Divided over David Emerson from the Vancouver Courier
By Mike Howell-staff writer
If you drive past Conservative MP David Emerson's constituency office on Kingsway this Sunday, chances are Jurgen Claudepierre will be there.
The 64-year-old mason will be carrying a sign made from an old hockey stick attached to a square piece of white foam board. He's written "Why vote?" on it.
When Claudepierre is not pacing in front of Emerson's office, he'll be escaping the cold weather inside his Chevy pickup. That would be the one with the large sign mounted in the box of the truck.
On one side he's written, "David Emerson resign." The other side, which faces Emerson's office, asks, "Is that democracy?" A garbage can placed on the tailgate with another sign stuffed in it says, "Vancouver-Kingsway ballot box."
"I thought we were going to clean up government," said Claudepierre over car honks of support in front of Emerson's office last week. "I'm here because I have passion in my life. I'm committed to this. I'm planning on being here every Sunday until something happens, until he resigns."
Like 20,061 other voters in the Vancouver- Kingsway riding, Claudepierre voted for Emerson the Liberal. Another 15,470 voted for Ian Waddell of the NDP and 8,679 cast a ballot for Conservative candidate Kanman Wong.
As the results showed-as they have over the decades-the predominately working class riding votes Liberal or NDP. Conservatives aren't welcome there.
So when Emerson crossed the floor Feb. 6 to the Conservatives and accepted the portfolio of international trade minister, the wave of anger that rolled through the riding was not surprising.
That Emerson never told former prime minister Paul Martin or his once-fellow Vancouver Liberal MPs about his decision further infuriated Liberal party members and voters.
It's now the news story that won't go away, based in a riding that's more divided about Emerson's decision than many news reports suggest.
Recall campaigns are underway, petitions drawn up and protests continuing as the 60-year-old millionaire remains defiant, saying he won't resign.
He has allies in Mayor Sam Sullivan, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, Darcy Rezac of the Vancouver Board of Trade and a host of business people.
Emerson's move is good for Vancouver, good for B.C., good for Canada, they say. Translation-it's just business, that's all, and critics should get over it.
But, as Claudepierre pointed out, Canadians enjoy a privilege called democracy. It's our right to cast a ballot for the person and political party we want to work on our behalf.
"It's the principle of it all," he said. "I feel betrayed. My son, who's 16 years old, would disown me if I pulled a trick like that with just one person, never mind 20,000 people."
Claudepierre was one of 20 constituents-10 men and 10 women-the Courier spoke to last Thursday and Friday in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding.
Interviews were conducted on cafe patios, in a veterans' club, on street corners, in a restaurant, at a seniors' care home, a community centre, a playground and at a rally organized by the NDP at Sir Alexander Mackenzie elementary school.
Eleven of the 20 people said Emerson should resign. Of those 11, five voted for Emerson, two for Waddell, two wouldn't say and another two didn't vote.
Four people-two Liberals, a nonvoter and a woman who wouldn't reveal her vote-didn't have a problem with Emerson's defection, saying he shouldn't resign.
Five others-a Liberal, NDPer, Green, a nonvoter and a man who wouldn't share his vote-were undecided whether he should resign.
Respondents ranged in age from 27-year-old Kat Featherstone to 86-year-old Arthur Swanson. The majority were working class and reflected a small sample of the culturally diverse riding.
Vancouver-Kingsway runs east from Oak Street to Boundary Road and north from 41st Avenue to 16th Avenue. Emerson's office, near Victoria Drive, is considered the heart of the riding.
It's also where the Courier began its quest to gauge voters' reaction to Emerson's defection. After speaking to Claudepierre, the Courier crossed Kingsway to visit the Army Navy Airforce club, unit 100.
A handful of grey-haired men sat in a quiet hall watching a big screen television featuring the Canada-Germany men's hockey game from the Olympics in Italy.
The score was 4-1 Canada when Ken Rabb, in between sips of beer, weighed in on the Emerson affair. The retired mechanic voted for Emerson, but didn't think he should resign.
"No matter if he's Liberal or Conservative, I'd rather see him in there," he said, keeping an eye on the hockey game. "I like that he wasn't involved in these different scandals [ad sponsorship, income trust]. If he would have been running for the Conservatives, I would have still voted for him."
On the television, Shane Doan pots another goal for Canada as the third period ends. Rabb and the rest of the men are happy with the win.
Politics is a topic only Rabb would tackle, with the other men preferring to drink beer and talk hockey. Outside, at a nearby gas station, the Courier got a similar reaction from Edward Scigliano as he pumped air into his mountain bike's back tire.
With some prodding, Scigliano, a 31-year-old cement finisher, admitted he didn't vote in the Jan. 23 election. Emerson's defection, he said, is a good reason why he chose not to cast a ballot.
"I just figured that anybody I voted for wouldn't make a difference. Either way you're screwed. Emerson is proof."
