Cabinet Making - Follow the Instructions
This was a pretty standard Cabinet making exercise, with few surprises. Among the highlights:
The Strong Performers Get Promoted
Jim Prentice winds up with Environment (presumably because he’s the only member of caucus who owns a hybrid car) and Lawrence Cannon gets Foreign Affairs, meaning we’ll quickly see if the strong reputations Harper’s HoC flank-men have built up are due to their competence or the fact they’ve handled rather benign portfolios to date. Tony Clement replaces Prentice in Industry, which should booster Clement’s bio for the next time he decides he wants to lose a leadership race.
Jason Kenney gets rewarded for bringing over a large number of ethnic voters, by being given Immigration. James Moore gets another well deserved promotion, becoming Minister of Rich People Galas. Peter Van Loan’s reward for (not) answering 90% of the questions in the house? Public Safety.
Oh, and Peter MacKay becomes Minister in charge of Danny Williams.
The Weak Performers Get Demoted
Josee Verner has been sent to Cabinet purgatory – Intergovernmental Affairs. So long Josee! Gerry Ritz stays in place, which means costing Harper his majority is a bigger offense than cracking listeria jokes. Oh, and apparently “gross incompetence” also rats fairly low on list, since Gordon O’Connor managed to, yet again, keep his spot.
As for John Baird? Off to Transport! I look forward to learning about how the Liberals neglected that file for 13 long years.
Garry Lunn also gets knocked down to sport.
New Faces Get Big Roles
As expected, the new women have featured prominently in the new Cabinet. Leonna Aglukkaq will put her experience asMayor of Wasilla a Nunavut CabMin to work right away in Health, while Lisa Raitt gets Natural Resources and Gail Shea gets Fisheries.
Denis Lebel, Keith Ashfield, and Peter Kent all get Minister of State titles too, although it’s wholly possible that Lebel and Ashfield were just invisible backbenchers rather than new members.
The Strong Performers Get Promoted
Jim Prentice winds up with Environment (presumably because he’s the only member of caucus who owns a hybrid car) and Lawrence Cannon gets Foreign Affairs, meaning we’ll quickly see if the strong reputations Harper’s HoC flank-men have built up are due to their competence or the fact they’ve handled rather benign portfolios to date. Tony Clement replaces Prentice in Industry, which should booster Clement’s bio for the next time he decides he wants to lose a leadership race.
Jason Kenney gets rewarded for bringing over a large number of ethnic voters, by being given Immigration. James Moore gets another well deserved promotion, becoming Minister of Rich People Galas. Peter Van Loan’s reward for (not) answering 90% of the questions in the house? Public Safety.
Oh, and Peter MacKay becomes Minister in charge of Danny Williams.
The Weak Performers Get Demoted
Josee Verner has been sent to Cabinet purgatory – Intergovernmental Affairs. So long Josee! Gerry Ritz stays in place, which means costing Harper his majority is a bigger offense than cracking listeria jokes. Oh, and apparently “gross incompetence” also rats fairly low on list, since Gordon O’Connor managed to, yet again, keep his spot.
As for John Baird? Off to Transport! I look forward to learning about how the Liberals neglected that file for 13 long years.
Garry Lunn also gets knocked down to sport.
New Faces Get Big Roles
As expected, the new women have featured prominently in the new Cabinet. Leonna Aglukkaq will put her experience as
Denis Lebel, Keith Ashfield, and Peter Kent all get Minister of State titles too, although it’s wholly possible that Lebel and Ashfield were just invisible backbenchers rather than new members.
posted by calgarygrit at
6:07 p.m.
7 Comments:
Are you,saying the lady from Nunavut is the Health Minister...any experience?
By
Anonymous, at 7:12 p.m.
I’ve been tagged in a game called The Dreaded Blog Tag Game. As such, I was required to tag others whose blogs I read. You’ve been chosen. At worst it may garner you two or three more readers. Continue the game if you like. Cheers.
By
Johnson, at 11:06 p.m.
Ugh, I am by no means an apologist or supporter for this party/government, but to imply that Ms. Aglukkaq is synonymous with Sarah Palin or that her experience is is not a fair statement. Harper doesn't exactly have a wealth of "experienced" MPs to draw upon to form his cabinet (albeit perhaps more than last time around), but Ms. Aglukkaq has served as Nunavut's Minister of Health and Social Services in a territory whose health challenges are not an insignificant. She has also previously held a longtime career within the bureaucracy on several relevant files. Again, I think there is plenty wrong with this government, but your analogy here I'm afraid is odious.
By
Anonymous, at 12:37 a.m.
I feel Ms Aglukkaq is also someone who may find it a little difficult being part of the Harper control team. Her credentials as a 'conservative' don't fit; if Harper begins to show his roots and his 'idea' for health is revealed, we may find that she's the next stronach.
By
burlivespipe, at 3:33 a.m.
sour grapes from libby commentaters
what made Stronach, Nixon or Copps anymore qualified as CabMin's?
you'd think all the neo-cons fell off the turnip truck.
Again, who won the last election?
By
Unknown, at 10:12 a.m.
"Harper doesn't exactly have a wealth of "experienced" MPs to draw upon to form his cabinet"
I think the statute of limitations on this line ran out about the time the Conservatives stopped calling themselves Canada's New Government. The current crop of Liberals is hardly filled with bright, shining lights and is likely only to get weaker until they actually look like they might be remotely capable of pulling out a win.
By
Anonymous, at 12:47 p.m.
The comment about Aglukkaq was a little out of line. I was waiting for the moose-skinning line.
So, anyone who wasn't born, lived in, and currently reside in a large Canadian city is unfit for Cabinet? Typical urban point-of-view.
By
Anonymous, at 6:39 p.m.
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