The New Liberal Shadow Cabinet - Full List

Here is a list of the Liberal shadow cabinet, in full, except for the final associate critic assignments which have yet to be released. At first glance, some of the appointments seem odd, and misplaced given the known expertise of certain members in individual areas. There is also a strikingly low similarity to the individual assignments made in the prior cabinet.
The list can also be found in table formatting here: http://www.liberal.ca/staging/images/dir/critics_en.pdf


Position - Name

Leader of the Opposition - The Hon. Bill Graham

Deputy Leader - The Hon. Lucienne Robillard

House Leader - The Hon. Ralph Goodale

Deputy House Leader - The Hon. Marlene Jennings

Whip - The Hon. Karen Redman

Deputy Whip - The Hon. Raymond Simard

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate - The Hon. Dan Hays


Position - Critic - Associate:

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency - Mike Savage

Agriculture - The Hon. Wayne Easter Paul Steckle

Canadian Border Services Agency - The Hon. Raymond Chan

Canadian Heritage - The Hon. Mauril Bélanger Mario Silva -
Francis Scarpaleggia

CIDA - The Hon. Keith Martin

Citizenship and Immigration - The Hon. Albina Guarnieri - The Hon. Andrew Telegdi

Competitiveness and the New Economy - The Hon. Maurizio Bevilacqua - The Hon. Gerry Byrne

Consumer Affairs - The Hon. Dan McTeague - Ruby Dhalla

Crown Corporations - The Hon. John McKay

Democratic Reform - The Hon. Stephen Owen - Alan Tonks

Environment - The Hon. Scott Brison - Lloyd St. Amand

Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario - Anthony Rota - Roger Valley

Finance - The Hon. John McCallum

Fisheries and Oceans - The Hon. Bill Matthews

Foreign Affairs - The Hon. Stéphane Dion - The Hon. Bryon Wilfert;
Borys Wrzesnewskyj

Health - The Hon. Ken Dryden

Human Resources and Skills - The Hon. Geoff Regan - Michael Ignatieff

Indian Affairs - The Hon. Anita Neville - Gary Merasty

Industry - The Hon. Jean Lapierre - Paul Zed;
The Hon. Gurbax Malhi

Infrastructure and Communities - The Hon. Andy Scott - Susan Kadis

Intergovernmental Affairs - The Hon. John Godfrey - Massimo Pacetti

International Trade - The Hon. Dominic LeBlanc - The Hon. Mark Eyking;
John Maloney

Justice - The Hon. Sue Barnes

La Francophonie - Bernard Patry - Pablo Rodriguez

Labour/Economic Development Agency
of Canada for the Regions of Quebec - The Hon. Denis Coderre - Marcel Proulx

National Defence - The Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh - John Cannis;
Wajid Khan

National Revenue - Yasmin Ratansi - Ray Bonin

Natural Resources - The Hon. Roy Cullen - Ken Boshcoff

Northern Affairs - The Hon. Larry Bagnell - Todd Russell

Official Languages - Raymonde Folco - The Hon. Marlene Jennings

Public Health - The Hon. Bonnie Brown - Nancy Karetak-Lindell

Public Safety - The Hon. Irwin Cotler - Derek Lee

Public Works and Government Services - The Hon. Navdeep Bains - Lui Temelkovski

Science and Research - The Hon. Joe Fontana - The Hon. Charles Hubbard

Social Development - The Hon. Carolyn Bennett - Omar Alghabra

Sport and Vancouver Olympics - The Hon. Hedy Fry - Rodger Cuzner

Status of Women, Seniors, Multiculturalism
- The Hon. Maria Minna Sukh Dhaliwal

Transport - The Hon. Belinda Stronach - The Hon. Jim Karygiannis

Treasury Board - The Hon. Joe Volpe - Mark Holland

Veterans Affairs - The Hon. Robert Thibault - Brent St. Denis

Western Economic Diversification / Pacific Gateway -
Don Bell The Hon. Raymond Simard

Prime Minister? Who? When?

For reasons that I fail to understand, the new (Bill Graham-anized) version of the Liberal party website never mentions Paul Martin was Prime Minister in his official bio.

