Garth Turner: “If they decide to change parties, they should go and get re-elected”
February 6, 2007 · By Greg Farries
Does Garth Turner read his own blog? If so, he might remember writing the following after Liberal MP Emerson crossed the floor to the Conservative party,
I am a democrat who believes everyone in the House of Commons, including the cabinet members who make up the government, should be elected. They should sit in Parliament as they were elected. If they decide to change parties, they should go and get re-elected.
Are you going to resign Garth?
Update: More Garth quotes (this was taken from Garth’s post, “Your bosses are in this room“),
But the support of my constituents was not unqualified. Some may want me to join the Greens. Some may wish I’d negotiate my way back into the Harper caucus. But all of them, this day at least, wanted me to maintain my integrity by standing up for them as a proud MP – no matter how far back my new seat is, or how daunting the challenges I may face in Ottawa.
And then we voted.
(1) Resign your seat – zero
(2) Negotiate back into caucus – 17
(3) Join the Liberals – zero
(4) Go Green – 17
(5) Stay independent – 31
Update 2: What a Joke – Garth now claims he won’t resign and that Harper should call a bi-election instead.
Last, I am most happy to run in a by-election along with Emerson, Fortier and Khan. Fair is fair, and I challenge PMSH to set a date. I’ll resign 36 days earlier and campaign with pleasure. Bring it on.
I’ve been wondering why no one in the media has yet to call him on his blatant hypocrisy.
Turner was expelled from the CPoC caucus for failure to sit down, shut up, and toe the party line – something that makes the situation considerably different than the previous Stronach, Emerson, Khan, crossings for political gain.
Given that he was evicted from the political house his constituents put him in by Harper and is now looking for a new home neither the CPoC nor their supporters, have any platform to crow from.
– don’t ‘cha think?
Amazing, when Stronach crossed the floor, there were all kinds of calls from the CPoC and their supporters for this kind of thing.
Now, when the shoe’s on the other foot, we hear silence? How fascinating…
Well, the reports say he’s joining the Liberal caucus, which means he’s not resigning his seat. If this is true, he’s a hypocrite  just like I’ve been saying all along.
Belinda never criticized floor crossers, Garth did! That’s the only point we’re making today!
He offered to run in a byelection if Harper wants to call one for him, Emerson, and Khan at the same time.
“He offered to run in a byelection if Harper wants to call one for him, Emerson, and Khan at the same time.”
In other words, he offered a complete copout. The guy has zero credibility.
The only thing the CPOC and their supporters seem to be crowing about today is Garth’s abandonment of certain principles and the fact that he’s now a Liberal problem.
To cross the floor you have to leave one party and join another…. tell me, which party did Turner leave?
That’s not a cop-out Dennis (2nd Thoughts), it’s a challenge… one that the current PM doesn’t seem to have the gonads to rise to.
I still have to ask…. if you’re not a member of a party how can you leave that party to join another?
Stageleft, I’m just glad that this last move by Turner once and for all exposes who he is.
The only people who believe him now are Liberals, and that says as much about them as it does about him.
Canadians know that Garth Turner became a Liberal in direct contradiction of everything he has said for the last year. They know he did it for himself, and that the Liberals welcomed him with open arms.
You and Turner can hide behind Stephen Harper, David Emerson, and all the technicalities you want, the rest of us know what Garth Turner did. He’s a self-serving hypocrite. Nothing else.
Even the local paper, who has endorsed his antics for all this time, turned on him and finally saw him for what he is.
I suggest you stop drinking the Kool-Aid and start seeing Turner for what he really is. The rest of Canada finally has.