Allan Woods, CanWest News Service; with The Canadian Press file
Published: Monday, February 20, 2006
OTTAWA -- A majority of Canadians believe David Emerson should "immediately resign" his Vancouver-Kingsway seat and run under the Tory banner in a byelection, a new opinion poll suggests.

Sixty-two per cent of Canadians polled said the former Liberal industry minister -- who defected two weeks ago to the Conservatives to become international trade minister -- should submit his political future to the will of the votes once again.

"I'm still not much of a political person, as perhaps you can now tell . . . I'm not the sharpest political knife in the drawer," Emerson told CTV's Question Period yesterday.

Emerson said he'll be sending a letter to constituents in his riding, apologizing to anybody who took offence at his decision to abandon the Liberals for the new Tory government.

But he continued to insist -- as he has since he made the jump -- that there's no need to resign his seat.

The survey, conducted last week for CanWest News Service and Global News, polled 1,000 Canadians and is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The poll also indicates Stephen Harper's approval rating since being sworn in as prime minister stands firmly at 59 per cent.

His rating doesn't appear to have been hurt by criticism that his controversial cabinet decisions bucked campaign promises on accountability.

"Part of this suggests a strategy that is a punt and run early on, get the negative out of the way," said John Wright, senior vice-president of Ipsos-Reid, which conducted the survey.

But he added: "I think this is a matter that's going to stay around because it's got good amplification in the Vancouver riding itself.

"And, secondly, it will be a lightning rod for the character of this government as the House [of Commons] returns and they try to do other things."

Yesterday, Emerson told Question Period that he continues to have a "clear conscience" about the matter. He admitted there is "a legitimate debate to have as to when and under what conditions members of Parliament should be permitted to change" parties, but said until that time comes he will go about his business in the Tory cabinet.

"I will operate under the rules that apply to all other members of Parliament."

Wright said the reaction of Canadians to Emerson's defection is at the same level as in B.C., where Emerson had previously enjoyed widespread support.

The sentiment that Emerson should resign and face a byelection was highest in Atlantic Canada and Quebec where, respectively, 70 and 65 per cent of those polled felt he should submit to the judgment of the voters.

Only 55 per cent of those surveyed in Alberta felt it was necessary that Emerson campaign again for his seat.

"It would appear to be more than a fly in the ointment or a flash in the pan," Wright said.

"The real question is whether or not the prime minister wants to have this particular issue overshadow other matters that he may, in fact, want to deal with."

The survey also indicates support for the three national political parties remains at roughly the same level that was expressed on election day Jan. 23, with 38 per cent of decided voters behind the Conservatives compared with

26 for the Liberals and 19 per cent for the New Democrats.