For This Week In Canadian Politics we have a lot on the plate, so let’s just jump right into – the growing Emerson fiasco (yes, it got bigger), thinking long and hard about an elected Senate, the gulf that is still US-Canadian relationships, Alberta’s premier political race starts up, and maybe something about Steven Harper’s first official trip as Prime Minister…oh, he went to Afghanistan…well time permitting.
This Week In Canadian Politics is a weekly summary of posting at Maple Leaf Politics.
Emerson Steps In a Hugh Pile of….
Even though protestors dumped manure outside Emerson’s office in Vancouver, Emerson stepped into a lot more trouble this week.
The saga that is the Emerson tale just took another turn. Now there is a call for an investigation into probably “conflicts of interest” into the very nature of his new job. When Steven Harper named Emerson the new Minister of International Trade, he stated that Emerson was “the person most suited to settle the softwood lumber dispute” with the United States.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with that. Before entering government, Emerson was the president and CEO of Canfor, Canada’s largest forestry company. Canfor, was one of many companies specifically named by the US in the anti-dumping case brought before the WTO. So the question would be if Emerson would not have a conflict of interst in resolving the dispute.
While still a minister in the Paul Martin government, Emerson signed a public declaration of recusal with the Ethics Commisioner’s office. Due to an unregistered pension plan, that Emerson had with Canfor, he felt that he should “abstain from any participation in discussions or decision making processes involving direct dealings with Canfor”. However, he did also state that he should not be excluded from any general application or industry-related affairs that pertain directly to his government position. This is where Emerson gave himself a way out, in his own eyes.
Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc is the one calling for the investigation. LeBlanc wrote the letter to Bernard Shapiro about this new possible ethics violation.
“In his capacity as minister of international trade, he is directly involved in negotiations not only related to the possible agreement with the United States but also the refund of deposits held by the U.S. Treasury and paid by Canadian softwood producers,” wrote LeBlanc.
“Canfor Corporation would be one of the largest depositors of money subject to this potential refund.”
Canfor is believed to have given $750 million of the total $5 billion that has been collected as duties on Canadian lumber over the past few years.
“This on-going financial relationship between the minister of international trade and one of Canada’s largest lumber producers makes his continued, direct involvement in these discussions open to the public concern,” LeBlanc wrote in his letter.
This is a serious violation and probably the one that is going to kick Emerson to the ground. He has been able to duck his aisle crossing, by playing stupid and saying “others have done it”. This one, though, seems to be a gross “conflict of interest”.
NDP MP Pat Martin stated it best –
“This softwood lumber conflict of interest issue was sort of eclipsed by the floor crossing, but in actual fact the softwood lumber case is far more serious than the floor crossing,” he said.
“The public I think will twig to this. This is the most egregious conflict of interest issue here. There’s no debate about that type of conflict. The jury is still out on whether offering a reward to cross the floor is a conflict.”
…
“How can you separate Canfor from the softwood lumber file when they’re one of the main companies that will stand to get hundreds of millions of dollars negotiated back into their coffers and he’s a direct beneficiary of Canfor’s well-being?”
The smell of this will reach Ottawa by April 3rd, if Emerson is not removed by then.
Let’s Think About Those Senate Elections, Really Hard
Many are starting to wonder if Prime Minister Steven Harper really knows what he is trying to accomplish with Senate elections. Harper has stated that he will push will election reforms for the Senate, with or without the approval of the provinces. However, this causes some of the possible problems.
One unanswered issue is what happens after the senator is elected. The Constitution strickly states that after joining the Senate, the senator is there until he/she reaches the age of 75 or resigns. So the whole idea of making Senators accoutable to the people is mute. They could say anything to get elected, but after getting elected, they can do anything they like. One does not have to look much past the currect Emerson scandal to see what could play out in those situations.
The only way that this could be changed would be an amendment to the Constitution that would require the approval of seven provinces with at least 50% of the vote. So Mr. Harper would need to the approval of the provinces or face an even bigger ethical mess.
Then there is the transition period. Would Harper force the entire chamber to run for election, or as positions come open fill them with elections? Either way, there would be huge ramifications. If the whole chamber was forced out, count on numerous lawsuits by senators. The other would mean a mixture of appointed and elected senators for decades to come. What kind of chamber would that be?
Then there is the whole idea of an elected Senate. Will the Senators feel empowered to block legislation from the House of Commons? What issues would that cause? If one party controled the House – which then technically controls the government – and another party control the Senate, wouldn’t it make the whole business of Canadian government come to a stand still?
I have stated before, that on its face, an elected Senate sounds like a good idea. However, until Harper can answer some of these basic questions, I see more turmoil that effective government.
