SUSAN DELACOURT - October 19th, 2006.

Greens woo ousted MP Turner:

OTTAWA—Could Garth Turner, the ejected Conservative from Halton, be the first Green party MP in the House of Commons?

Greens leader Elizabeth May told reporters she is "absolutely" ready to make the invitation and Turner, interviewed last evening, said he might be interested, after he's talked to his constituents about his abrupt ouster from Tory ranks yesterday.

If Turner does go Green, Prime Minister Stephen Harper might find that a simple act of caucus discipline, as it was billed, could alter the political landscape.

Garth Turner - Halton MP

Harper isn't expected to give environmentalists much to praise when he unveils his big green plan announcement today, but he may have handed the Green party an unintentional gift nevertheless. One Green party MP in the Commons is all it takes to put the party into the next election debates and into greater prominence at the daily scrums after question period. "Obviously, we'd welcome him with our arms wide open," May said last night.

It's not an ideological stretch for Turner, May noted, citing the Halton MP's position as a director on the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, as well as some of Turner's recent Internet postings on the proposed green plan — which he suspects were the real reason behind his ejection from caucus yesterday.

"I'm flattered by the attention. It's a very quick response," Turner said, when asked about May's offer. He said he expected to talk to her soon, maybe as soon as this week.

Turner met May on Tuesday for the first time, but he wrote glowingly of her on the blog that some Tories have found to be hotter than the warming global climate.

He wrote: "I find the woman to be sharp, engaging and surprisingly political, weaving in anti-Conservative messages that seem to go deep beyond the environmental file. She's also a networker, taking full advantage of my delivering her to this sacred spot to buttonhole Liberal environment critic John Godfrey and try to catch the eye of some of the media gods."

Turner also, perhaps presciently, makes mention on his blog of May's biggest logistical headaches at the moment, which he could help solve by carrying the Green banner in the Commons.

"May is clearly frustrated that while she leads a national party with federal funding and candidates in every riding, she likely will not be part of any leaders' debate in the next election or, for that matter, be taken seriously enough by these reporters milling around. So, this week is as crucial to her as it is to (Environment Minister Rona) Ambrose. The stakes are enormous for both of them, just as they are for Canadians."

May last night said Turner's outspoken advocacy for MPs' independence also fits with the Greens' political platform. So does his attention to fiscal matters.

The Greens have been criticized under May's predecessor for being too right-wing, economically speaking.

As May pointed out, Turner wouldn't be the first Conservative dallying with the idea of going Green. A major poll presented to the Green party convention in August by SES pollster Nik Nanos found the Greens were, surprisingly, the second choice for more than a third of Conservative voters.

In 2004, Greens were second choice mainly among New Democrats, but SES Research has found that more Tories now call the Greens their next-best selection. A full 36 per cent of Tory voters identified Greens as their second choice this year, up from 23 per cent who said the same in 2004. Meanwhile, 43 per cent of New Democrats said the Greens were their next choice in 2004, but only 29 per cent say that in 2006.

In what may be a reflection of this trend, the NDP said the Green party was welcome to make a play for Turner's support. "Over to Elizabeth May," one NDP strategist said.

"I don't see a place for Mr. Turner in the NDP," leader Jack Layton said flatly yesterday. "His policies are quite reactionary on a number of fronts and, besides, we think before anybody switches parties they should go back to their electorate and see what they have to say. We'll be happy to face off with Mr. Turner in any by-election that might take place."

The Liberals haven't made any overtures for Turner yet either, but there seems to be more openness on both sides. Acting Liberal leader Bill Graham said he hadn't ruled it out: "Mr. Turner obviously is an intelligent person. He will make his own decision about what he wants to do."

Turner, asked about possibly joining the Liberals, said only that he was a "free agent," able to do what he wants.

But anyone who has watched Turner's career over the years knows that he might well be tempted by the Greens for the platform it would give him.

Harper, like prime ministers and other party leaders before him, might find out that Turner continues to be a headache, even after he's out of caucus.

More than a decade ago, Jean Chrétien ejected maverick John Nunziata from his caucus after the MP from York South-Weston refused to vote for the 1995 budget over its failure to scrap the goods and services tax.

Nunziata went on to win his riding in the next election as an Independent, and his outspoken criticism of Chrétien — as a dictator, beholden to hard-headed advisers, unable to take dissent — came back to haunt the former prime minister and echoed all the way through the caucus that hounded him into retirement in 2002.

Former Reform party leader Preston Manning threw out Calgary MP Jan Brown from caucus in 1995, and later found that her criticisms of him — not moderate enough, not accepting of people with socially moderate views toward gays and feminism — were repeatedly cited as the obstacles to him leading a united conservative party.

In an interview yesterday, Nunziata said Turner should look forward to feeling greater independence and having a larger platform, for a while.

But Nunziata maintains Chrétien was still a more ruthless leader than Harper is turning out to be.

Garth Turner's Quotes: The world according to Garth

On the nomination process for incumbent MPs: "I don't know why the Conservatives are pissing inside the tent — nominations are always very divisive and I don't know why they are doing it."

On his cowboy boots habit: "You never know when you might get into a bar fight."

On odds of the PM giving him a good Commons seat: "I'm expecting the Whip will be assigning me a renovated washroom somewhere in a forgotten corner of a vermin-infested dank basement."

On David Emerson's defection to the Tories: "Anybody who switches parties should go back to the people. To do otherwise is to place politicians above the people when, actually, it's the other way around."

On how not to get ahead: "If you would like a course on how not to be popular in Ottawa, then take a seat."

On climate change: "Climate change is the greatest all-round threat this country faces, and ... my nation's government should not let us down with half-measures, a curtsy to junk science or a sellout to the tar sands."

On Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: "Enjoyed my time with Jim Flaherty today... . But, sadly, I found myself depressed for hours afterwards. It does not happen much. ... Maybe it was Flaherty. ..."

On political ambition: "I never coveted cabinet, never lobbied for it, never asked for a promotion and was actually relieved when it passed me by. I've been in cabinet before and — thank you very much — I prefer being free to do my job as an MP instead of singing from the Team Government song sheet."

On political cynicism: "I arrived as the Prime Minister was appointing a floor-crossing Liberal and an unelected party official to his cabinet, which seemed to fly in the face of everything I had told voters about accountability and democracy. It also made me question the whole process."