On the same day Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister, re-elected Liberal MP for Vancouver Kingsway David Emerson crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party’s minority government and was promptly named the new minister of international trade, which added another $71,322 to his base salary of $144,300. Emerson was also given responsibility for overseeing the Pacific Gateway trade initiative and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Although a grassroots “De-elect Emerson” campaign was quickly launched and the Liberal Party tried to get him to repay the nearly $100,000 in campaign donations he had received, Emerson remained defiant in the face of considerable public outrage. “"For [voters] to somehow suggest I am shortchanging them, it’s breathtaking in its audacity," he told reporters shortly afterward.
Emerson chose retirement rather than seek office again in the 2008 federal election, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
The Vancouver Kingsway seat is currently held by NDP official opposition critic for international trade Don Davies