For the benefit of the LPC web crew, here's what could be written:

On December 12th, 2003, the Right Hon. Paul Martin was sworn in as the twenty-first Prime Minister of Canada, a role in which he would continue to serve until 2006. Martin earned praise for a series of new and innovative policy initiatives, such as the "New Deal" federal infrastructure partnership with Canada's cities and communities, the creation of a new national and universal early learning and child care program, and the legalization of same-sex civil marriage. By the end of Prime Minister Martin's tenure, Canada's economy was stronger than any time in recent memory, with a record of eight consecutive balanced budgets, solid productivity growth, and unemployment rates at their lowest in over three decades.

Hypocritical Emerson on Floor Crossing Legislation: "I may even vote for it"

In another obscenely obvious example of hypocracy this morning on CKNW's Bill Good Show, Liberal-to-Tory turncoat David Emerson said that he would participate in the debate regarding and possibly even vote for federal anti-floor-crossing legislation.

"I'm not opposed to a byelection,'' he said bizarrely at one point during the program, and added "If Parliament wants to pass legislation and to set in place a policy on byelections when you cross the floor or recall legislation, fine."

"I'll participate in that debate and I may even vote for it," he claimed.

So let's get this straight. He's done something he may at some point in the future deem to be unethical or even vote to make illegal, but still thinks his recent actions were appropriate and do not merit a resignation, byelection, or even an apology in the present.

This is what annoys me most about most of the Conservatives' ethical proposals. They are inherently hypocritical. The Conservatives promised to ban all corporate donations if they were elected for example, but accepted numerous hefty corporate donations themselves. How can something be unethical in the future, but not in the present? I think the root of the problem here is that ethical governance is only important to Conservatives when hollow criticisms and proposals serve their own immediate political interests.

Now, as I have written and said before and should probably disclose again now, I do not think that in most cases crossing the floor should be illegal when it comes to serious differences with one's leader or party on matters of policy, direction, or ethical conduct, but as I believe Carol Skelton proposed, it should at least be prohibited before the opening of the House, and probably for at least six months after any member's election.

This would prevent the kind of immediate and opportunistic deception we witnessed from Mr. Emerson and Mr. Harper, so I hope one of our new MPs puts such a proposal forth again.

TOP BC TORY SLAMS EMERSON APPOINTMENT

Bob Ransford, 2004 Campaign Chair for the Conservative Party in British Columbia, spoke as a guest today on CKNW's David Berner show, and repeatedly indicated his disappointment in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet selections, especially that of former Liberal David Emerson.

"As someone who has worked on the inside, I say it's wrong," Ransford said of the Emerson appointment. "It was the wrong decision and it needs to be corrected."

He went on to state that Emerson should resign and face a byelection, and frequently noted the hypocracy involved with campaigning on issues of accountability and ethics and betraying them on a government's first day in office. The contrast should be noted here between Mr. Ransford and John Reynolds, the former heavyweight Tory MP who answered similar criticisms by dismissal, saying "campaigns are campaigns."

As the public backlash continues to grow, the dissent amongst the tories' own ranks is apparently on the rise as well.

Interestingly, it was the David Berner show that broke the news of possible Emerson defection last Sunday, but the rumours failed to gain any traction or further focus because the broadcast took place during the American superbowl.

The Stairs-way to arrogance and blind-partisanship

PMO Spokesperson William Stairs is at it again. Apparently, to the PM's official mouthpiece, saying that the House of Commons opposition (which makes up roughly 60% of the democratically-elected side of parliament) was a waste of time was not enough.

Now he has made a new comment that is equally hypocritical and almost as disturbing. When referring to MP Garth Turner (The Tory MP who has refused to blindly endorse Harper's bizarre cabinet picks and Emerson's floor-crossing) in the Edmonton Sun today, he apparently said "Turner shouldn't expect to be a part of the team if he doesn't play the political game."

While perhaps not as serious an offence as calling the majority of Canada's House of Commons a waste of time, this is simply yet another sign that Harper and his government have no intention of "doing things differently" in Ottawa.

With Harper, you're either batting for the team or they're coming after you with a bat.

The article can be found here, and thanks to Andrew Coyne (and his readers) for linking to this blog and a previous post on Stairs' arrogant comments.

