This former high- ranking BC-Social Meet MDA’s David Emerson Credit bureau- any Canadians were not ter- Missile crat, then Liberal ribly surprised when new Defense Minister of In- MConservative Prime Minister As an MDA director, dustry, is now the Stephen Harper, said that his cabinet Emerson must have Conservative included former Liberal MP David been rubbing shoul- Minister of In- Emerson. As Minister of Industry, ders with at least two Emerson was responsible for the Cana- other top executives ternational Trade. dian Space Agency, which oversaw the from Orbital Sci- In 2000, he was a Canada-U.S. RADARSAT project. ences, namely David Director of MDA, Many Canadians are used to the Thompson, Orbital’s the firm benefit- cynical way that self-serving politicians Chair and CEO, and switch allegiances between the Liberal James Thompson, Jr., ing from the Lib- and Conservative parties, since both Orbital’s President eral government’s represent the same corporate interests. and Chief Operating $1.145-billion Few realize however that Emer- Officer.10 Both were RADARSAT pri- son had been on the board of MacDon- on MDA’s board in Seen here being confronted by Haiti 1 vatisation scheme. Solidarity activists, July 10, 2005. ald, Dettwiler and Assoc. (MDA) , the 2000 to keep their Ca- US-owned company that benefited nadian subsidiary on track. rate role in “missile defense,” but the from the Liberal government’s $1.15-bil- At some point, Emerson, the “extent and type of potential opportu- lion RADARSAT-privatisation scheme. corporate lumberman-banker-politician, nities” for Canadian corporations. When Emerson joined MDA in must have realised that MDA’s rocket- August 2000, he was CEO of Canfor, making parent company was a major Conflict of Interest? which describes itself as “the largest contractor for the “missile defense” In the same Hill Times interview, producer of SPF [Spruce, Pine, Balsam weapons program. However, such links Emerson used his platform as Minister 2 Fir] lumber in the world.” (Presumably would not likely have phased Emerson of Industry to unashamedly plug his the firm that cuts down more SPF trees in the least. If he was turned off by work- former company, MDA, by saying: than any other, needs satellite images ing with “missile defense” contractors, “there are some critical companies, to locate the world’s remaining forests.) he would surely never have been ap- with truly leading-edge technol- When appointed to MDA, he pointed Canada’s Industry Minister. ogy.... In my home province of BC, was also the Canadian Pulp and Paper On November 22, 2004, soon for example, MacDonald, Dettwiler 3 Association’s chair. His other posi- after assuming that cabinet post, Otta- and Associates is a world-class tions in the deforestation field have in- wa’s Hill Times reported on Emerson’s space company, making a significant cluded being chair of the Forest Prod- efforts to launch a new Canadian “aero- contribution in the Lower Mainland, 4 ucts Association of Canada. space industry strategy.” The paper as well as to the provincial and na- But Emerson was no mere lum- noted that “Emerson says he supports tional economies.”13 ber baron. He had been Deputy Minis- talks with U.S. on missile defence.”11 Minister Emerson has appeared ter of Finance (1984) under BC’s right- When asked: “Do you think Canada to be in a conflict of interest over other wing Social Credit government. He then should sign on to the U.S. Missile De- matters relating to his former links with rose through the ranks to become fence Shield?” Emerson responded that RADARSAT. When Prof. Michael deputy minister to the Social Credit Pre- the Liberal’s had already: Byers of UBC’s Liu Institute for Global 5 mier, Bill Vander Zalm in 1990. Emerson “announced that Canada would en- Issues, testified before a Parliamentary has held many top-flight corporate ter into discussions with the U.S. Committee regarding Bill C-25 (the “Act posts, including directorships in B.C. about possible participation. I sup- governing the operation of remote 6 Gas and the Telus Corporation, CEO port this process.... As Minister of sensing space systems,” aka the “RA- of the Western and Pacific Bank of Industry, I am aware of the poten- DARSAT Bill”), he said that Emerson: Canada (1986) and president of the B.C. tial industrial cooperation oppor- “is one of the four cabinet sponsors 7 Trade Development Corp. (1990). tunities for Canada associated with of Bill C-25. Committee members Topping off his corporate cre- BMD [Ballistic Missile Defense]. should be aware that in 2000, dentials, Emerson has also been vice We have an active and diverse aero- Emerson served as a member of the chairman of the infamous, big-business space and defence industry in board of directors of MacDonald, lobby group, the Canadian Council of Canada, and we are currently as- Dettwiler Associates, the owner and 8 Chief Executive Officers. sessing the extent and type of po- operator of RADARSAT-2 and the