The Ball Is In Garth Turner's Court

Do Dion, Turner and Bonin put the hands up in surrender?

Newest Liberal takes on Tories
Turner dares Prime Minister to call by-election
February 08, 2007
Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau Chief

OTTAWA–Garth Turner, the newly converted Liberal MP, is locked in a game of political chicken with his old Conservative bosses – each daring the other to provoke a by-election so that Halton voters can endorse or reject his new party affiliation.

In question period yesterday, Turner stood up in his new place on the Liberal opposition bench and challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call a by-election in his GTA riding of Halton. But he argued that also means a by-election in Mississauga-Streetsville, where MP Wajid Khan exchanged his Liberal party stripes last month to sit as a Conservative MP.

"If the Prime Minister will call a by-election today so the people of Halton will not be without their member of Parliament for a few weeks, then I will lay my seat on the line today," Turner said. "Will he do that, yes or no, and will he tell the member for Mississauga-Streetsville to get with the program?"

Harper didn't answer the questions himself. Minutes earlier, he'd joined in the raucous applause of Tories, sarcastically welcoming Liberals to embrace Turner as one of their own. The Prime Minister even waved his arms in that direction, gesturing that he was pleased to hand Turner to his political foes across the floor of the Commons.

Government Leader Peter van Loan instead issued a counter-challenge to Turner – quit first, and then the government will call a by-election to fill the seat.

"I will assure the member for Halton that if he wishes to see a by-election at Halton, it is fully within his control. He can resign today. I am sure we will comply," he said. "I think his 15 minutes of fame are over. If he wishes to have a by-election, that is 100 per cent in his control."

Don't hold your breath.....