Emerson Protest Video

Here (and included below) is CTV Video of a protest the Young Liberals held outside David Emerson's constituency office in Vancouver-Kingsway. The number of horn-honkers and supporters was quite phenomenal, and it was fascinating to see how many "Recall Emerson" posters are on lamp posts and bus stops throughout the riding. One business had a "Re-elect David Emerson" sign in their window but had placed a "Recall Emerson" sign in front of it.

This controversy is not going away - its grassroots momentum and increased public pressure are only continuing to build, and I suspect the outrage will only further expand until Emerson finally submits himself to a byelection, or resigns altogether.

View the video for yourself and get a sense of it: Complete CTV Video Story

ANOTHER EMERSON BOMBSHELL?: "Tory planned to assist Emerson"

The candidate who ran as a Conservative against David Emerson had planned to step aside for Emerson "long before the election," after hearing "rumours that Mr. Emerson wasn't happy with the Liberal party."

Kanman Wong made these comments in an interview in Friday's edition of Vancouver 24 Hours.

"If one day Mr. Emerson prepared to cross the floor I was ready to step aside for him," Wong said. According to him, that was the plan.

Ironically though, Wong said if he faced a similar desire to leave a party he would first sit as an independent Member of Parliament.

Just how long have these defection plans been in place? Did Emerson plan to become a Conservative "long before the election"? Did he refrain from doing so simply because he knew he would certainly fail in his bid for re-election in the heavily Liberal-supportive riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, where 82% of the voting public did not endorse the Conservative party? These are just a few more questions Mr. Emerson will need to answer as public pressure continues to mount for him to resign and run in a byelection.

If he is as non-partisan as he would like us to believe, he should have campaigned as an independent, or at least that's how he should be sitting in the House of Commons now.

The full article from the story's link above is attached below. As this story rolls onward and continues to worsen with its development, Emerson may well have been correct in predicting on election night that he would be Stephen Harper's worst enemy.

---

Tory had plan to assist Emerson
By IRWIN LOY, 24 HOURS

Vancouver Kingsway Conservative Kanman Wong says he had a backup plan to step aside for controversial new cabinet minister David Emerson - long before January's election.

"That was my plan. I heard lots of rumours that Mr. Emerson wasn't happy with the Liberal party long before the election," Wong said in an interview yesterday.

"If one day Mr. Emerson prepared to cross the floor I was ready to step aside for him."

Instead, Emerson ran as a Liberal, taking the riding over the NDP's Ian Waddell and Conservative Wong, only to jump ship this week to the victorious Tories.

Wong said he respects Emerson completely, but wouldn't have made the same move if he were in the same position.

"If personally I had to [leave a party], I'd pretty much sit as an independent first, and then run in the next election," Wong said.

"It's bad timing for Mr. Emerson, certainly."

Meanwhile, the NDP's Waddell, a two-time loser to Emerson, wants victorious NDP MPs to push for an ethics investigation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper, Waddell says, broke the MP's code of conduct by enticing Emerson with a plum cabinet post.

NDP Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian says the party will push for one, but would prefer to see Emerson defend his seat in a byelection.

House of Commons Opposition a Waste of Time: Official PM Spokesperson

On Don Newman's CBC "Politics" Program today, the official spokesperson for the Prime Minister (William Stairs) claimed that David Emerson opted to cross the floor "rather than wasting his time in opposition."

Wow.

First the Prime Minister named two individuals to his cabinet who were either not elected or elected under completely false pretenses. Then he appointed his caucus chair, rather than having him stand for election. Now apparently the House of Commons, our great sacred hall of democracy, is a waste of time to his government, bearing little importance or influence.

I long for the days of the democratic surplus! This is an outrage and certainly an affront and an insult to the integrity of our democratic system, to backbench MPs and voters from across the country.

"Young Libs Target Turncoat"

At 12:30pm on Friday, Young Liberals will congregate at David Emerson's constituency office to demand a direct explanation of and apology for his swift shuffle into Harper's new cabinet. His office is located at 2148 Kingsway in Vancouver, and here is a copy of YLCBC's press release on the matter, which has now been linked to by www.bourque.com, Canada's number one newswatch:

---

February 08, 2006
Media Release

Young Liberals demand apology from Emerson

Vancouver- Following his switch to the Conservative Party less than two weeks after being elected as a Liberal, the Young Liberals of Canada in British Columbia are demanding that David Emerson apologize to the youth who helped elect him two weeks ago.

