| Left |
| Left |
| centre |
| Copyright © Graeme MacKay. Please check for MacKay's posting and publication rules by clicking here. |
| Tuesday February 7, 2006 |
| extremeright |
Former industry minister David Emerson said his decision
to defect from the Liberals and take a cabinet post in Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's government was made to better
serve his constituents.
The Vancouver MP and former head of lumber giant Canfor
stunned onlookers when he arrived at Rideau Hall shortly
before the Tory cabinet was to be announced Monday.
Soon after, he was sworn in as the new Conservative
Minister of International Trade and the Minister
responsible for the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.
"I fundamentally went through the thought processes many
times over, and came to the conclusion I can be more
helpful to the people of my riding, the people of my city,
the people of my province and the people of my country
doing this, as opposed to being in opposition and trying to
become a powerful political partisan which I have never
been," Emerson said.
Emerson said he originally entered politics at the behest of
former prime minister Paul Martin. At that time he was not
a Liberal, but decided to enter politics to serve the people
of his riding.
He said he would have "absolutely" stayed on in Paul
Martin's cabinet if the former PM had been re-elected.
to defect from the Liberals and take a cabinet post in Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's government was made to better
serve his constituents.
The Vancouver MP and former head of lumber giant Canfor
stunned onlookers when he arrived at Rideau Hall shortly
before the Tory cabinet was to be announced Monday.
Soon after, he was sworn in as the new Conservative
Minister of International Trade and the Minister
responsible for the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.
"I fundamentally went through the thought processes many
times over, and came to the conclusion I can be more
helpful to the people of my riding, the people of my city,
the people of my province and the people of my country
doing this, as opposed to being in opposition and trying to
become a powerful political partisan which I have never
been," Emerson said.
Emerson said he originally entered politics at the behest of
former prime minister Paul Martin. At that time he was not
a Liberal, but decided to enter politics to serve the people
of his riding.
He said he would have "absolutely" stayed on in Paul
Martin's cabinet if the former PM had been re-elected.
| Former Liberal David Emerson defects to Tories |
| Other cartoons of interest |
