CAP To Run Candidates As Liberals & Conservatives Next Election!

Related story:<br />
Constituents call Emerson a traitor<br />
By CANADIAN PRESS<br />
Feb 12, 2006, 22:42<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tricubemedia.net/lethherald/publish/article_1114.php">http://www.tricubemedia.net/lethherald/publish/article_1114.php</a><p>---<br>If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

I think that's absolutely hilarious! It would really be funny if that happened. Since fraud is all about intent, I wonder if it's a crime to do that in a premeditated fashion.?

Yes it certainly should be! And it should be applied across the board. Obviously, this press release is tongue in cheek, only to highlight exactly how ridiculous this situation is! Remember the big parties set the rules of engagement and the rest of us follow them. If people don't want this kind of behaviour, and hopefully we don't, we should demand a by-election for Emerson, and demand recall legislation now. Also we should demand all cabinet ministers be elected. If Harper can appoint one, why not all?

It could only have had more impact as a press release on April fools day, but by then the media will have buried the Emerson situation. We need action now!

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

One big problem - Conservatives and Liberals can read. You don't announce your shady plans for the world to hear then hope to get away with it. No CAPer will get anywhere near running as a Con or Lib now.

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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

oh no Roy whatever will we do! ha ha

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Why wait for the next election? Start approaching a NDP (or even a Con or Lib) to cross the floor to CAP during this parliament. Do this and you will get major media coverage and go down in history. This move would certainly not be for money...

I get the jesting, but really, what is the bigger point? Considering so many don't vote already, many because of shady politics, why even play this game? Is it really in CAP's best interest to look no better than those that have already done this?

Taking this further, what if a current CAPer wants to move to another party? Such a press release no matter the underlying reasoning, may taint their ability to move on. If I worked for the Cons on Libs, and had a known CAPer knocking at my door, I may just turn them away. You all did consider the long term to your release I hope?

For what it is worth, if I was still with CAP I wouldn't have supported any of this, not for a second.

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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

All jesting aside the bigger point is very important. By bringing this issue to light, we are focusing on the Emerson situation. If it is seen as incredibly duplicitous for CAP it should be equally as duplicitous for Liberals and Conservatives. Roy you were CAP and now run as Green, you made your choice and your voters should know what you stand for, obviously you wouldn't run Green and then cross the floor to CAP. If someone else ran as CAP but found the Liberals or Conservatives policy was the one they support then they are free to move before the election.

Small parties fight to be heard, we fight for funding, and we at CAP are fighting to bring the issues out. Emerson would not talk about the Security and Prosperity Agreement even though Connie Fogal brought it up. He ran from the issue. If a candidate can just pick a party that they know will get them elected and then move across the floor, that system needs to be stopped. That is the purpose of the press release. Either you believe in the party or you don't. Either you tell the voters truthfully what you stand for and follow through when they give you permission to do so, or you don't run on that platform. Emerson would probably never have been elected as a Conservative, as the people didn't want the Conservative platform, but they are going to get it anyway. That is wrong. The press release is pointing out the loophole or problem with the election process and parliamentary process.

You may not have endorsed this press release Roy, and perhaps that is in part why you chose not to be with CAP and went to the Greens. You can't make decisions for a party you don't support, anymore than I would tell the Greens what to do. CAP is using this press release to point out the flaws in the system. I would think you could see that by making this statement it makes the Emerson situation more obvious.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

I bet you could get someone from the Bloc to cross over...

Fair enough, but I still have friends with CAP and I would hate to see their futures held back because of someone else's perception. Since politics is all about perception, even jesting could turn out to be a bad move.

Yes the Emerson affair should highlighted, but not this way. That's just my opinion.

