Conservative Member of Parliament Garth Turner says he believes his career options within the party are "seriously limited" after he criticized Minister of International Trade David Emerson for defecting to the Conservatives from the Liberals for a cabinet post.

Turner made the comments on his blog after meeting with the Prime Minister on Thursday night.

"I'm expecting the Whip will be assigning me a renovated washroom somewhere in a forgotten corner of a vermin-infested dank basement in Ottawa," Turner wrote. "That should go well with my seat in the House of Commons that will be visible only during lunar eclipses."

"I think it is now safe to say my career options within the Conservative caucus are seriously limited."

"I know the PMO has a song sheet it wants all caucus members to sing from, and I know what happens when an individual chooses to go his or her own way. I was just hoping this time I would not be asked to choose - between party and principle. I chose principle."

But, Turner was less forthcoming in an interview with CTV's Canada AM.

"I'm not really going to go into the conversation," Turner told the program on Friday morning. "It was private, as it should remain. But, I can tell you that the Prime Minister made his point to me and I made my point to him, and we agreed to disagree."

"It seems a bit hypocritical," Turner said while speaking about Emerson's appointment. "I'm sure the Prime Minister has many good reasons for doing what he did. I don't know David Emerson."

"I feel disappointed after Conservatives criticized Belinda Stronach so much for crossing the floor and not going back to the people to get ratification for that. It was a big deal a few months ago."

"So, I feel disappointed now that the government has sanctioned the same sort of behaviour on our side."

Alberta MP Myron Thompson is also calling for Emerson to quit and run under his new party.

"I would say, if he did it, it would be a very honourable thing to do," Mr. Thompson, one of the original Reform MPs told reporters.

Mr. Thompson recalled his negative reaction last year when Belinda Stronach left the Conservatives to sit in the Liberal cabinet.

"What I said was not very kind at the time and I was quite thankful that we would soon never see anything like that happen again," he said. "I was disappointed [this time], but like I said, that's behind me. I can't do a thing about it."

Turner also said he disagreed with the cabinet appointment of Michael Fortier as the new minister of public works. Fortier is an unelected politician, who has been appointed to the senate.

The Tory MPs aren't alone in their criticism of Emerson's appointment. Emerson is also battling angry constituents and partisan Liberals in his Vancouver-Kingsway riding.

Emerson, who won re-election as a Liberal on Jan. 23, shocked everyone Monday morning by showing up at the cabinet swearing-in ceremony for the Conservative cabinet.

He was named minister of international trade, minister for the Pacific Gateway and minister responsible for the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics.

His riding's Liberal association has now asked him to repay $97,000 in donations to his campaign, and to resign and run for election as a Conservative in a by-election.

Emerson has rejected both demands.

"I think there's a pretty simple point of democratic principle here," Turner said. "Guys like me who spend a long time pounding the pavement and knocking on doors getting elected think that's a pretty important thing that somebody should do when you want to represent a party or a government."

On Thursday, David Emerson rejected a report that he blocked a deal on the softwood lumber crisis until after the election campaign.

A report in Thursday's Toronto Star claimed Emerson, the former Liberal industry minister, had a template for a solution with the U.S. on the conflict, but put it on hold until after the election.

The Toronto Star report said Emerson led the call to delay the deal.

Reached by telephone Wednesday night, Emerson told the Star that he did raise concerns about the proposal, but rejected suggestions his resistance was politically motivated. He said the deal just wasn't good enough.

Since then, Emerson has kept a low profile on the softwood issue, avoiding the media and at the last minute canceling a scheduled phone conference with reporters Thursday afternoon.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was also conspicuously silent on the issue Thursday, as were other high level Tories, leaving backbench MPs to defend Emerson from Liberal attacks.

MP Garth Turner said he doesn't know if there's any basis to speculation Emerson was an important addition to the Harper government because he may have been close to a softwood deal.

"Well, I don't know if that's true or not. I've certainly heard and read those reports as well," Turner said. "If he is able to bring a solution to the softwood lumber issue, that would be great because it's cost a lot of people a lot of jobs and cost the economy a lot of money."

Turner thinks Emerson should stand in a by-election as a Conservative.

"If you want to be a Liberal, be elected as a Liberal," Turner said. "All those things have honour, but the honour is bestowed by the people, not by the individual."