[Antiloop33rpm]

www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/06/emerson-jumps060206.html

Surprise! Cabinet includes defector, unelected minister
Last Updated Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:32:17 EST
CBC News

There were two surprises as the Harper cabinet was unveiled Monday: former Liberal industry minister David Emerson has jumped ship to become the Conservative minister of international trade, and Michael Fortier, an unelected party operative, is the new minister of public works and government services.

Fortier, a Montreal lawyer, was an also-ran in the 1998 Progressive Conservative leadership contest and ran unsuccessfully for Parliament in 2000.

In 2003, he co-chaired Harper's successful campaign to replace Stockwell Day as leader of the Canadian Alliance party.

More recently, Fortier was co-chair of the national Conservative election campaigns in both 2004 and 2006. The latter race ended in the defeat of the Paul Martin's minority Liberal government.

The prime minister can appoint anyone to the cabinet, but tradition calls for an unelected minister to seek a seat within a reasonable time in a byelection.

Emerson, a 60-year-old former banker, businessman and economist, was elected in the B.C. riding of Vancouver-Kingsway in 2004 and re-elected last month, both times as a Liberal.

To the surprise of many, he showed up at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday morning to be sworn into the cabinet. In addition to his duties as trade minister, he will be responsible for the Vancouver Olympics.

He followed the example of former Conservative MP Belinda Stronach, who crossed the floor last year to become a Liberal cabinet minister.

Emerson was formerly B.C.'s deputy minister of finance. He also served as president of: Western and Pacific Bank of Canada (now Canadian Western Bank), the B.C. Trade Development Corporation and Canfor Corporation, B.C.'s largest forestry company.

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Day 1 and allready things are interesting. Im curious to see what Harper has to say on these issues. Let the fun begin!

 

[EnviroTO]

Am I reading it right:

- Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics — David Emerson

- Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec — Jean-Pierre Blackburn

- Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency — Peter MacKay

- Minister of Western Economic Diversification — Carol Skelton

- Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario — Tony Clement

- Urban Affairs ministry merged into Transport and Infrastructure ministries to create Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — Lawrence Cannon

Wow. There is separate ministries for Pacific Gateway, economic development in Quebec, opportunities in Atlantic Canada, economic diversification in Western Canada, economic development in Northern Ontario but nothing for southern Ontario and the ministry of most importance to Southern Ontario has been merged with Transport and Infrastructure and will be responsible for transportation, infrastructure, and communities across Canada. Interesting.

 

[Antiloop33rpm]

And to add to that, there is not a single cabinet member from within Toronto. There is Clement who is from the 905 region, but that hardly counts. And its also interesting that Harper went out of his way to bring in a non elected member to his cabinet to ensure that Montreal was represented, yet seems content with a 905 MP representing all of the GTA?

First negative prediction to be proven correct in just one day of the new government, Toronto is likely to see any concerns it has ignored. The only hope for Toronto is that the NDP can find one more seat or member (or another MP defects to the Conservatives) to help them gain a balance of power and keep the issues that are important to Toronto (and many other major Canadian cities) at least on the radar of the political agenda.

 

[dan e 1980]

who's the minister of human & dinosaur relations?

 

[Canuck 36]

Ok, I'm stealing that quote and making it my MSN sig.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"And its also interesting that Harper went out of his way to bring in a non elected member to his cabinet to ensure that Montreal was represented, yet seems content with a 905 MP representing all of the GTA?"

Jim Flaherty is the minister of finance, Bev Oda is the minister of heritage and women, and Michael Chong is minister of intergovernmental affairs, sport, and president of the queen's privy council, so there is decent, albeit peripheral, GTA representation.

 

[Abeja de Almirante]

And to add to that, there is not a single cabinet member from within Toronto.

What silliness; I imagine folks on PEI are making similiar comments. Harper doesn't have any MPs from Toronto to pick from for his cabinet. If Toronto wants a seat at the cabinet table, they'll have to vote for Conservative MPs.

The Liberals did nothing for Toronto, yet we continue to vote for them. It's time to give another party a chance.

 

[Canuck 36]

What silliness; I imagine folks on PEI are making similiar comments. Harper doesn't have any MPs from Toronto to pick from for his cabinet. If Toronto wants a seat at the cabinet table, they'll have to vote for Conservative MPs.

But Harper has proven that he's not above selecting someone from a city to give them representation. He did it with Montreal, why not Toronto?
Should he only seek to reward regions that elected his government, or make inroads towards areas that didn't support his mandate in hopes of gaining their votes in future elections. My gut says a smart politican would go with the latter, but I'll wait and see how a Conservative government works out for Toronto before going off on any rants.

 

[Antiloop33rpm]

What silliness; I imagine folks on PEI are making similiar comments. Harper doesn't have any MPs from Toronto to pick from for his cabinet. If Toronto wants a seat at the cabinet table, they'll have to vote for Conservative MPs.

So then why bring an unelected member to represent Montreal? Why ask a Liberal member to cross the floor to represent Vancouver? Why isnt it fair to wonder why Toronto gets no representation when other cities had efforts made to ensure they were?

The Liberals did nothing for Toronto, yet we continue to vote for them. It's time to give another party a chance.

That line sounds oddly familiar.

 

[Ed007Toronto]

What silliness; I imagine folks on PEI are making similiar comments.

You're equating the economic heartland of Canada with 17% of Canada's population to a province with 137,000 people? What silliness indeed.

 

[Canuck 36]

A large number of Torontonians did vote for the Conservatives, do they not get cabinet representation from their choice of government because of our first-past-the-post system of elections?

 

[bizorky]

Hey, if they're going to break with tradition and put in an unelected minister, they could always do something for Toronto and the GTA.

The fact is that they chose not to. People will make up their own minds about that.

You're equating the economic heartland of Canada with 17% of Canada's population to a province with 137,000 people?

A good question worth an answer.

 

[Canuck 36]

Stockwell Day is Minister of Public Safety.
I wonder if we'll have Pterodactyl drills mandatory in schools.

 

[ganjavih]

You're equating the economic heartland of Canada with 17% of Canada's population to a province with 137,000 people? What silliness indeed.

I assume that 17% refers to the entire GTA. If that's the case, there is GTA representation.

 

[bizorky]

Stock on pursuing suspects:

"they've gone upstream by going downstream."