Members of the federal Liberal B.C. caucus may have been surprised by a deafening clap of thunder in the wee hours of the morning. It was sound of air rushing in to fill the void suddenly vacated by David Emerson: once a member of the party’s B.C. dream team, and now the latest fanged horror to creep into the ongoing Liberal nightmare.
Forgive New Democrats a few moments of wry chuckling. We might be laughing even harder, were it not for the stitches on those still-fresh wounds from when the Liberals convinced Ujjal Dosanjh, Shirley Chan and Dave Haggard to run with Mr. Emerson under the banner of the Natural Governing Party, where they would have a chance to actually Achieve Great Things.
Less than two years later, Chan is remembered mainly for the venemous (and unsuccessful) campaign she ran against Libby Davies; Haggard has lost for the second time running; and Dosanjh’s major accomplishments on behalf of public health care can be counted on the fingers of one foot – a tally that won’t change much now that he’s relegated to the opposition benches. Meanwhile, rounding out the team’s roster, neither Bill Cunningham nor Miles Richardson ever made it into Parliament.
So the Conservatives are tickled, the Liberals are seething and New Democrats are enjoying a little schadenfreude – except for Ian Waddell, the NDP candidate who lost to Emerson last month. He’s justified in feeling more than a little angry. So are all the voters of Vancouver-Kingsway who voted Liberal instead of NDP to stop the conservatives… and ended up electing one instead.
That must be what Jack Layton meant by Harper Liberals.
Agreed that we the voters of Vancouver Kingsway should be hoppin’ mad.
But it should have nothing to do with having voted for Emerson to stop the evil Cons.
After all, anybody who was even half paying attention knew that the Con in our riding had no chance.
Didn’t they?
.
Well, god knows the Liberals were doing their level best to muddy those waters, and create in voters’ minds the idea that you had to vote Liberal in every single riding in Canada to stop the Conservatives: even where the Liberals traditionally ran third, and even where the Conservatives weren’t a threat.
Citizens’ rights, Emerson and Harper – Class action lawsuit needed?
For those voters in Vancouver Kingsgate who are angry about Emerson’s unilateral decision to overturn the results of the federal election in their riding, consider this:
1. You are a citizen of Canada.
2. Your citizenship rights are protected in the Constitution, especially in the Charter of Rights, and by centuries of common law.
3. You have a right to protect your constitutional rights.
4. Harper and Emerson have denied you your rights as a citizen of this country.
5. Instead of just calling for Emerson to resign, why not establish a fund to pay for lawyers to launch a class action suit on behalf of the Liberal voters of Vancouver Kingsway, seeking a court order directing Mr. Emerson to cease and desist from representing that riding until such time as he stands for election as a Conservative?
Stand up for your rights.
Take back your rights.
Don’t just get mad; get even with Mr. Emerson.