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Matt

Greens May Have An Mp Soon.

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Alright, for those unfamiliar with Garth Turner, here's a link to a bit of some background on him. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/parliame...rth-turner.html.

 

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStorie...showbyline=True

 

Ousted MP Turner won't rule out joining Greens

19/10/2006 11:34:09 AM

 

Suspended Conservative MP Garth Turner won't rule out joining the Green Party of Canada after he was stripped of Tory status on Wednesday.

CTV.ca News Staff

 

Turner, a maverick MP known for his willingness to speak out against his own party, is currently considered an independent member of parliament after the Conservative national caucus accepted a unanimous recommendation from the Ontario caucus to suspend him.

 

He now has the opportunity to become the first Green MP in the House of Commons, but nothing is certain at this point.

 

"I need to find ways of being an effective MP, I truly do. I'm not ruling out anything right now, it's way too early," Turner told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday in response to questions about the possibility of joining the Greens.

 

"I'm going to try and determine over the next two or three days what is the best course of action for me to be an effective member of Parliament. Right now I'm an independent. It's pretty easy to ignore an independent member of Parliament, I understand that completely."

 

Rahim Jaffer, the national caucus chair, said Turner was kicked out because Ontario MPs felt "the theme of confidentiality was not being respected" and that Turner was too critical of his colleagues.

 

He said the suspension was due in part to Turner's blog, which he often uses as a soapbox to make his opinions known.

 

Jaffer said Turner's indiscretions were hurting the caucus' ability to function behind closed doors.

 

Turner said he returned from Ottawa to his Halton, Ont. riding late Wednesday night. He said his local electoral board met and gave him a "thumbs up," signalling they still supported the ousted MP.

 

He will spend the next couple of days speaking with his constituents and deciding what to do next. He said he was disappointed with what happened and it reflects badly on the government.

 

"I think stifling grass roots and stifling members of parliament and telling us we don't have a mind of our own anymore is sending a very negative signal back to constituents and back to voters," Turner told Canada AM.

 

"People sent us, they sent me, to Ottawa to represent them not just to wear a blue sweater."

 

The Greens are certainly excited about the possibility, however slim it may be, of welcoming Turner into the fold and gaining a voice in parliament.

 

Leader Elizabeth May said on Wednesday she was ready to extend the invitation to Turner, a small-C conservative.

 

"Obviously, we'd welcome him with our arms wide open," May told the Toronto Star.

 

On Tuesday, Turner used his blog to comment on the coming Clean Air Act, which the Conservatives are set to release Thursday. He suspects the posting was the straw that tipped the scales against him.

 

Turner also wrote a flattering blog entry about May after he brought her into the House of Commons for an interview on MPtv, a webcast where Turner interviews various people connected to government.

 

"I find the woman to be sharp, engaging and surprisingly political, weaving in anti-Conservative messages that seem to go deep beyond the environmental file," Turner wrote.

 

"She's also a networker, taking full advantage of my delivering her to this sacred spot to buttonhole Liberal environment critic John Godfrey and try to catch the eye of some of the media gods."

 

May told The Star that ideologically, Turner would be a good fit with her party. His outspoken defence of MPs' independence and his close attention to fiscal matters fit with the Green philosophy, she said.

 

May also pointed out Turner is a director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund.

 

Meanwhile, CTV News has learned Turner's ousting shouldn't have come as a complete surprise to him. He was warned a month ago to stop playing reporter on his blog.

 

"Garth Turner is trying to wrap himself in the veil of innocence," Robert Fife, CTV's Ottawa bureau chief, said Wednesday. "But he knows why he got kicked out."

 

"Why now? What actually happened today or yesterday to precipitate this?" Turner told a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

 

Fife said the party had been warning Turner since the summer to stop with the injudicious blogging.

 

Before MPs returned to Parliament, the Conservatives held a special caucus meeting to lay down the law with Turner, he said.

 

On Sept. 15, Turner wrote: "In case you are wondering, I am still in caucus! Wonders never cease."

 

As to suggestions he broke caucus confidentiality through injudicious postings on his widely-read blog, Turner said, "go and read it, and make up your own mind."

 

Turner said he suspected his views on the government's green plan, the next budget and the need for tolerance in politics may have been bigger factors in his suspension.

 

Turner has already been moved to the other side of the house.

 

Turner responded to his removal on his blog, in an entry headlined "Holy smokes!"

 

"I have said here many times, and consistently since I was elected this last time, that I work for the voters -- the people, the taxpayers," Turner wrote.

 

"After that I heed my party and the political establishment. All are important, of course, but the people come first."

 

The PMO has stressed Turner's suspension was not Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision, and he was just as surprised as anyone else, Fife said.

 

Turner's departure leaves the standings in the Commons: 124 Conservatives, 101 Liberals, 50 Bloc Quebecois, 29 NDP, 2 independents. There are two vacant seats.

 

With reports from CTV's Craig Oliver and Robert Fife

 

My only problem with him joining the Greens is the fact he made such a big stink about the Emerson floor crossing. He said that MPs should sit as an independant and then become elected with their new party. While, I know he did not choose to leave his party, he is still doing something similar. I personally do not have anything against floor crossing, I just believe if you have made such a statement against it then the person should stay true to their principles. However, even though I am not a Green supporter, it definitely would be interesting to see the fallout for this if the man does switch parties...

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