5 entries filed this month:
A photo-op advisory from Emerson’s ministry tell us that the Dis-Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade, will meet with members of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) to discuss opportunities for building stronger economic relations between Canada and India.
Perhaps the ICCC folks could brief Emerson on India’s anti-floor-crossing legislation while they are putting on their grins. Its an idea which Canada should adopt.
To make a point perfectly clear, I do not believe Turner should have joined the Liberal caucus without first resigning and running in a by-election.
Party-centric folks will groan and ask questions like “is it practical”, given that riding associations for all parties now feel a sense of urgency to nominate candidates for an election which may come at any time. To that I reply: who cares if its practical for parties and candidates? This issue is about the meaning of every citizen’s vote, not about what’s convenient for political parties.
I will cut Mr. Turner the slightest amount of slack: his offer to resign if the Prime Minister agrees to also accept the resignations of Emerson and Khan in order to force by-elections for all three ridings while if not original nor brave at least underscores the need for legislation on the matter.
Change the rules. Make them fair and just, but make sure the scales of justice and fairness tip on the side of citizens, not political candidates and MPs.
Fact: In this parliamentary session, over 165,000 Canadians have had their votes overturned, thanks to the actions of just 5 men: Harper, Emerson, Khan, Dion and Turner. Canadians ought to think long and hard about this next time they mark an X in the square for a candidate. Don’t accept the status quo – Canada can do better.
Info: The Campaign to De-Elect David Emerson and Real Democracy yesterday issued a press release calling upon former Conservative turned independent turned Liberal Garth Turner to resign and run in a by-election. This is deplorable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the hypocrisy involved: Turner was himself a vocal and visible critic of Emerson. Our campaign has always been non-partisan in our criticism of floor crossing and the damage it does to voters faith in our democracy.
Speculation: With long-time Vancouver Quadra MP Liberal Stephen Owen retiring from politics, the always missing-in-action David Emerson must no doubt be considering a run in Quadra.
Speculation: Owen may have retired to clear the way for Emerson to run – as a Conservative. Owen has never hidden the fact that he is a friend of Emerson. If Owen ran, he’d win the riding without contest, almost regardless of who the Conservative candidate is. With Owen out of the way, Conservative prospects in Quadra have appreciated significantly.
Observation: Well known Vancouver-area money manager, fluently bi-lingual, local Conservative Rick Peterson has already announced his candidacy for the Vancouver-Quadra Conservative nomination, and has been actively working the riding. Having observed Emerson closely over the last year, there is no question in my mind – Peterson will be able to win over members easily; and with Owen out of the way, Peterson – a former Progressive Conservative activist – is well positioned to win the riding for the blue team for the first time in a long time. But is Peterson in John Reynold’s good books? Reynolds would back Emerson over Peterson any day. Look to the Vancouver-Quadra Conservative EDA for some interesting fireworks if Emerson decides he is interested.
Fact: Both Emerson and Reynolds are arrogant enough to believe they can stage a come-back for Emerson.
Fact: There isn’t a riding west of the Rockies Emerson could win.
In particular the entire Vancouver area finds him radioactive. Support for our “de-election” campaign comes from across the city, including Quadra and West Point Grey.
If Emerson doesn’t run in Vancouver—Kingsway as he said he would, and instead slinks away elsewhere to attempt a political resurrection, the Campaign to De-Elect Emerson – with supporters from every corner of this city – will be there dogging his every step.
Surprise surprise, the Fraser Institute and other related climate change science deniers like the humorously labelled Friends of Science are busy as ever trying to put a finger in the PR dike.
On Mike Duffy live this afternoon a ridiculous performance by Madhav Khandekar, a former meteorologist and member of the FOS scientific advisory board. He as much as said that climate change is bogus, and even if it were real, we should look forward to it. Nice performance Madhav, perhaps you could audition for a job as the press secretary for David Emerson or Wajid Khan?
FOS: Funded by the oil and gas industry, apparently through a back-door scheme. According to desmogblog.com, the University of Calgary link likely points to a long time Stephen Harper confidant, Prof. Dr. Barry Cooper.
Harper, and Day before him, and Preston Manning before Day, have been denying climate change for over a decade and have done everything in their power to prevent substantive political progress on this issue. I see no reason to believe they’ve changed their spots overnight, particularly when ideological soul-mates like the folks at the Fraser Institute are still lobbying for the “do nothing” approach favoured by the oil and gas sector and big industrial concerns.
(CBC) Buying bottled water is wrong, says Suzuki
I think that we’ve got to drink the water that comes out of our taps, and if we don’t trust it, we ought to be raising hell about that.”
Hear, hear!
Idea of the day: The Grouse Grind should be declared a NO BOTTLED WATER ZONE. Last time we hiked up we saw dozens of discarded store-bought water bottles littering the trail and hillside. Apparently the fitness fanatics could care less about the environment, as they zip up the hill, zoned out in their “me-first-and-only” attitudes.
(UK Green Party) Microsoft Vista: upgrades create ecological nightmare
There will be thousands of tonnes of dumped monitors, video cards and whole computers that are perfectly capable of running Vista – except for the fact they lack the paranoid lock down mechanisms Vista forces you to use. That’s an offensive cost to the environment.
Future archaeologists will be able to identify a ‘Vista Upgrade Layer’ when they go through our landfill sites.