President of the Young Liberals of Canada Coco Lefoka believes Emerson owes a special apology to his youngest volunteers who sacrificed the most to work on his campaign and are part of a demographic that exhibits the most cynicism in politics.

"These volunteers sacrificed school, paid jobs, and in one case, a volunteer missed her own birthday party just to knock on doors and phone-bank for the Liberal Party," said Lefoka. "Some of Emerson's Young Liberal volunteers even slept overnight on office couches. That's how much they believed in him."

Volunteer Shelby Caravetta, who worked as an intern for Emerson, was extremely upset to learn of Emerson's switch to the Tories. Overshadowing her disappointment in his decision is the way in which he did it.

"After being an intern, a summer student and a campaign volunteer to Emerson I was in disbelief of his actions" said Caravetta. "I didn't know he was capable of disregarding all the hard work and time that people invested in him. Who does that? Just days after the election."

According to Lefoka, incidents like this make it hard to recruit young people into politics.

"It's not just youth voter turnout that's dwindling, its interest in political parties, and trust in politicians," said Lefoka. "And if Emerson has any respect for the young people who put their heart and souls into his campaign, he will apologize to them."

YLCBC will be going to Emerson's office, located at 2148 Kingsway, on Friday February 10th at 12:30PM to request a formal apology.

- 30 -

For more information contact:
Letlotlo Coco Lefoka
YLCBC President
604.833.9378
llefoka@interchange.ubc.ca

---

Cartoon image from http://www.audaciousontology.blogspot.com

The New-Look Liblog

Well after immensely time-consuming technical difficulties yesterday (at the height of what was shaping up to be a record-traffic day!), I decided simply to rework the whole blog template, and I think it looks and works much better now. Let's hope so.

Emerson the lead on Softwood? Maybe not if the Ethics Commissioner has his way...

I think we need to trade in our new trade minister. According to a document first brought to the internet's attention by politicswatch.com, David Emerson recused himself from all files and discussions pertaining to Canfor (Canada's largest logging company, a company of which he used to be the CEO and one of those directly identified by the United States in its trade dispute with Canada).

Stephen Harper and the new Minister of Natural Resources have both said one of the most important reasons they needed David Emerson in their cabinet was to assist and lead when it came to settling the softwood lumber dispute, but how can he do this effectively after recusing himself from "any participation in discussions or decision-making processes involving direct dealings with Canfor Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates" ???

The full document is attached below, and can be found in its original context on the ethics commissioner's website at http://www.parl.gc.ca/oec/en/

- - - - - - -
Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders
Code régissant la conduite des titulaires de charge publique en ce qui concerne les conflits d'intérêts et l'après-mandat

PUBLIC DECLARATION OF RECUSAL
DÉCLARATION PUBLIQUE DE RÉCUSATION (ABSTENTION)

I, the undersigned, declare:
Je, soussigné(e), déclare :

As former President and CEO of Canfor Corporation, I have an entitlement to an unregistered pension plan, partially funded through a Retirement Compensation Arrangement.

In order to prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest situation from arising, I have undertaken, in the exercise of my duties and responsibilities to abstain from any participation in discussions or decision-making processes involving direct dealings with Canfor Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates. However, this measure is not intended to prevent me from participating in discussions and carryingout my official duties and responsibilities with respect to issues of general application or relating to any industry sector in which Canfor Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates may operate.

My Deputy Minister and my Chief of Staff have been informed of this and requested to put in place the appropriate mechanisms to carryout this recusal process.

This declaration is made in the knowledge that a certified copy will be placed in the Public Registry maintained by the Ethics Commissioner where it will be available to the public while I hold office and during my post-employment limitation period.

Cette déclaration est faite sachant qu'une copie conforme sera versée au Registre public maintenu par le commissaire à l'éthique laquelle sera accessible au public pour la durée de ma nomination et de ma période de restriction d'après-mandat.

Date [YYYY/MM/DD]: 2004/11/16
Name/Nom :David Lee Emerson, P.C., M.P.

FIRST LIBERAL LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE DECLARES INTENTION TO RUN

I've noticed politics in Canada is getting increasingly less dull, recently. While the Emerson furor continues to escalate, the Liberal Party of Canada now has its first candidate for its upcoming leadership contest: Martha Hall Findlay.

This according to the CP's Joan Bryden, and her article here.

