Liberal MP Wajid Khan defects to Conservatives

[George Wallace]

Isn't this just commonsense for the Leader of our nation to choose the best man for the job, transending any Party Politics?

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http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20070105%2fkhan_harper_070105&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&showbyline=True

Liberal MP Wajid Khan defects to Conservatives          05/01/2007 10:49:35 AM 

Former Liberal MP Wajid Khan has crossed the floor and joined the Conservatives, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday in Ottawa.

"We have built a party that welcomes all Canadians," said Harper. "That's why I'm proud to announce that Wajid Khan, the representative from Mississauga-Streetsville, is joining the Conservative caucus."
Harper said Khan put Canada before his party after the alleged terrorism arrests in Toronto last year when he offered to help the Conservatives.
Harper then named Khan, a former fighter pilot in the Pakistani military, as his adviser on the Middle East and Afghanistan.
"He will continue as my advisor on issues related to the Middle East and Central Asia," said Harper.
Khan said the Conservatives' commitment to new Canadians helped influence his decision. "I have noticed that more and more Canadians are excited about joining the Conservative party... I came to the conclusion that my ideals and priorities and those of my constituents would be better served in the Conservative party," Khan said Friday, alongside the Prime Minister.
"I was very pleased when Prime Minister Harper agreed that I should join Canada's new government."
Khan said the Liberals were at odds with his values.
"Quite frankly, the Liberal party has moved away from people like me -- people who believe in free enterprise, support for families and a stronger, more assertive Canada on the world stage."
Khan said he informed Liberal Leader Stephane Dion of his decision on Friday.
"I respect Mr. Dion but I feel that Canada needs a leader and that leader is Prime Minister Stephan Harper."
On Thursday, Dion told Khan to choose between his party and the Conservatives.
Dion said Khan could not continue serving as Harper's 'special adviser' and remain a Liberal.
"You can't have a foot in the government and a foot in the opposition," said Dion. "He needs to choose. I hope he will stay with us."
Khan said Dion's public ultimatum forced him to make a decision.
"When I'm given a choice to choose between a political party and my country, I will always choose Canada," said Khan.

Political impact

CTV's David Akin said the move is strategically important to the Conservatives and the NDP. "Any majority vote is 154 seats, the Conservatives have 124 so they need 30 votes on any issue in order to sustain the government," said Akin.
With Khan's defection, the Conservatives could achieve a majority.
"The combination of the Conservatives and the NDP (29 seats) gives you 154 seats -- a majority you need. This makes Jack Layton and the NDP much more important."
After Khan's appointment last summer, many Liberals viewed it as a Tory effort to exploit their party that was divided in a then-leaderless situation.
On Thursday, Harper unveiled a newly expanded cabinet and moved Rona Ambrose out of her environment portfolio in an attempt to recover political ground lost in the debate on climate change.
In all, five new junior cabinet positions were created and eight ministers took on new roles or switched posts as Harper moved to overhaul his minority government with the threat of a looming spring election.
Khan, 60, emigrated to Canada in 1974 and was a successful businessman in Toronto before entering politics. 

  © 2007 Bell Canada, Microsoft Corporation and/or their contributors. All rights reserved.

 

More on link

 

[GAP]

I think the Liberals have just stepped on their own ****. The request of Khan was not partisan, and the Liberals have just told Canadians that they will not cooperate to solve problems.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Now I don't know who he is so I can't say he's the best person for the job however this little paragraph below is what REALLY burns my butt about the way our political morons have made things.
Quote,
On Thursday, Dion told Khan to choose between his party and the Conservatives.
Dion said Khan could not continue serving as Harper's 'special adviser' and remain a Liberal.
"You can't have a foot in the government and a foot in the opposition," said Dion. "He needs to choose. I hope he will stay with us."

Why can't he stay on?  Should not the proper running of this country be more important than 'advising'?  I could see if he thought he was 'spying' or something but ....advising?

 

[Yrys]

Why can't he stay on?  Should not the proper running of this country be more important than 'advising'?
I could see if he thought he was 'spying' or something but ....advising?

+ infini on that

It's very sad that the citizens in a party believe that the party is or important than the country.

Harper (even if it may have come from a political agenda, because he knows those unwritten rules,
and may have choose mr. Khan knowing that he would have to change partie ) goes a bit more up
in my esteem, and Dion down.