Let’s Put US-Canadian Relationships Back Together, so We Can Blow Them Apart
There were many Americans that were happy to see Steven Harper get elected as Prime Minsiter. But this was more than likely because Harper was a “Conservative” defeating a “Liberal” government. Next to that, most Americans still don’t have a clue what Harper or Canadians in general stand for. That is why it seems that there seems to be no coverage in the States over issues that are very important not only to Canadians, but a picture that it paints of American society in the North and around-the-world.
There is starting to be a lot of concern about future requirements that Canadian citizens and returning US citizens from Canada will need to produce either a passport or a new ID card to enter the United States starting in 2008.
Currently only 20% of Americans and 40% of Canadians have passports (that should tell you a lot right there, but that is for a future discussion), and it is unlikely that many Americans will shell out the $55 for this new ID card. Currently a US passport runs about $90 depending on the type. A newly release Zogby International poll shows that 68% of Americans and 54% of Canadians will purchase the new ID card. This is making business and tourism officials very nervous.
“Our borders are going to come to a screaming halt because people don’t have what they need,” said Lisa Katz, who’s with the Detroit Regional Chamber.
“This is a sea (of) change for the Canada-U.S. border. This is a big deal.”
To fly from and to Canada, Americans will need to have passports, the ID card will only work at land crossings. For someone that jumps the border many times a year, this is going to be huge. When I fly into Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver (in two weeks Ottawa), I am one of the rare people that produces a passport. Most of the American travelers show their driver’s license and a birth certificate. These people will have to either get a passport or they will simple stop flying out of Canada, thus ending millions and millions of dollars in tourism and business related travel.
No more jumping the border in the car to do cross border business, again how many millions if not billions of dollar in trade? But why would any Canadian in their right mind want to come to the United States when for the first time since 1817 there are US “warships” on the Great Lakes.
Down at Krazy Klein’s Everything Must Go….Including Me!!!
Crazy Alberta Primier Ralph Klein has annouced that he will retire October 2007. Happy Days are here again, The skies above are clear again, So let’s sing a song of cheer again Sorry about that.
Klein will end more than two years of speculation when he tells the annual general meeting of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta on March 31 that he’ll retire in exactly 19 months.
“The storm clouds had been building. Mr. Klein is a great reader of the political signs and he must have known in his heart it was time to go,” said David Taras, a political analyst at the University of Calgary. “He has a chance to go out on his own steam or be pushed out.”
The premier’s future has been the subject of intense debate since the last election in November 2004, after which Klein made it public he wouldn’t seek office again.
But guess what, if you are a member of Klein’s cabinet and you want to get his job, you need to go this June.
Alberta cabinet ministers who want to take a run at Ralph Klein’s job in two years will have to resign their portfolios by June 1, the premier said Wednesday.
Klein told The Canadian Press that he made the announcement at the daily government caucus meeting. So far three cabinet members are among the six men who have indicated interest in the leadership of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party – Transportation Minister Lyle Oberg, Advanced Education Minister David Hancock and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Ed Stelmach.
A spokesman for Oberg said the minister will keep his portfolio until June 1 and then step down as the premier requested.
Hancock and Stelmach were not immediately available for comment.
I can see a lot of reasons for this, but then this is also Ralph Klein, so I can see a bunch of other reasons for it too. I guess we wait for June 1st now.
Mr. Harper Goes To Sunny Afghanistan
Prime Minister Harper took his first international trip as the leader of Canada – to sunny Afghanistan. Even though the trip was expected, no one knew when the trip would actually take place due to security concerns. Apparently, Harper and his staff left Saturday.
Harper took the opportunity to boost morale among the troops and put critics of the deployment on notice.
Mr. Harper said that Canadians in Afghanistan are doing important work despite the dangers and they must remain dedicated.
“You are standing up for these things, standing up for core Canadian values. Taking on the danger you’re taking … [is] not easy. It’s never easy, especially for the men and women who are on the front lines,” the Prime Minister said. He said the government will continue to encourage troops who are there, and told them not to listen to those who don’t support the mission.
“There here may be some who may want to cut and run. But cutting and running is not your way. It’s not my way, and it’s not the Canadian way. We don’t make a commitment and then run away at the first sign of trouble.”
I have no problem with the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. I think that it is a just deployment, like former US President Bill Clinton does. However, I take issue when a politician says that you can discuss or be critical of a mission. I think that it is a bunch of BS when they throw in terms like “patriotism” and “support the troops”. Everyone has a different approach to patriotism and supporting the troops and if asking questions is how they do that, that is their right.
Well, that is all for this week. Things that we are following for next week, beside Emerson, is the possible introduction of a new candidate for Liberal Leadership position – Bob Rae, the former NDP (yes, I said NDP) Premier of Ontario. He is toying with the idea, let’s see where it goes. And as always, April 3rd is not coming fast enough.