I know very little about her besides the fact that she is a lawyer from Toronto and originally ran against Belinda Stronach as a Liberal in Newmarket-Aurora. Despite her having never held public office before or even any high-profile position within the party, it is definitely exciting to have a woman as our first declared candidate in a race within which many thought no women would run.

Good luck and welcome to the circus, Martha.

Bring on the Limos, Bring on the Glory

This is a great Emerson poem someone posted anonymously at publiceyeonline.com, enjoy:

-------

There's a lot of issues, lots to be done
Best to call me, I'm the hired gun

Party label, it's pas de necessaire
Call me a traitor, see if I care

You see, it's about public service, representation
Even if my constituents have serious reservations

In January, Stephen Harper was evil, a very bad man
In February, he has what it takes, I'll do what I can

Even though I gave speeches attacking the Tory vision
All that time I was a-cabinet-post-wishin'

To help this great leader, he's now my boss
I didn't have a choice, I gave those Liberal volunteers the toss

It's not a matter of principles, I am here to serve
If Jack Layton was PM, I'd even have the nerve

Heck, even the Communists, and the Rhinos too
I would stop at nothing to stay in power, that's what I do

Opposition? That's for losers. I'm too good for that.
Forget the backbenches, I would rather be a dirty rat.

There's hundreds of Liberals that would like to look me in the eye
That's why for the past week, I went dark, to run and hide

You know me, I'm not political, that's for others
I would curtail this democratic thing more, if I had my druthers

Bring on the limos, bring on the glory
Me, in cabinet, as a Tory.

Tory Hypocracy (x 40)

Here is the complete list of 40 Conservative MPs who recently voted for a bill that would have prohibited Members of Parliament from crossing the floor without immediately resigning their seat and running in a byelection. Many members of the cabinet Emerson now belongs to are included amongst this list, but Stephen Harper abstained.

Where is their feigned fuming and fury this time, when the Liberals' David Emerson has joined the ranks of their new cabinet less than 14 days after being elected as a Liberal?

Again, the only true option for any person who truly thought they deserved the title "honourable" to do after committing such a democratic disgrace would be to immediately resign and call a byelection.

Without further ado: THE LIST (followed by the bill's summary)...

Rona Ambrose

Rob Anders

David Anderson

James Bezan

Garry Breitkreuz

Gord Brown

Rick Casson

John Cummins

Barry Devolin

Ken Epp

Diane Finley

Gary Goodyear

Gurmant Grewal

Nina Grewal

Helena Guergis

Richard Harris

Russ Hiebert

Jay Hill

Brian Jean

Randy Kamp

Gerald Keddy

Daryl Kramp

Tom Lukiwski

James Lunney

Rob Merrifield

Larry Miller

Bob Mills

Bev Oda

Charlie Penson

Pierre Poilievre

Joe Preston

James Rajotte

Carol Skelton


Joy Smith

Myron Thompson

David Tilson

Bradley Trost

Maurice Vellacott

Jeff Watson

Lynne Yelich


Summary of Bill c-251 (Defeated)

This enactment provides that a member’s seat in the House of Commons will be vacated and a by-election called for that seat if the member, having been elected to the House as a member of a political party or as an independent, changes parties in the House or becomes a member of a party in the House, as the case may be, at any time during the term for which he or she was elected. A member’s seat will not be vacated if the member, having been elected as a member of a political party, chooses to sit as an independent at any time during the term for which he or she was elected.

A Hard Bodycheck to Democratic Integrity

My letter in the Globe and Mail today:

Richmond, B.C. -- As an 18-year-old first-time voter, I am shocked and appalled by Stephen Harper's appointment of David Emerson to his Cabinet. This is the sort of shameless partisan hypocrisy that is leading so many Canadians (especially young Canadians) to a deep cynicism about the state of political discourse in our nation.

Mr. Emerson has a tendency to compare politics with hockey. His move out of the Liberal opposition straight into Mr. Harper's new cabinet was a hard bodycheck to the integrity of our democratic system. Mr. Harper has put politics before principles, and for that, both Mr. Emerson and he need some time in the penalty box.

Mr. Emerson should immediately resign and face a by-election, because defecting to another party less than two weeks after election day is unsportsmanlike conduct.