 

[observor 69]

Now I don't know who he is so I can't say he's the best person for the job however this little paragraph below is what REALLY burns my butt about the way our political morons have made things.
Quote,
On Thursday, Dion told Khan to choose between his party and the Conservatives.
Dion said Khan could not continue serving as Harper's 'special adviser' and remain a Liberal.
"You can't have a foot in the government and a foot in the opposition," said Dion. "He needs to choose. I hope he will stay with us."

Why can't he stay on?  Should not the proper running of this country be more important than 'advising'?  I could see if he thought he was 'spying' or something but ....advising?

Who is he? He's my Liberal MP, or at least he was. Now he's my Conservative MP. The riding had a strong contender for the Conservative Party but people of this riding chose a Liberal...Mr.Khan.
As Mr.Dion says you can't have your feet in both parties.  It is fairly clear that we are going to have an election in the near future, Mr.Khan couldn't wait until then to switch parties ? Or did Mr.Harper offer a small inducement ?


And this from the CBC also speaks to another aspect of this story, our riding is made up of a very large percentage of Indian/Pakistan immigrants, who I beleive Khan hopes will continue to vote for him in the next election.

"In an interview with the CBC following the defection, riding association president Khalid Sagheer said Khan "is my friend, I support him and I will continue to support him."

Asked whether backing Khan would mean switching party memberships himself, Sagheer said "that decision will come in due course."

"I agree with him and my own personal opinion is that the Liberal party has been taking us for granted — immigrants that have worked and supported the party so much, it's been so far only a one-way street," Sagheer said.
                                   -----------------------------------
Khan, 60, immigrated to Canada in 1974, emerging in Toronto as a successful businessman and a prominent voice for the Pakistani and Muslim communities. He left the Liberal caucus on Aug. 11, though he continued to sit as a Liberal.

In the 2006 federal election, Khan defeated Conservative candidate Raminder Gill by 5,792 votes, taking 46 per cent of the vote.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/01/05/khan-defect-070105.html

Sorry about sticking more stuff on here but I just came across this in the G&M and feel that it adds to my last comment:

Jeffrey Simpson: Wajid Khan will disappear after the next election. He signed up several thousand Muslims and won the Liberal nomination in a safe Liberal seat. The Liberals will nominate another Muslim against him, and he will likely lose. It gives a government a visible minority presence that it lacks, so in the short term this is good, and it balances a little the optics of a government that had pretty much handed its Middle East policy over to the Canada-Israel committee.

http://tinyurl.com/y65vgp

 

[armyvern]

Who is he? He's my Liberal MP, or at least he was. Now he's my Conservative MP. The riding had a strong contender for the Conservative Party but people of this riding chose a Liberal...Mr.Khan.
As Mr.Dion says you can't have your feet in both parties.  It is fairly clear that we are going to have an election in the near future, Mr.Khan couldn't wait until then to switch parties ? Or did Mr.Harper offer a small inducement ?

Funny that though isn't it? Seemed that the voters of Newmarket and area were not swayed by the defection of Ms. Stronach in the reverse order when she did this.

 

[Franko]

Just goes to show you that Dion is in no way, shape or form wanting to work with the PCs on anything together.

I think the next session of Parliment is going to be a very ugly one...with so much back stabbing it'll make your stomach turn.

Anyone else notice the latest "most important" thing on Canadian's minds now is the environment (according to the latest CTV blurb)

Who the hell takes these polls anyways?

Regards

 

[beach_bum]

Just goes to show you that Dion is in no way, shape or form wanting to work with the PCs on anything together.

I think the next session of Parliment is going to be a very ugly one...with so much back stabbing it'll make your stomach turn.

The fact that Dion puts party lines and politics ahead of the best interests of the country speaks volumes to me. 

 

[Yrys]

The fact that Dion puts party lines and politics ahead of the best interests of the country speaks volumes to me. 

Yes, but how many politicians don't do this ? It seem to me that they ''think'' that the country will be better
taking care of by themselves, because they are RIGHT, so everything that comes in the way isn't that important...

 

[beach_bum]

While I agree that many politicians do this, Mr. Dion is the leader of the Liberal Party and hopes to become Prime Minister.  As a leader he should be setting an example of both leadership and cooperation.

 

[Yrys]

As a leader he should be setting an example of both leadership and cooperation.

For me, ANY politicians should be emulating an example... But how many does (grammar ?) this ?

 

[Reccesoldier]

The fact that Dion puts party lines and politics ahead of the best interests of the country speaks volumes to me. 

And that is the message that must be hammered home during the next election.

The Liberanos, more of the same... me, me, me!

The Liberal #1 priority = The Liberal Party

 

[cplcaldwell]

Funny that though isn't it? Seemed that the voters of Newmarket and area were not swayed by the defection of Ms. Stronach in the reverse order when she did this.

