Local Federal Candidate Appointed to Senate
Posted by Peter Endisch on December 30th, 2008 at 14:19 PST (News)
By Gary McKenna – The Tri-City News
Martin believes she brings a unique perspective
Former New Westminster-Coquitlam Conservative candidate Yonah Martin may have lost her race to become a Member of Parliament during the recent federal election, but it appears she will be heading to Ottawa after all.
Martin told the Tri-City News on Tuesday she was skeptical about rumours circulating on various political websites and blogs saying Prime Minister Stephen Harper was considering appointing her to the Senate.
But when a call came late last Monday from the Prime Minister’s Office’s switchboard operator saying Harper was on the line, she knew at that moment she had been chosen.
“You can imagine what those first few seconds were like,” she said. “I felt like time stood still for that moment.”
Before offering the job Harper told Martin he was “reluctantly” appointing the 18 Senators, and asked her if she was in favour of eight-year term limits and Senate reform.
Martin said she has always been in favour of making changes in the upper chamber and believe that is one of the reasons why she was chosen for the job.
She also said she brings a unique take on issues facing many British Columbians and Canadians.
“I do reflect on myself and I think ‘my god, what can I bring to this,’” she said.
“One of the things I felt is that… we want representation from various backgrounds and you want different insights and expertise. I am a women, I am someone who intimately understands the immigrant experience. I was a candidate of record and I am a proud Canadian.”
There are several differences between being a Senator and the job she ran for in October.
Martin said as a member of the upper chamber she is not bound to one constituency rather is responsible for representing the province.
She was still sketchy about what her day-to-day work would consist of, but said she would have a better idea once she received her committee appointments when the House resumed in the new year.
Those who occupy the 105-seat Senate earn an annual salary of $130,000.
Even with Harper’s recent announcement the Tories are still far-outnumbered in the upper chamber as the Liberals currently hold 58 seats to the Conservatives 38.
Original Story can be found here
Peter Endisch said,
December 30, 2008 at 14:20 PST
It is with interest that I read this piece. I often wonder, what goes on in the minds of people running for the current Harper government. And I have come to two conclusions: they are either incredibly naive, or incredibly opportunistic. Either way, they’re not the kind of people I want to represent me.
One does not have to dig deep to see how the current Harper’s government is eroding our democracy and environment. There are too many examples to mention. I find it particularly disgusting to hear anyone working for Harper exclaiming just how much they want to preserve this planet for future generations.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The world over now sees us as environmental pariah. Whenever we meet with the world – like we did two weeks ago in Poland – to discuss seriously how to curb our emissions, Canadian envoy – usually the environmental minister of the day (we had 3 in past 3 years – got to wonder) continously won’t commit to any targets, and in fact they offer nothing but excuses as to why Canada cannot reduce its emissions. Harper is too cozy with big oil and corporations, favouring the status quo rather then becoming leader in renewable energy and technology.
We are standing at a treshold in history. We have great opportunity. As Canadians, we have proven in the past that we can become leaders in many fields. Why not the environmental field? The US, with its new government taking place in January, is already quickly working on plans to address the economical crisis, and also the environmental one, for they believe they are one and can be solved by greening America. What are we waiting for? Want to make a diference in this world? Then start playing nice with the rest of the world. And start addressing the important issues. Don’t walk away from them. Don’t throw us lies and empty promises.
I find it often amusing speaking to James Moore on the issues of the environment, GMO or the like. All I ever hear from him is about the great initiatives the current government is undertaking to solve our crisis. Most of it relies on faulty science, blatant lies and unproven technology. Our very short discussion often ends with James saying we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I feel trully represented in Ottawa. As I am sure do the 80% of Canadians wanting real action on the environment and climate change.
Runing for government or senate under Harper is a a disgrace. I am counting the days when we get either another party or a coalition that will introduce proportional representation, so we can put an end to this power mongering and egomaniacal ‘ldeadership’ of select few. Then people will also actually feel like voting, because they won’t feel like they’re wasting their vote.