-Braeden Caley

(I was amazed to have 3 letters printed today: this one in the Globe, a different one in the Vancouver Sun, and one similar to the Globe letter in Vancouver 24 Hours. Clearly, the media must be pretty interested in hearing about this topic, so I encourage as many people as possible to write in as well. You can also vent your frustration with Mr. Emerson at emersd@parl.gc.ca or by calling 604.775.6263 [His constituency office line].)

Emerson days ago: "I'm going to be Stephen Harper's worst enemy."

The right-leaning www.nealenews.com reminded me of a story I read immediately after the election in Vancouver 24 Hours, which I wrote for as a political columnist during the writ period. In it, David Emerson has some interesting things to say:

"I'm going to be Stephen Harper's worst enemy." - David Emerson

"We're going to stir the pot and you better believe we are going to make a heck of a lot of noise." - David Emerson

'David Emerson says he's ready to rattle cages in Ottawa.'

'Emerson added he is going to enjoy keeping tabs on Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper. '

'At the Golden Swan, a Chinese restaurant on Victoria Drive, supporters chanted his name as Emerson arrived to deliver his victory speech.'

For the article's full context, read here: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2006/01/24/1408892.html

Whither Multiculturalism? If it ain't broke, don't break it, Mr. Harper...

It appears from the list of the Harper-led 28th Ministry (http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/cabinet.asp) that there is no longer a Minister of State for Multiculturalism, which almost certainly indicates the end of Canada's multiculturalism program, a fulfillment of a 1997 platform policy of the Reform party.

As someone who worked for the former Minister of this department, I can tell you that this would be a major loss to Canada.

Minister Chan was doing incredible work on combatting racism across the country, encouraging intercultural knowledge and cooperation, getting new Canadians involved in government and democratic decision-making, and more specifically, for example, trying to help black communities such as those in Nova Scotia, who despite having lived in Canada for a multitude of generations still have trouble finding jobs and pursuing the same opportunities that many other Canadians take for granted.

I grew up in and continue to reside in Richmond BC, one of the most diverse communities on the face of the planet, and I have always known and experienced the immense benefits cultural harmony and diversity can bring.

Bev Oda is the new Heritage Minister (which formerly encompassed the Multiculturalism department), and hopefully she will keep this program and its important policies and commitments intact, if even more integrated within her larger department.

Multiculturalism is indeed an important part of our heritage, and an even more important component of who we are as Canadians today: a group of people who are accepting, open, peaceful and respectful.

Please Mr. Harper and Ms. Oda, if it ain't broke don't break it.

The new, blue, but not-exactly-improved pm.gc.ca

The new blue pm.gc.ca website is up and running. If you like press releases will spelling mistakes (such as this one http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=688), this is definitely a website for you!

Mr. Emerson, You Disappoint

On the way into Vancouver yesterday for a YLC(BC) executive meeting, I heard from one source that Emerson would be crossing the floor into the Conservative cabinet. I dismissed this as a complete impossibility, having heard Emerson speak passionately and at length of his commitment to the cause of an open, accepting, and liberal Canada. Then I heard the rumour repeated on CKNW's David Boerner show, and repeated it to the Liberals I was heading to meet, who also dismissed the possibility as about as likely as Stephen Harper crossing the floor.

Well here we are on Monday morning, and David Emerson is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Vancouver-Kingsway, and the Minister of International Trade in the Conservative cabinet.

A byelection is the only way Mr. Emerson could redeem himself at this point.

He has apparently traded hundreds of hours tireless Liberal volunteers' valuable time, tens of thousands of Liberal donors' dollars, and the best and most admiring hopes of Liberals across the province for a Conservative cabinet post. He is indeed an honourable man. I know this from speaking and interacting with him, and from the feelings of many close friends of mine who worked on his campaign. But his conduct and explanations in the next few days will be the ultimate redeemer of that distinction, a trademark he's worn and used to earn the trust of Liberals and his constituents.

I do not have a major problem with Members of Parliament crossing the floor on the basis of significant differences on issues or with the direction of a party. However, crossing the floor thirteen days after one party poured its guts out to get you elected is very unfair, and abusing the trust of the electorate is even worse, as seeking election under the banner of one party and immediately entering the Cabinet of another party's government is fundamentally and indisputably undemocratic, unjust, and unethical.