When Scigliano votes, it's for any party but the Conservatives or the Liberals. He considered the NDP and the Greens in the last election, but never made it to the polls.
"Honestly, I don't follow politics that much," he said, before jumping on his bike and riding away.
Vietnamese and other Asian businesses dominate this busy strip of Kingsway. Although some had "Recall David Emerson" signs posted in their windows, none would speak to the Courier.
That wasn't the case back at Emerson's office, where businessman Jay Shankar gave his name to a constituency assistant. He heard a petition was being circulated to support Emerson, and he wanted his name on it.
Shankar voted for Emerson in January and in the June 2004 election. So did five family members, he said, noting they, too, support Emerson's defection to the Conservatives.
"I voted for him as a person, not as a party," he said. "It doesn't matter what he did. He's an educated man, he knows what he's doing. Mr. Emerson did the right thing. He'll be representing the riding well as a minister."
Shankar glances at Claudepierre who is still carrying his "Why vote?" sign. He believes Claudepierre is wasting his time, pointing out no federal legislation exists to force Emerson to resign.
"So why do that?" he said, before getting into his car.
Across town in a booth at Duffin's Donuts at 33rd and Main, Verna Pounder was longing for the days of former prime minister John Diefenbaker and former B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett.
"They were true, honest and reliable," said the retired switchboard operator. "You could take them for their word."
Pounder wouldn't say whether she voted for Emerson, but the more she talked, the more she gave clues of her choice. She's not an NDP member and said she supports Emerson "to the point that he's an intelligent man and will probably do a lot for the province."
Should he resign?
"What we should do is forget about it, let this one go. But in the next election, we should make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."
Pounder, however, is worried about the effect Emerson's defection will have on young voters. As political parties and youth organizations continue to encourage young people to vote, Emerson's move can't help their efforts, she said.
"Democracy kind of gets lost when politicians do things like that."
Pounder expected a lot of debate over Emerson's defection at a rally at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school later that night. She received a recorded message from federal NDP leader Jack Layton telling her about it.
A friend of hers, who is "anti-NDP," also received the message. Her friend likened it to "a harassment call." Pounder nor her friend planned to attend the rally.
Roughly 400 people did attend what was largely an NDP love-in, with the crowd giving standing ovations to Layton, who was joined by NDP MPs Libby Davies (Vancouver East) and Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster).
Vancouver NDP MLAs David Chudnovsky and Adrian Dix were also jammed into the school's auditorium. The lobby had volunteers busily urging people to sign petitions and fill out Ottawa-bound postcards calling for Emerson's resignation.
In Layton's opening 15-minute speech, he dwelled on the importance of democracy and the right to vote, calling it a "precious act." He called Emerson's defection "the most blatant betrayal of a group of citizens and their democratically expressed will that we've ever seen in this country."
He also criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mayor Sullivan and Premier Campbell for supporting Emerson.
"People who think it's fine have lost touch with what democracy is all about."
Layton promised the NDP will present a bill in the first session of the House of Commons to prevent MPs from crossing the floor. He noted that 40 Conservative MPs supported an earlier bill under the Martin government, but some have since changed their mind.
Layton urged the crowd to continue to fight for Emerson's resignation, saying citizens' pressure can make a difference.
"This is not going to blow over," he said to a boisterous crowd, which broke into a chant of "recall, recall, recall."
But not everybody there was an NDP supporter.
Longtime Conservative Mike Watkins, who was once national committee chair of the Progressive Conservatives, and Kevin Chalmers, a senior volunteer in both Emerson campaigns, bravely addressed the crowd.
Watkins, a soccer coach, had just come from a practice and was dressed in shorts and wearing a whistle around his neck.
"I'm here to ask the rhetorical question, 'Why aren't there more Conservatives speaking out against this? Am I the only one here, or the only one foolish enough to get up in front of a crowd?'"
He then grabbed his whistle and blew two sharp beeps.
"Emerson, you're back to the showers for unsportsmanlike conduct."
It got a laugh, but what Watkins didn't tell the crowd was that he voted for Emerson last month. He also admitted to voting for the Greens in 2004. He had his own reasons for doing so.
"I wasn't so keen about Emerson running in this riding, but I voted for him specifically because I knew the Liberals would be in opposition. And if he actually stuck it out and sat in opposition, he'd be effective. That's the whole reason I voted for him."
Now Watkins thinks Emerson should resign, and so does Chalmers who is leading a campaign to "de-elect" Emerson. He told the Courier after the rally the campaign will be run like an election campaign, with lawn signs and door-to-door visits.
"Our colour schemes are black and white because the issue is black and white. I certainly don't hope to be doing this in six months, but if that's the case, so be it. Democracy is too important to let go. So we'll be out there in the rain, in the snow, in the sun until it's done."
Chalmers' effort alone, he said, proves the push to have Emerson resign is not solely being organized by the NDP-as Emerson alleged on a recent CKNW radio show, referring to his critics as "partisan zealots and party operatives that have been spinning the media."
