Today, The Province's Ian Bailey reported federal International Trade Minister David Emerson has "yet to make a decision about seeking a third term as MP for Vancouver-Kingsway." In fact, his constituency association president Marilyn Brown "said the riding has been told by Tory political operations in Ottawa not to hold a nomination meeting for Emerson for undisclosed reasons." But if Minister Emerson does seek re-election, some party members are of the belief he'll switch ridings and run in Richmond. After all, he was formerly chief executive officer of the Vancouver International Airport Authority - which is located in Richmond. And that electoral district, like Vancouver-Kingsway, has a large Chinese-Canadian constituency, comprising 44 percent of the riding.
Where should he stay if he doesn't go now?
January 3, 2007
This speculation is hilarious.
The nuts who keep speculating are also forgetting one thing.
Emmerson could also say "no" and return to the private sector.
Richmond already has two candidates running for nomination there.
Being CEO of YVR Airport doesn't mean anything in terms of where he would run.
The Conservatives unlike the foolish federal Liberals do not guarantee nomination spots.
It's up to the membership to decide who wins the nomination, not the party.
If Harper's elected Senator bill doesn't pass, you can guess where he will go.
You haven't heard about Garth Turner's riding, I take it?
Emerson in the Senate!?....dream on.....
The whole point of trying to converting Emerson is to embarass the liberals and that's pretty much it. Who in their right mind actually wants a turncoat in their cabinet. I would love to see him running for Richmond riding's nomination though just for the fun of it. (I gotta say, Sean is getting creative by the minute, and I love it..haha..).
No speculation here. The guy isn't running again in Kingsway and any dope knew that the second he crossed the floor. Doubt he'd take Richmond either, probably have to move further out the valley to be safe, if he doesn't make the prudent choice and get the heck out.
If Harper has called in the troops to shuffle, the first thing he would ask is"Are you planning on running?" If the answer is no you leave the cabinet. Look at who remains and you have your answer about Emerson until then anything is speculation
Emerson in Richmond is one possibility I had never even thought about. But given the riding's ethnic composition, perhaps I was missing a bet.
For a long time I have believed that either Harper or Campbell will appoint Vancouver Quadra MP Stephen Owen to some distinguished and well-paid sinecure or another, thus opening the Quadra seat. Emerson can take the Conservative nomination there, and face a new, unentrenched Liberal opponent, and with solid backing from the downtown business community, win in a walk.
The Owen speculation is interesting but family health issues alone should be taking him out of the game. Then again, the Liberals would need to nominate a new candidate so who knows.
Just because someone has a Chinese girlfriend/wife does not make him any more Chinese. Look at Jack Layton and see how far off he is with the mainstream Chinese community.
Vancouver West (Quadra) is really no better a riding than West Vancouver. Even though the Owens have "blackmailed" the donors in the riding for way too long, Emerson still isnt the best candidate for that riding since we need someone who can actually win in the riding. Now that Emerson has already tainted the conservatives in Vancouver Kingsway, I would suggest him staying in the riding to pull votes from the Liberals so NDP can gain another meaningless seat in Ottawa.
I'd suggest if people are wondering where Emerson may end up they look at his record of late and determine who, if anyone, he has done anything for.
It's a big stick thing. Sure it's soft, but it's wood and someone ended up with a cool $1 billion after Emerson pumped it for all it was (apparently) worth.
I'm suggesting he'll go green as in Green card.
"Just because someone has a Chinese girlfriend/wife does not make him any more Chinese. Look at Jack Layton and see how far off he is with the mainstream Chinese community. "
That's true. Look how far off FHK is with the
mainstream Chinese community.
"Emerson still isnt the best candidate for that riding since we need someone who can actually win in the riding. Now that Emerson has already tainted the conservatives in Vancouver Kingsway, I would suggest him staying in the riding to pull votes from the Liberals so NDP can gain another meaningless seat in Ottawa. "
This continued ragging on Emerson is pathetic.
It's been a year since Emerson crossed the floor,
and a year since Belinda crossed the floor.
Get over it.
Harry is right, it's time to stop flogging a dead horse. I have always found Liberal outrage over the Emerson switch to be kind of funny. To me it was obvious that the real reason they were so angry was because he had blown the cover off of their "vote strategic" scam that they play with labour and working class voters.
Emerson lives in Vancouver Quadra, it's a naturally conservative seat on income, wealth, and occupation grounds, and Owen and the Liberals are occupying it only because of John Turner and the fact that the pungent Reform smell hasn't totally gone away yet.
