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Turner joins the Liberals
AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR
Independent Halton MP is joining the Liberal Party.
Feb 06, 2007 12:01 PM
Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau Chief
OTTAWA -- Garth Turner, the Halton MP ousted from the federal Conservative caucus, will announce today that he's joining the Liberals.
Liberal sources have confirmed to the Star that Turner, who also toyed with becoming Canada's first Green party MP in the Commons, has decided to drape himself in Liberal red instead.
He's scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m. in the National Press Theatre.
The defection doesn't significantly alter the balance of power in the Commons, but it has large symbolic force, coming on the very day that Stephen Harper is marking his first anniversary as prime minister.
Turner's move gives the Liberals 101 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservatives now have 125 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 51 and the New Democrats 29.
There is now only one independent, Quebec MP Andre Arthur, and one vacancy, created when former Liberal transport minister Jean Lapierre resigned his seat earlier this year.
Turner was kicked out of the Conservative caucus last fall for alleged indiscretion on his lively blog and Internet TV show.
He was suspended from caucus indefinitely after repeatedly criticizing party policy and the actions of the Prime Minister’s Office.
He publicly lampooned the defection to Harper’s first cabinet of former Liberal David Emerson. At the time, Turner argued on his weblog that MPs who defect to another party should have to run for re-election under their new party in a byelection.
“If you want to be a Liberal, be elected as a Liberal. All those things have honour but the honour is bestowed by the people, not by the individual.â€
A former journalist, Turner since has been using those talents to continue lambasting Harper and the Conservatives with increasing regularity.
In a posting on his blog this morning, Turner hinted about big news to come. He also wrote extensively about last night's Commons 161-115 vote in favour of the Kyoto air-quality protocol -- a vote introduced by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion -- as "a pivotal event leading to the next election."
Turner has been saying for some time that Harper would like to provoke an election sooner rather than later, and he has lamented in some detail how the Conservatives have no strategy or appeal with respect to voters in the GTA.
In his blog entry last night, Turner wrote: "If (Premier) Jean Charest calls the election in Quebec for March 24th, and (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty brings down his federal budget on March 20th, then the path is clear for Mr. Harper to engineer his defeat in early April for a federal vote in mid-May.
"Trust me - it has always been the plan of Conservative wizard Doug Finley to have a spring 2007 election, before too much baggage accumulates, before the feds actually have to make hard decisions about the environment and in the wake of a federalist victory in Quebec.
"Anyway, hang on. The banging’s about to begin."
The announcement also comes amid evidence of ramped-up Liberal preparedness for an election.
Former leadership contender Gerard Kennedy -- the kingmaker for Dion at the December convention -- held a news conference this morning to announce he'd be running in the Toronto riding of Parkdale, the same riding he held provincially when he was Ontario's education minister.
Turner is expected to say today that he'll be seeking the Liberal nomination in his Halton riding, which was pretty closely divided between Liberals and Conservatives in the last election.
Turner won the seat with 30,577 votes, only about 1,900 more than Liberal rival Gary Carr.
Reaction in Turner's riding ranged from indifference to annoyance.
"I guess that's what people do, move around a lot, shift allegiances," said Arlene, at the Kensington retirement home, in Oakville.
"He keeps jumping around," said Karen Sinden, of Milton. "I have no idea what he stands for."
"Oh boy, we"re far too busy to every worry about Garth right now," said one of the hair cutters at Fioravante Hair Design, on Steeles Ave. W. "Who cares," said one of the workers at Karen's Flower Shop, in Milton.
With a file from Canadian Press
-----------------------------------------------
This is how genes are exchanged in politics.
AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR
Independent Halton MP is joining the Liberal Party.
Feb 06, 2007 12:01 PM
Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau Chief
OTTAWA -- Garth Turner, the Halton MP ousted from the federal Conservative caucus, will announce today that he's joining the Liberals.
Liberal sources have confirmed to the Star that Turner, who also toyed with becoming Canada's first Green party MP in the Commons, has decided to drape himself in Liberal red instead.
He's scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m. in the National Press Theatre.
The defection doesn't significantly alter the balance of power in the Commons, but it has large symbolic force, coming on the very day that Stephen Harper is marking his first anniversary as prime minister.
Turner's move gives the Liberals 101 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservatives now have 125 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 51 and the New Democrats 29.
There is now only one independent, Quebec MP Andre Arthur, and one vacancy, created when former Liberal transport minister Jean Lapierre resigned his seat earlier this year.
Turner was kicked out of the Conservative caucus last fall for alleged indiscretion on his lively blog and Internet TV show.
He was suspended from caucus indefinitely after repeatedly criticizing party policy and the actions of the Prime Minister’s Office.
He publicly lampooned the defection to Harper’s first cabinet of former Liberal David Emerson. At the time, Turner argued on his weblog that MPs who defect to another party should have to run for re-election under their new party in a byelection.
“If you want to be a Liberal, be elected as a Liberal. All those things have honour but the honour is bestowed by the people, not by the individual.â€
A former journalist, Turner since has been using those talents to continue lambasting Harper and the Conservatives with increasing regularity.
In a posting on his blog this morning, Turner hinted about big news to come. He also wrote extensively about last night's Commons 161-115 vote in favour of the Kyoto air-quality protocol -- a vote introduced by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion -- as "a pivotal event leading to the next election."
Turner has been saying for some time that Harper would like to provoke an election sooner rather than later, and he has lamented in some detail how the Conservatives have no strategy or appeal with respect to voters in the GTA.
In his blog entry last night, Turner wrote: "If (Premier) Jean Charest calls the election in Quebec for March 24th, and (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty brings down his federal budget on March 20th, then the path is clear for Mr. Harper to engineer his defeat in early April for a federal vote in mid-May.
"Trust me - it has always been the plan of Conservative wizard Doug Finley to have a spring 2007 election, before too much baggage accumulates, before the feds actually have to make hard decisions about the environment and in the wake of a federalist victory in Quebec.
"Anyway, hang on. The banging’s about to begin."
The announcement also comes amid evidence of ramped-up Liberal preparedness for an election.
Former leadership contender Gerard Kennedy -- the kingmaker for Dion at the December convention -- held a news conference this morning to announce he'd be running in the Toronto riding of Parkdale, the same riding he held provincially when he was Ontario's education minister.
Turner is expected to say today that he'll be seeking the Liberal nomination in his Halton riding, which was pretty closely divided between Liberals and Conservatives in the last election.
Turner won the seat with 30,577 votes, only about 1,900 more than Liberal rival Gary Carr.
Reaction in Turner's riding ranged from indifference to annoyance.
"I guess that's what people do, move around a lot, shift allegiances," said Arlene, at the Kensington retirement home, in Oakville.
"He keeps jumping around," said Karen Sinden, of Milton. "I have no idea what he stands for."
"Oh boy, we"re far too busy to every worry about Garth right now," said one of the hair cutters at Fioravante Hair Design, on Steeles Ave. W. "Who cares," said one of the workers at Karen's Flower Shop, in Milton.
With a file from Canadian Press
-----------------------------------------------
This is how genes are exchanged in politics.