"Whether it helps the NDP or not, this is an issue that transcends politics," Chalmers said. "It really is amazing in many senses that it has really shaken the electorate and many Canadians from their apathy."
The morning after the rally, the Courier received a phone call from Lionel Hodgson, a 76-year-old disabled man living in Three Links Care Centre at 22nd and Renfrew.
Hodgson voted for Emerson and wanted to ensure his name was included in the list of voters who support the MP's move to the Conservatives.
Like Jay Shankar and Ken Rabb, Hodgson said he voted for Emerson the man, not Emerson the Liberal. Hodgson was the first person to congratulate Emerson at his victory party at the Golden Swan restaurant on election night.
The Courier has photographs of Hodgson, who is in a wheelchair, greeting Emerson in the parking lot of the restaurant on Victoria Drive.
It's the same restaurant where Emerson told supporters he would be Harper's "worst nightmare" and be "in the faces" of Conservative cabinet ministers.
"There are a lot of people out there who are opposed to what he did, but those people don't represent everybody," said Hodgson in an interview in the care centre's lobby. "What Emerson did was his choice and he had no choice considering Martin's poor showing. He let down Emerson."
Added Hodgson, repeating the mantra of the business set: "It will be good for the city, good for the province and good for the people of Canada. Emerson loves Canada, so does Harper and so do I."
Hodgson has an interesting political history, with various political allegiances. He was a campaign manager for former parks board commissioner Charlie Stephens in the 1950s and a publicist for former Socred MLA Fred Sharp in 1960.
In the November municipal election, he voted for Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Jim Green. In the provincial election, he voted for the Liberals and is a supporter of Premier Campbell.
He knows about good public relations, having worked as a publicist for the Arts Club Theatre for nine years. No matter what people think of Emerson's move, the public outcry is coming from a minority, he believes.
"They're taking it too personally."
After leaving Hodgson to a bridge game, the Courier travelled to a street corner at 18th and Cambie. Up and down Cambie, pictures of Emerson are plastered on light poles calling for his resignation. Some have "Judas" in bold letters written on them.
On her way home from shopping, Rosalind Scarnell plunked down her bags of groceries to talk about an issue that she believes is personal. She voted for Emerson and doesn't buy the argument that his defection is good for business.
"It's not just any job, and I personally don't think that he has the rights or the freedoms to make those decisions independent of the voters. If he was a civil servant, a deputy minister, offered a different job, that would be a different story. But he seems to have forgotten that he is the representative of the riding and he is beholden to the people of his riding."
Scarnell also doesn't agree that Ontario MP Belinda Stronach, a former Conservative leadership hopeful, did the same thing when she crossed the floor in May 2005 to the Liberals.
"Emerson did not cross the floor on principle, he did not cross the floor because of a disagreement on principle, he did not cross the floor because the people in his riding asked him to. He crossed the floor for a job opportunity."
Added Scarnell: "One would have thought from David Emerson's past that he would be a trustworthy candidate. So I think we're all shocked and surprised. There was no reason not to trust him. I think it's totally outrageous."
So how does all of this sit with Emerson?
Over the weekend, he admitted on a national television talk show that he wasn't "the sharpest political knife in the drawer."
He also promised to write letters of apology to those constituents upset by his move to the Conservatives. There is no plan, however, for a town hall meeting.
Since he defected Feb. 6, the former head of forestry giant Canfor has carefully chosen the media organizations he talks to. CKNW, CTV, The Vancouver Sun and The Globe and Mail have all had their time with Emerson.
Last Wednesday, the Courier learned through Emerson's public relations person in Ottawa that it was 70th on the list of media organizations requesting an interview.
It didn't matter that the Courier left messages with Emerson's constituency office on the day of Emerson's defection, or contacted former Conservative MP John Reynolds, who recruited Emerson.
It also didn't matter that the Courier is the paper delivered to more homes in Vancouver-Kingsway than any other news publication.
After the Courier finished interviews with constituents Friday afternoon, and still hadn't received a call from Emerson, it was time for a visit to Emerson's house.
The 60-year-old millionaire lives in a new heritage-style home on a leafy street in Shaughnessy, which is not in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding.
Accompanied by a photographer, this reporter climbed the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. Emerson's wife Theresa could be seen through the large windows adjacent to the door.
She approached with a puzzled look on her face. As this reporter was about to press his business card against the window, she noticed the photographer.
She said something indecipherable, turned and disappeared up a set of stairs. Maybe she was going to get Emerson, we thought. So we waited.
He didn't show. I shoved a business card through a mail slot that read, "Mr. Emerson, I would like to speak to you. Please call me."
As of yesterday morning, the man who was once a Liberal and elected by 20,062 voters to work on their behalf, still hadn't called.
Nor had he resigned.
published on 02/22/2006
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I will say it again, floor-crossing is not acceptable in Canada.