Emerson joined the MDA board tential opportunities for Canadian parent company of RADARSAT In- on the same day as Garrett Pierce, who companies.”12 (Emphasis added.) ternational.... Emerson thus served had just been appointed Executive Vice Note that Emerson did not say the gov- on [MDA’s] board of directors dur- President of MDA’s U.S. parent com- ernment was ‘assessing’ whether or not ing the same year that the company 9 pany, Orbital Sciences. there would be any Canadian corpo- secured $167 million in federal gov- 46 Press for Conversion! (Issue # 58) March 2006 “As Minister of Industry, I am aware ernment funding for RADARSAT-2. of the potential industrial cooperation This was additional funding.”14 opportunities for Canada associated At that point in his testimony, a Liberal with BMD [Ballistic Missile Defense]. MP (Dan McTeague) interrupted Byers to say that his comments “should be We have an active and diverse stricken [from the record]. This is ridicu- aerospace and defence industry in 15 lous.” Byers, however, continued: Canada, and we are currently assessing “As a professor of law and...political science, I’m identifying that there is the extent and type of potential an appearance of bias.... Mr. Emer- opportunities for Canadian companies.” son would serve the purposes of 10. Ibid. this committee if he were to withdraw References 1. MDA media release, “MacDonald, Det- 11. “The Aerospace Policy Briefing,” Hill as one of the four cabinet sponsors Times, Nov. 22-28, 2004. of this bill.... Opposition members of twiler Appoints New Board Members,” August 2, 2000. www.hilltimes.com/policy_briefings/ this committee might wish to recom- www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/ 112204_pb.pdf 12. Ibid. mend to Mr. Emerson that he avoid pr2000080202.html 13. Ibid. the slightest possibility of an ap- 2. Canfor Wood Products 16 14. “Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs pearance of bias here.” www.canfor.com/products/wood and International Trade, Feb. 22, 2005. Other conflict of interest allega- 3. MDA media release, op. cit. 192.197.82.11/committee/Committee 4. Forest Products Association of Canada, tions have also been made against Publication.aspx?SourceId=125796 Annual Review, 2001. Emerson by the National Union of Pub- 15. Ibid. 17 www.fpac.ca/en/pdfs/annual_review lic and General Employees and Duff 16. Ibid. _2001_E.pdf Conacher of Democracy Watch.18 17. NUPGE media release, “Conflict of in- 5. About David Some might even say it smacks terest written all over offshore B.C. www.davidemerson.ca/about.html ferry deal,” September 19, 2004. of conflict of interest to run a high-pro- 6. MDA media release, op. cit. file election campaign under the Lib- www.nupge.ca/news_2004/n19se04a. 7. The Honourable David Emerson htm eral banner and then, once elected, pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=27 18. Charlie Smith, “Investments Allowed,” change parties in order to get a cabinet 8. CCCEO website. Straight Talk, December 2, 2004. post in the Conservative government. www.ceocouncil.ca www.straight.com/content.cfm? 9. MDA media release, op. cit. id=6746 Meet Mark Garneau: Expert on Space, PR and Weapons anadian hero, Mark Garneau, who headed the Cana- dian Space Agency (CSA) from 2001 until late 2005, Cwas probably RADARSAT’s greatest cheerleader calling it the CSA’s “greatest achievement.” Garneau is known as Canada’s first astronaut. Less well-known are his qualifi- cations as a weapons specialist in Canada’s armed forces: 1974-1976: Combat systems engineer aboard “an area air defence destroyer,” Canada’s HMCS Algonquin. 1976-1977: Instructor in naval weapon systems at Cana- dian Forces Fleet School in Halifax. He designed a simulator for training weapons officers to fire missile systems aboard Tribal-class warships. 1977-1980: Project engineer in naval weapon systems. 1981: Helped develop an aircraft-towed target system for scoring the accuracy of naval weapons. www.space.gc.ca 1983: Design authority for naval communications and “Canadians can be proud. RADARSAT is more electronic warfare equipment and systems. than just a satellite—it is a humanitarian 1984: First Canadian in space, as a payload specialist service that Canada provides to its on U.S. Space Shuttle Mission 41-G.. communities... and to the world. It is Canada’s 1989: Retired from the Navy. ‘eye in the sky’ that monitors our land and seas, 1996, 2000: Joined two other Space Shuttle missions. helps us manage our natural resources and Source: Biographical Data, NASA assists those in need when disasters strike.” www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/garneau.html Marc Garneau, Pres., Canadian Space Agency 2006: Lost his bid to become a Liberal MP for the Mon- Source: CSA media release, “Ten Years and over Two Billion Kilome- treal-west riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges. tres for RADARSAT-1.” November 4, 2005. March 2006 (Issue # 58) Press for Conversion! 47