Appalling Start

I spoke too hastily when I named my last entry "Bad Start". I wrote it quickly during my lunch break this afternoon in reaction to David Emerson's appointment. In hindsight, the title is exceedingly mild.

Here's something that I glossed over earlier. From CTV:

The appointment of Fortier as public works minister came as another big surprise.

Harper has no MPs in any of the Canada's three biggest cities, and he told reporters he appointed Fortier -- a key business figure, party organizer in Quebec and a former president of the Progressive Conservative party -- because he needs a minister from Montreal in his cabinet.

Fortier is not a Member of Parliament, and is being temporarily appointed to the Senate until a seat opens up in the Commons -- a move which seems to contradict Harper's pledge to reform the Senate by appointing only elected Senators as one of his first steps in the new Parliament.

But Harper said Fortier will run in the next federal election, and that he will step down from his Senate seat once he is elected to Parliament.

"Michael Fortier is leaving a lucrative, private sector job to take this (position) ... but it is only a temporary appointment. He has agreed that he will step down at the next federal election . . . and so this Senate seat will be available for elections, and we'll be proceeding with Senate elections in the not-too-distant future."

Conservatives have been talking about senate reform for more than a decade. They rightly argued that the senate lacks legitimacy because it is an unelected body. Now they are finally in power and their first act is to appoint someone to the senate. Does this mean that they now accept the legitimacy of the senate, now that they are in the position to make the patronage appointments? I don't care if the appointment is "temporary"; I'm stupefied.

Allow me to echo Coyne's call. Harper needs to avoid Martin's major pitfall, which was to stand behind bad decisions until the problems that result fester and become unmanageable. Harper needs to get approval from the people for these decisions. Neither Emerson nor Fortier should be allowed into cabinet until they are duly elected by the people that they are meant to represent. The new Prime Minister needs to act immediately to rectify the situation by announcing a by-election in David Emerson's Vancouver riding and a senatorial election for Michael Fortier.

The whole farce does not impress me in the least. Next time I might end up voting Green.