gladiator, fighting such downright political cynicism.
Let’s de-elect Emerson using our Charter rights!
The article follows:
Suit against Emerson Explored
Emerson: ‘Crossing’ the Constitution?
Lawyer says floor crossing violates rights of citizens.
By Marco Procaccini
Published: February 23, 2006
TheTyee.ca
[Editor’s note: This is a revised version of a story published earlier today on The Tyee. Changes have been made to reflect that lawyer Peter Dimitrov claims not to be actively “organizing” a class-action lawsuit against David Emerson. And that, as yet, no voters have volunteered to be plaintiffs in any suit against Emerson.]
A Vancouver lawyer is inviting plaintiffs to approach him if they want to pursue a lawsuit against incumbent federal MP David Emerson.
Peter Dimitrov, a human rights and trial lawyer, says the decision by Emerson, a former Liberal cabinet minister, to cross the floor and join the Conservative cabinet just after January’s federal election, violates the rights of citizens.
In writings he has posted on another Internet site and shared via email with this reporter, Dimitrov has said “With respect to the matters in Vancouver-Kingsway, it is a fact that 82 percent of the constituents did not vote for the Conservative party. It is also a fact that the ballot upon which voters cast their votes stipulated both David Emerson’s name and his Liberal Party affiliation.
“Emerson campaigned as a Liberal, put up lawn signs announcing his Liberal Party affiliation, attacked his Conservative party opponent in the riding, and based on his personal qualifications and Liberal party affiliation, the citizens of Vancouver-Kingsway elected him. Then, a few days later, well before parliament is called in session – David Emerson ‘crossed’ over to become a Conservative party cabinet minister,” Dimitrov said.
Sees Constitutional issue
Dimitrov said the matter points to a long-standing conflict between the rights of elected politicians to change party affiliation and those of citizens to hold them accountable. “This matter of citizen and parliamentarian rights ought to be adjudicated in the courts – that is where it belongs,” he said.
“In the United Kingdom, where parliament is supreme, “tradition’ gives parliamentarians the right, indeed the privilege, to switch sides as they please without any restrictions whatsoever. Parliamentarians in Canada seem to think that they can do exactly the same,” he says. “The reality is, however, that in Canada, since the 1982 patriation of the constitution with a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms – ‘parliament is not supreme’. The constitution is the supreme law of the land, and any common or statutory law, tradition, privilege, entitlement, or judicial ruling inconsistent with the Canadian Constitution can be overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
“Personally, I am willing, with others, to advance this matter in the courts,” said Dimitrov in comments posted at the Vive le Canada website and forwarded about the same time via email to this reporter. “What I require are electorate from Vancouver-Kingsway willing to step forward as plaintiffs. What is required is a team of very able persons who will carry out specific job responsibilities with high integrity and competency, with no expectation of ‘reward’ for themselves. What are also required, are monies to do the job properly.”
In the Vive le Canada posting, Dimitrov goes on to say “I can be contacted via this site by email. My law office number is 604-684-4446. Who else will stand with me?”
Recall petitions
Emerson, first elected in the 2004 election, was the Minister of Industry in the former Liberal minority government of Prime Minister Paul Martin. He campaigned feverishly for the Liberals in the last federal campaign and spent a great amount of his public appearances strongly criticizing the Conservatives on almost all of their policies.
Less than two weeks after the election on January 23, he announced he was leaving the Liberals, now in opposition, to join the new Conservative minority government as the new Minister of International Trade.
The move has released an explosion of protest and rebellion among Vancouver-Kingsway constituents from across the political spectrum demanding Emerson resign his seat. Several recall petitions are being circulated, and both NDP candidate Ian Waddell, who narrowly lost to Emerson and party leader Jack Layton have appealed to Emerson to stand for a by-election to run as a Conservative-a call shared by several Conservative MPs across the country.
“It’s getting ridiculous,” said Waddell, adding that the riding has never elected a Conservative representative, and it would be very unlikely that Emerson would have won on the Conservative ticket. “Politics in this country is sadly lacking in integrity. Somehow, we have got to bring better accountability into the system. People have to start being what they say they are.”
The NDP federal caucus is planning to submit a bill proposal that, if passed, would severely limit the ability of elected MPs to change party affiliation. Numerous MPs from all parties have endorsed the idea.
But despite four major public rallies and a recent poll estimating that almost 90 percent of Vancouver-Kingsway residents want him to step down, Emerson has refused to quit, claiming he was asked by several Conservative MPs, including former Powell River rep John Reynolds to join their party.
“I felt I could better serve my riding as a member of a governing caucus than in opposition,” Emerson told reporters after he joined the Conservatives. “The riding would be better represented by a cabinet minister than just another MP.”
Prime Minister Steven Harper welcomed Emerson’s move and has dismissed the protests and the poll.
“I have welcomed David Emerson to our caucus and I think he will be a great asset to my team,” Harper said in a press conference. “He has proven that he is a competent and intelligent man. We should just move on.”
Citizens’ rights ‘nullified’
Dimitrov, who ran for the leadership of the BC NDP in 2003, notes there is no federal recall legislation. BC is currently the only electoral jurisdiction that has such legislation, which was unsuccessfully introduced by the previous NDP government in 1995.
He says this is why legal action is necessary, since a charter interpretation will likely settle the matter.
“Based on my understanding of section three of the charter, and the publicly available evidence respecting the context and timing of the ‘crossing,'” he says, “it is my opinion that the post-election actions of David Emerson, and perhaps the prime minister as well, nullified the rights of the citizens of Vancouver-Kingsway to play a meaningful role in the election of their elected representative, and it further denied them the right to “effective representation” by the party of their choice (Liberal) and their party-affiliated representative.”
Vancouver journalist Marco Procaccini is an occasional contributor to The Tyee and writes for The Columbia Journal.