I hope Mr. Emerson submits himself to the public in a byelection as soon as possible Anything less would be dishonest, and that's not the David Emerson most British Columbians know and admire.

Iraq Bushwacked. World, UN Deceived.

A Mockery of Multilateralism?

According to Britain's Times Newspaper (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2023128,00.html), US President George W. Bush apparently planned to bait Saddam Hussein into making his case for the war in Iraq by sending a US warplane low over Iraqi airspace, painted in United Nations colours, with the hope that the Iraqi military would shoot it down.

If true, this is just another unfortunate example of how the world was so clearly deceived by the Bush administration, and another reminder of how right we were and are as Canadians to have refused to support this war.

It was probably conducted for the wrong reasons, and was certainly marketed to the world with the wrong information, reasonings, and justifications. First, it was to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Then it was to eliminate connections to terror groups. Then it was liberation from a dictator. Then it was part of a 'visionary' plan to bring (read: force) some degree of democracy into the middle east.

Its altruistic-sounding justifications may have changed, but the facts have not - This war happened in the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons, and with disastrous conquences.

Here are some quotes from the Times article mentioned and linked to above. Take a look for yourself:

"PRESIDENT BUSH had plans to lure Saddam Hussein into war by flying an aircraft over Iraq painted in UN colours in the hope he would shoot it down, a book reveals."

"Mr Bush told Tony Blair of the extraordinary plan during a meeting in the White House on January 31, 2003, six weeks before the war started, according to an updated version of Lawless World by Philippe Sands, a human rights lawyer. He says the President made it clear that he had already decided to go to war, despite still pressing for a UN resolution."


"“The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach,” the book reports Mr Bush telling Mr Blair at the meeting."

"“The US would put its full weight behind efforts to get another resolution and would ‘twist arms’ and ‘even threaten’. But he had to say that if, ultimately, we failed, military action would follow anyway,” the book said."

"Last night Sir Menzies Campbell, acting Liberal Democrat leader, said: “If these allegations are accurate, the Prime Minister and President Bush were determined to go to war with or without a second UN resolution, and Britain was signed up to do so by the end of January 2003.”
He added: “By then it was clear that there was no credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction, the stated justification for the moves against Saddam Hussein. The fact that consideration was apparently given to using American military aircraft in UN colours to provoke Saddam graphically illustrates the rush to war.”"

Move Over Kofi: Martin for UN Secretary General

hint:

"In the months ahead, the 67-year-old politician said he plans to serve out his full term as MP for his Quebec riding of LaSalle-Emard, but also expects to spend a lot of time working on the international scene, likely with the United Nations." - CBC, 2 February 2006 (http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/02/martin-farewell060202.html)

I think Prime Minister Martin would make an excellent UN Secretary-General. For the many UN Secretary-General-choosers who surely read this blog, I'll have you know the Mr. Martin has a great deal of experience turning around bad financial situations, meaningfully getting to the bottom of corruption scandals, and advocating for a much stronger multilateral international decision-making framework, having played a key role in discussions to develop the L-20, for instance.

He has been a keen concensus-builder on the world stage, and someone who has definitely shown leadership on increasing foreign aid and making trade fair (although he would probably have to go somewhat further on this file to earn Bono's endorsement once again).

Plus, it's about time a Canadian led the organization we have been so philosophically and significantly committed to for so long now. And from a Canadian perspective, power-buddies Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppes would be immensely pleased to know that, with Paul Martin as Secretary-General, Canada was being represented on the world stage by both a Quebecker, and a Canadian!

30 Days... "Doing the right thing"

Today, as many of you have probably read or heard by now, Justice Gomery released the final report of his inquiry into the sponsorship scandal.

Today, as many of you will likely remember, was supposed to be (as promised by Prime Minister Paul Martin) the day 30 days before Canada's 39th general election would begin.

And today, instead of the usual back and forth banter in question period and the usual buzzing and blabbing around Parliament Hill, the Liberal Government held its final Cabinet meeting, and set out the organizational details of what a Liberal party in opposition will look like, who will lead it, and what its objectives will be.

It is indeed a shame, the difference nine months can make. Regardless of its many flaws in practice, calling the Gomery Inquiry was without a doubt the right thing to do. I know this, I think many Conservatives know this, and as the Liberals' better-than-expected results last Monday would probably indicate, it is clear that many Canadians know this too.