<rant>

To our eternal discredit.

Despite the StatsCan figures to the otherwise, Newmarket-Aurora is probably the stupidest riding in the country, with an MP not too much farther ahead. Ms Stronach could have had a great affect on the CPC government, but sold out for short term gain, now she spends her time as the Paris Hilton of Canadian politics. Her value is nil, in one of the fasted growing and dynamic ridings in the country, we got Barbie.

First she upset a well oiled CPC party machine with her 'johnny-come-lately' Tory candidacy, based on the laughable assumption that she could be elected leader of the CPC. (Puh-leeze, don't anyone come to me with the 'well she's a successful businesswoman' argument, she couldn't run a clothing store or a restaurant, that she magically morphed into some Trump-like tycoon at the head of Magna is beyond belief).

Then she screwed up the Liberal machine in northern York; remember she displaced the redoubtable Martha Hall Findlay for Liberal candidate after her crossing.

She holds the riding not just on a very effective campaign of 'fear-the-Tories' but also on the remarkably well spun image her (not inconsiderable) fortune can buy her.

It's all about Belinda, she makes a great Liberal, me, me , me....

As much as I detest short governments and frequent elections, I for one, can hardly wait.....

</rant>

(No; I won't touch the Ti Domi thing, that's her business)

 

[JesseWZ]

Her value is nil, in one of the fasted growing and dynamic ridings in the country, we got Barbie.

+1

 

[observor 69]

<rant>

To our eternal discredit.

Despite the StatsCan figures to the otherwise, Newmarket-Aurora is probably the stupidest riding in the country, with an MP not too much farther ahead. Ms Stronach could have had a great affect on the CPC government, but sold out for short term gain, now she spends her time as the Paris Hilton of Canadian politics. Her value is nil, in one of the fasted growing and dynamic ridings in the country, we got Barbie.

First she upset a well oiled CPC party machine with her 'johnny-come-lately' Tory candidacy, based on the laughable assumption that she could be elected leader of the CPC. (Puh-leeze, don't anyone come to me with the 'well she's a successful businesswoman' argument, she couldn't run a clothing store or a restaurant, that she magically morphed into some Trump-like tycoon at the head of Magna is beyond belief).

Then she screwed up the Liberal machine in northern York; remember she displaced the redoubtable Martha Hall Findlay for Liberal candidate after her crossing.

She holds the riding not just on a very effective campaign of 'fear-the-Tories' but also on the remarkably well spun image her (not inconsiderable) fortune can buy her.

It's all about Belinda, she makes a great Liberal, me, me , me....

As much as I detest short governments and frequent elections, I for one, can hardly wait.....

</rant>

(No; I won't touch the Ti Domi thing, that's her business)

+2  Especially the "she displaced the redoubtable Martha Hall Findlay", mores the pity for Newmarket-Aurora.

 

[Brad Sallows]

I don't see why this has to mean Dion won't work with the Conservative government; the most I would conclude is that Dion won't allow any Liberal MP to showboat by working unilaterally with the Conservative government.

In general, I don't believe the Liberals like to see any really useful groundshaking new policy passed in Parliament unless it is clearly trademarked as a Liberal Party creation and delivery.  I do believe Harper and the Conservatives are currently willing to share credit with the NDP or BQ or Libs if it helps to move stuff through Parliament.  A Conservative minority government in which the Cons+NDP have enough votes to pass legislation is probably the best situation the NDP can ever hope to achieve.  I think they'd be stupid to throw it away in a fit of ideological pique by toppling the current government unnecessarily, but I'm not impressed by their ability to put achievement ahead of ideology.

 

[ArmyRick]

Mr Kahn, its good to see you are serving the interest of your riding and not blindly following the lieberals. 

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Mr Kahn, its good to see you are serving the interest of your riding

Did you say the same thing when Belinda crossed....I mean at the time the riding went from a newbie MP to a cabinet minister MP, so was that in the "best interest" of her riding?

 

[Kirkhill]

Did you say the same thing when Belinda crossed....I mean at the time the riding went from a newbie MP to a cabinet minister MP, so was that in the "best interest" of her riding?

Of course not.  CPC good.  LPC bad.  Too simple.  ;D

 

[Brad Sallows]

Belinda said at the time it was because she couldn't stay in the CPC owing to a conflict of beliefs.  I don't recollect that the question of the interests of her riding or any personal gain entered into it.  The cabinet appointment was just a happy and completely uncorrelated coincidence.