Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who just a few weeks ago was "loath to co-operate with an individual whose decision-making ability has been questioned, moreover who has been found in contempt of the House" (ie. the Ethics Commissioner) and former Liberal now turned Conservative cabinet minister David Emerson have both been cleared of any wrongdoing in the floor crossing affair.Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro concluded:
My conclusion from the preliminary inquiry is that neither Mr. Harper nor Mr. Emerson contravened any of the specific Sections of the Members’ Code. I am satisfied that no special inducement was offered by Mr. Harper to convince Mr. Emerson to join his Cabinet and his party. In addition, there is no reason, and certainly no evidence, to contradict Mr. Emerson’s own claim that accepting Mr. Harper’s offer seemed, at least to him, a way to better serve his city, province and country. I therefore find no reason to pursue these matters further.
That having been said, I believe that the discontent expressed by Canadians on this matter cannot be attributed merely to the machinations of partisan politics. Fairly or unfairly, this particular instance has given many citizens a sense that their vote – the cornerstone of our democratic system – was somehow devalued, if not betrayed. Relative to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner, this disquiet is reflected in the gap between the values underlying the principles of the Members’ Code and the detailed conflict of interest rules within the Code itself. While I can administer the rules, the gap can only be addressed through rigorous political debate and the development, through the political process, of the appropriate policies to address it.
No word yet on whether PM Harper is also "loath" to accept these results.
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