It is indeed a shame we as Canadians through out the Prime Minister who took the high road on this file, and how someone could be labelled indecisive or a 'ditherer' even after demonstrating the decisive courage and honour necessary to do the right thing, even when he knew the allegations at hand had the potential, if true, to cause serious damage to his own party's government and his leadership thereof.

You may not like all Paul Martin has or did have to offer as our Prime Minister, but on a day that could have been such more meaningful and valuable to ethical governance in Canada had the opposition done the right thing itself, it is important we give credit where credit is due.

When it comes to ethics, "doing the right thing" certainly figures prominently in my mind amongst valuable moral principles to adhere to. Let's hope Mr. Harper puts his money where his mouth is. Unfortunately, I doubt he and his loudmouth caucus ever will.

"With all of its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it's still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy."

--- The Right Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Roommates for Prime Minister? Rae & Ignatieff

Imagine. It's 1968. You're working your butt off to make Pierre Trudeau leader of the Federal Liberal Party, and thus Prime Minister of Canada, and your roommate, also a Liberal, is right there with you on the job.

Such is the story of Bob Rae (later an NDP Premier) and Michael Ignatieff (later a Liberal MP), two college roommates now largely expected to take a run for the leadership of the world's most successful political party.

Sounds more like a reality show to me. Maybe the whole thing should just be renamed "The MuchPolitics VJ Search."

Below is the link to, and the full context of a U of T article on the two of them. A very interesting story of lasting friendship, and divergent paths that could very well meet again, very soon. Will they share a campaign office, too?

Roommates. Running for Prime Minister. In Canada. We're not making this up.

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http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/02autumn/f01.htm#two

Michael Ignatieff & Bob Rae

“His life is the road I didn’t take,” says Michael Ignatieff (BA 1969 Trinity, DLitt Sac Hon. 1999) of his close friend Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario.

Thanks to a friendship between their diplomat fathers, George Ignatieff (BA 1936 Trinity) and Saul Rae (BA 1936 UC), the two men knew of each other before they met as intellectual rivals at U of T and sparring partners on the Hart House debating floor. “Our fathers were friends and rivals, too,” says Ignatieff, “so our friendship feels like a tribal friendship, between families.”
On campus, the younger Rae (BA 1969 UC, LLB 1977, LLD Hon. 1999) and Ignatieff vied for the spotlight as student activists, Varsity writers and political thinkers, and in the process became close friends, sharing an apartment on Bloor Street in their fourth year. “It was a lively place,” says Rae. “We had a lot of friends over. The best friends I have, for the most part, are from that time, and they influenced me profoundly. Michael’s skepticism about big political theories, along with a lot of other people’s skepticism, affected my view of social democracy and perhaps tempered some of my enthusiasms in a helpful way.”

“He really was the most clever guy I knew in my undergraduate years,” says Ignatieff. “I always feel quite tongue-tied in his presence because he’s so verbally acute, quick and funny.”

But while Rae, the social democrat, opted for politics, Ignatieff, the liberal, carved out a career as an academic, writer and political commentator. “I’m the thinker, and he’s the doer,” says Ignatieff. “The doer always knows more about what’s possible politically. If he had gone into the Liberal party, there’s no limit to what he could have done. That he went into the NDP put a ceiling on how far he could go. He taught me a lot about conviction and paying the price of conviction.”

Since university, the two have never lived in the same country at the same time, yet they have managed to sustain their connection for more than 30 years with phone calls, family vacations and passing-through-town dinners. “When you’re in that position [as premier], it’s hard to have friendships,” says Ignatieff. “I think he liked the fact that I was in London [England] and not in the loop, though our friendship is not confessional. Bob is not a confessional guy.”

“When I was premier, he’d visit and we’d go out for dinner,” says Rae. “I was able to put what I was going through into a broader context…. It allows you to see things differently, to put the successes and failures into a context that makes them both more bearable…. There are friends who know you behind the image…that’s helpful. They value other aspects of you.

“That competitive thing is probably sublimated somewhere,” Rae admits, “but we’ve never let it get in the way of our friendship….”

“He went into politics, and I went into writing,” says Ignatieff. “‘He knew me when’ is the rationale for our friendship, the emotional continuity…. It’s about a good joke that starts when you’re 18 and is still going at 55.”