On Emerson

*bangs head against desk*

No way in hell is my Conservative MP back home in Revelstoke going to support an NDP motion. What the heck is Antoinette thinking? She's not going to get any good results if she doesn't allow for him to give her any good results. This is not how you get people to do what you want, by writing them snarky letters that they have no hope of acting on.

Besides that, Stephen Harper appointed Davide Emerson to become Minister of International Trade because he's qualified for the job. Do you honestly think that the bloody Prime Minister of Canada would appoint someone from outside of his own party if he didn't have a damn good reason to do so? I give you David Emerson:

"David Emerson was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004 and was named Minister of Industry in July 2004. He was re-elected in 2006.

In 1975, Mr. Emerson joined the Government of British Columbia, becoming the province’s Deputy Minister of Finance in 1984. In 1986, Mr. Emerson left government to become President and CEO of the Western and Pacific Bank of Canada. Four years later, he returned to the provincial government as Deputy Minister of Finance, then Deputy Minister to the Premier, and later President of B.C. Trade Development Corporation.

In 1992, Mr. Emerson was appointed to lead the newly created Vancouver International Airport Authority. In 1998, he was appointed President and CEO of Canfor Corporation.

Mr. Emerson attended the University of Alberta and obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. He then went on to Queen’s University where he received his doctorate in economics."

He's the most qualified person to kick the United States' butt in the softwood lumber industry, which is exactly what he's going to do. Stephen Harper knows this. I might not like the man's policies, but he ain't stupid and he might know a thing or two about some of the issues affecting the west. What? Oh yeah. Take a look at what the softwood lumber issue has done to Revelstoke. Now think--this is a man that is going to change international trade that will help the riding. Oops, I apologize: help it by gaining well-deserved and much-needed wages (capital). And you're left-wing. Well wake up and smell the flowers, because we're a Western country and capitalism will not stop being our dominant ideology; however, more people with high wages means more people paying taxes and less welfare needed. Which means more money to things like education, environment, health care, public transport, etc. Which, as far as I recall, having sat through three days of NDPers patting each other on the back and grand-standing, are pretty important to the party.

*twitches*

Emerson got elected in a very left riding, and now he's on the right hand of the political spectrum. Well. Morally, I don't agree--but let's face it, the right hand side of Canadian politics would be considered left in... um... oh, right, basically anywhere but in communist states. *snorts* Sometimes I love Canadian politics, sometimes I feel like throttling it and saying it's a load of bullshit anyway. Now is one of those times.