Emerson, Hearn, Solberg

[jdobbin]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson, one of the bright stars in the Conservative cabinet, will not be running in the election to be called on Sunday, CTV News has learned.

Sources have also told CTV that Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn will also retire from politics when the writ is dropped.

Both men are senior ministers who carry heavy political responsibilities.

The Palliser MP was the third person to announce he would not run as well.

Edited September 5, 2008 by jdobbin

[DanInOttawa]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

The Palliser MP was the third person to announce he would not run as well.

I am sure that after the writ is dropped, there will be more politicians retiring, it always happen. Some chose to retire on their own terms and some just get votted out.

I think in Emerson's case he just wants to retire. The Consevatives offered him a safe seat and if he wanted to he would be re-elected.

Edited September 3, 2008 by DanInOttawa

[jdobbin]

I think in Emerson's case he just wants to retire. The Consevatives offered him a safe seat and if he wanted to he would be re-elected.

I know they were trying to find him a place that might have better luck for him in the election but I don't think he wanted to slug it out going door to door. In other words, the seat offered wasn't as safe seat in that all he had to do was put his name on the ballot.

Edited September 3, 2008 by jdobbin

[normanchateau]

I think in Emerson's case he just wants to retire. The Conservatives offered him a safe seat and if he wanted to he would be re-elected.

What evidence do you have that they offered him a safe seat?

Emerson lives in Vancouver Quadra which the Liberals won by only 151 votes in the 2008 byelection. There were rumors that he would run in Quadra but CPC has appointed Deborah Meredith, the Conservative who almost won the riding in the byelection, to run again:

http://www.straight.com/article-159987/rem...h-versus-murray

Too bad. As a Quadra resident, I was very much looking forward to Emerson knocking on my door. I might even have provided him with feedback about his leader.

[jdobbin]

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/AL...CsoT-5RR_9ZNQ9w

Three cabinet ministers are retiring from politics, the Conservative party said Thursday just days before an expected election call.

Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn and Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson will not seek re-election, the party said in a statement. Emerson and Hearn - who faced difficult electoral fights - had not been expected to run again but Solberg's departure came as a surprise.

The jovial and wise-cracking minister was a party stalwart in a safe riding, and had been an outspoken, effective finance critic while in opposition.

An election call is expected early Sunday for Oct. 14.

"All three of these ministers have served Canadians with distinction," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.

Although, he says he didn't leave because he felt constrained, I don't think it was something that he liked much.

[Topaz]

I will always remember Emerson getting on the floor in Question Period and replying to the Libs remarks about the lumber situation. He said, "this party has done more in these talks than the Liberals ever did"!!! I thought, wait a minute it was Emerson himself that were conducting the talks with the US at the time, so he just ran down himself!!! I'm sure if the times were back 100-150 years, Emerson would have been ran out of town by the citizens that elected him. Maybe Solberg will go back to brodcasting the news and help out the party and it was also joyable to listen to Hearn when he got upset of what the oppositions had to say.

[normanchateau]

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...ba-d10be1a9efa8

"David Emerson said Thursday evening that he could have won Vancouver-Kingsway but ultimately decided not to seek re-election in order to spend more time with his Vancouver family.

Asked about speculation this week that Prime Minister Harper could opt to keep Emerson in cabinet by appointing him to the senate, Emerson said: "I haven't even given any thought to that. It's premature to speculate on anything of that nature."

What's interesting here is what Emerson did NOT say:

(1) He did not say that he'd decline a Senate appointment and cabinet position if it were offered to him.

(2) He did not say that Harper would not be so sleazy as to appoint an unelected senator to his cabinet.