As a contrast the Greater Van Greens released the following:

Nine of the Green Party's candidates from the Lower Mainland have stepped forth to demand the resignation of former Liberal candidate (now Conservative MP) David Emerson. Furthermore, say the nine GPC candidates, Emerson's defection provides yet more evidence that electoral reform, particularly some form of proportional representation, is urgently required in Canada.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Arno Schortinghuis, Green Party candidate for Vancouver-Kingsway, said: The day that Mr. Emerson "crossed the floor" to the Conservative party was a dark day for Canadian democracy. We believe that to do this so soon after the election is opportunistic, deceitful and possibly fraudulent. He has betrayed his supporters and the entire electorate in Vancouver Kingsway. He has put his personal goals ahead of those of the electorate.

Mr. Schortinghuis noted that Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper made a promise to make government more accountable. However, his first act as prime minister shows that he has little regard for the wishes of people of Vancouver Kingsway. How can we ever trust this man again? Mr. Schortinghuis and his colleagues look forward to a ruling from the Ethics Commissioner as to whether Mr. Harper is in breach of ethics rules for offering a cabinet post for switching parties.

Mr. Schortinghuis and colleagues also called into question the integrity of the existing electoral system, which encourages so-called strategic voting instead of voting according to actual values, beliefs and ideals.

Voters in the Green Party candidate's ridings frequently indicated intentions to vote strategically under Canada's antiquated and imbalanced first-past-the-post electoral system, in order that the Conservative candidate would not get elected. They suggest it is possible that Mr. Emerson's margin of victory is due to these strategic votes. This is one more reason that we desperately need a system of proportional representation (PR), added Mr. Schortinghuis, so that the wishes of each voter are reflected in the election results, and put an end to the need for such duplicity and trickery by old-line parties.

Mr. Schortinghuis and his Green Party colleagues were not surprised to see Mr. Harper reach outside of his party for suitable cabinet members but were shocked that Mr. Emerson joined the Conservative Party, since it is possible for opposition MPs to join the ruling party cabinet while remaining members of an opposing party. This type of cabinet structure is common in Europe.

Mr. Emerson must resign his seat so that the true wishes of the voters of Vancouver Kingsway may be heard.

The nine Green Party of Canada candidates calling for Emerson's resignation are:

Arno Schortinghuis, Green Party Candidate, Vancouver Kingsway
Jerad Evans, Green Party Candidate, Vancouver Centre
Robert Hornsey, Green Party Candidate, Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission
Jean Philipe LaFlamme, Green Party Candidate, Delta-Richmond East
Richard Mathias, Green Party Candidate, Richmond
Patrick Meyer, Green Party Candidate, Langley
Pierre Rovtar, Green Party Candidate, Surrey South-White Rock
Roy Whyte, Green Party Candidate, Surrey North
Silvane Zimmerman, Green Party Candidate, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country


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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

This is perhaps the point being missed, "CAP takes Lesson from Emerson Strategy"

We need electoral reform and recall legislation to prevent this from happening over and over again. Roy your concerns about someone not being able to run as a Liberal or Conservative are ridiculous. If we can make the changes today, we can prevent anyone from any party from doing this in the future. You are indicating that by making this a big issue, it will prevent someone from doing what Emerson, Stronach and others have done, but the Stronach issue is different that the Emerson issue. If you are suggesting that my press release will stop people from joining another party to take advantage of the chance to be elected, even if they don't believe in the party policy, then great! Our concern is not about enabling someone to have a career by sacrificing the people in the process, it is about preventing it from occuring in the first place. We are trying to raise the bar, prevent opportunism, make the system more democratic, make those elected(hired by us to work for us) transparently accountable to us.



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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Is it rue Roy, what my spies tell me, that you, out of self interest (my assessment) abandoned CAP for the greens?
Get any "green" for that yet, Roy?

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Nothing in this World makes People so Afraid as the Influence of an Independant Minded Individual.
Attrib. Al EINSTEIN

I love it. This just made my day, thanks!

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These days, if you are not confused, you are not thinking clearly. Mrs. Irene Peters

That is hillarious. Why stop at feds, maybe recruit from prov NDP parties. Leaders etc.