Another NDP seat in Vancouver Kingsway will be a welcome addition to Jack Layton's caucus. And I cannot think of a better qualified candidate that former British Columbia Premier Glen Clark. Imagine if he were running against Liberal scion and heart throb Justin Trudeau?
Actually we Chinese do hate traitors (or Japanese as Shinzo Abe recently banned all LDP members in exile from rejoining their party after all the Japan Post fiasco.) As for Belinda, she was born a liberal and no matter which membership she holds she is a liberal. I mean, seriously, who care if she is a liberal or not as long as she can represent the people that her father paid to work in her company.
"And I cannot think of a better qualified candidate that former British Columbia Premier Glen Clark. Imagine if he were running against Liberal scion and heart throb Justin Trudeau?"
Glen Clark?? That idiot? You can't be serious.
The same Glen Clark who went nuts with the provincial budget and the province was stuck with three expensive ferries?
The same Glen Clark who originally did not like capitialism, and yet is now working for one of the most famous business moguls in the province?
Budd, you have to cut down on the amount of bowls of Count Chocula each morning, friend. Too much sugar will affect decision making and motor responses.
What's next? VanderZalm runs for the Conseratives.
Oh puh-leeze!
True, God knows how much Vancouverites resent Glen Clark. A spineless hypocrite like him has a better chance of running for the liberals than running for NDP again. One Yuan Meng and one David Emerson have disgusted the voters in the riding enough, and you are throwing Glen Clark in the mix, talk about NDP's political "strategy".
As for Quadra being "naturally conservative", well, unlike NDP who is trying to tag itself as the party for "the poor, the gay, and the stupid", we conservatives are pro-middle class and that is why we have received widespread support acroos Canada in suburban areas. e.g. Fraser Valley, Alberta or Ontario. Super riches voting for the liberals or running for the liberals are finanly are finanlly going away and getting beat bad. Now that Stephen Owen has zero zero influence in the government for those in his riding and no chance of getting appointed into the government in the near future, he should be thrown out of the riding soon enough.
Budd and anyone else who thinks Clark will run are dreaming and clearly naive. Clark would never run to be a backbench 4th party MP. As for Justin Trudeau, again more naivete, if Justin runs it will not be in BC but rather Quebec or Ontario.
Maybe harpo will insult BC some more by offering Emerson as the next Lt. Governor. The cons have to go and soon.
Budd, you were doing fine for awhile there...several posts into the new year and I was nodding along the whole way. Then, you had to put your foot in it...Glen for MP??? Budd, head down to the Two Pillars for some therapy and a clean needle.
Why on God's green onion, would Glen leave Jimmy's side? Are you for real? Why would anyone leave Jimmy's side?! You can all say what you want about Glen Clark, but I always liked him, very much. Yes, he got ahead of himself; yes, he wanted the WAC Bennett legacy without properly laying out all the groundwork, but he is whippet smart and is a good strategist, both in business and in politics. Sihota, by comparison was an absolute idiot, an empty tin can.
More to the point, Glen Clark would be a fool to leave Jim Pattison and give up a whopping salary and bright future. Besides, it's an education just to spend five minutes with Jimmy, nevermind the several years Glen has flourished in a very tough job.
Emerson won't run again.
Besides, if he does, he loses. If he runs anywhere, he pretty much loses.
If he wins, it will probably means he got switched to a very Conservative riding (maybe they could get rid of John Cummins).
But the Liberals have a 50-50 chance of winning the next election, which means, if Emerson survives, and the Liberals win, he will demand to be in Stephane Dion's cabinet.
Emerson should run in Kingsway... for the NDP.
Why not? The notion is no sillier than Clark or Trudeau, and the two parties are collaborating anyway. The NDP has been serving as John Baird's cheerleading section in QP, transparently lobbing questions at him that he can deflect into well-rehearsed attacks on the Liberals. The NDP caucus has been using their valuable QP time to ask hard-hitting questions essentially saying "Hey John, what do you hate most about the Liberals?"
It's pathetic and hard to imagine that it's what NDP voters elected them to do.
And today we find out Wajid Khan has crossed the floor, giving the NDP the balance of power. It's clearly no coincidence that Baird was named Environment Minister yesterday and all of a sudden the Conservatives' talking points are all about "Ordinary Families" (if that phrase doesn't ring a bell for you, Google it and see what comes up first).
Jack Layton has probably even cut a deal with his father's old party. This is the era of the New Conservatives (and end of the New Democrats). Come to think of it, the Pattison-Glen Clark marriage was quite prophetic.