Steve Mertl, THE CANADIAN PRESS

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VANCOUVER - Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson's distaste for down-and-dirty partisan politics hasn't stopped him from becoming an important backroom player in the upcoming federal election.

Emerson is not running for re-election in his Vancouver Kingsway riding but has agreed to be a national co-chair for the Conservative campaign.

He says he's convinced Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tories are best equipped to lead Canada through a period of economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

"While I do not care for the partisan zealotry and the nastiness of partisan politics I did indicate that if you're going to be in public life, figure out what it is you want to do, what you want to accomplish for your constituents and your country and pick the political party that seems like the best tool for accomplishing that," Emerson said Friday in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"I'm prepared to support and work toward the kinds of public policy outcomes that the prime minister stands for."

Emerson was an enthusiastic Liberal recruited by then-prime minister Paul Martin to run in the 2004 election, who became industry minister in the Liberal minority government.

He ignited a political wildfire when, just days after winning re-election as a Liberal in Kingsway in 2006, he jumped to the Tories and was appointed international trade minister.

The 63-year-old was British Columbia's top civil servant in the 1980s, then led the Vancouver International Airport Authority and became CEO of forestry giant Canfor Corp. before his foray into federal politics.

"I do not regret it, I have never regretted it," he said about crossing the floor, though he admitted the backlash wounded him and his family. "But I have discovered the hard way that politics is war and wounds are part of war. You pick yourself up and brush yourself off and keep going."

Emerson indicated his loyalty was more to Martin personally than to the Liberal party.

When he agreed to run in 2004, he and his wife Theresa assumed Martin's Liberals would win a majority, giving his family a chance to experience life in Ottawa for four years. With a Liberal minority, Theresa and their two young children stayed in Vancouver.

"I opted not to bail out when the sponsorship scandal started to undermine the support for the Liberals," said Emerson. "I wanted to bail out again in 2006 but didn't want to undermine Paul at the time."

When Martin went, so did Emerson's commitment to the party.

"Almost within 24-48 hours (of Martin's departure) I got a call from Prime Minister Harper's people," he said.

Emerson had specific policy goals: negotiating a truce in the Canada-U.S.. softwood lumber war and working to fund the Asia-Pacific Gateway initiative to cement B.C.'s position as a North American trade hub.

"I let the prime minister know roughly a year ago that it was unlikely that I would seek re-election," he said, adding the final decision wasn't made until after a family meeting over the Labour Day weekend.

Emerson echoed Harper's justification for end-running his own fixed election-date law as necessary because parliamentary co-operation had broken down. He said the government needs a mandate, even if it's just another minority.

Given his dislike of political hardball, he's surprisingly unperturbed by some of the Tories' negative pre-election ads ridiculing Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

"I've been through a lot myself and been the victim, if you like, of some pretty negative, not very truthful, not very ethical campaigns," Emerson said, referring to demonstrations and vandalism that dogged him after he crossed the floor.

He does prefer the Conservatives' more positive ads, like the TV spots showing a folksy Harper talking about his government's strengths.

But asked if Harper really wears the sleeveless sweater vests he sports in one ad, a deep laugh escaped Emerson's weary face.

"I haven't seen him in one."