Exodus

In addition to Stock, Chuck Strahl and John Cummins have also announced they won't run again. While the opposition will certainly try to paint this as a case of Tories jumping ship, that's a tough spin. Cummins is 69. Strahl's health problems are well document. Day's been in politics for a quarter century. Moreover, it's not like any of the three were in any remote danger of losing their seats.

One bit of spin that might have some truth to it is the claim the Tory front bench is looking weaker and weaker by the day. True or not, the perception out there is that Jim Prentice, Chuck Strahl, and Stockwell Day were three of the strongest Tory ministers. Once you take away Ministers currently or formerly embroiled in scandal, or the lesser known Keith Ashfields of this world, there aren't a lot of stalwarts left. Sure, there's the Harris gang, Peter McKay, and a few reasonably competent Ministers from Quebec. But they all lack the kind of cross-partisan respect Prentice and Strahl were given.

Politically, it won't make a huge difference - by both perception and decree, this is very much the Harper government. But if Harper is re-elected and can't inject some fresh blood into his government, he'll have a thin bench...which might very well lead to more Bev Oda-ish mishaps in the future.

Day is Done

Stock follows Jim Prentice and Jay Hill out the door:

Day won't seek re-election

When the next federal election is called, Okanagan Coquihalla MP Stockwell Day will not be listed on the ballot.

On March 11, Day announced he will be stepping down from his role in federal politics at the end of this term.

“Now, after 14 years in provincial government and almost 11 years at the federal level it is time to move on. I hereby announce that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of this mandate,” he said in a news release. “Though there would be exciting and satisfying days ahead in public office, after prayerful consideration, Valorie and I feel at peace with our decision.”

In 2000, Day became a laughingstock (excuse the pun). There was the famous wetsuit press conference. He demonstrated some brain drain of his own when he got the direction Niagara Falls flows wrong. He was snickered at when he brought a "no two tier Health Care" sign to the debates. Warren Kinsella burned him, with a little help from Barney the Dinosaur. Rick Mercer burned him on his "Doris Day" petition, with a little help from 1.2 million Canadians. Day lost the election and, soon afterwards, his leadership.

But here's the thing. After being disgraced, Day stuck it out in politics. Over the past five years, he has become one of the quiet stalwarts of the Harper government. He wasn't an attack dog like John Baird. He wasn't at the centre of controversy like Tony Clement. He wasn't touted as a leadership heir like Jim Prentice.

Day handled major portfolios - Public Safety, International Trade, and Treasury Board. He avoided controversy, and he avoided scandal. He got the job done.

Stock leaves not as a punchline, but as one of the government's strongest ministers. No one would have predicted it a decade ago, but Day will be missed more by the Conservatives than by the political satirists.

2010 in Pictures: Hello Sports Fans

Another Day, another shuffle

It's been a busy week for Cabinet shuffles - first Alberta, then Ontario, now the feds. Assuming this was more than a "hey! look over here!" ploy to shift attention away from prorogation, what should we make of Harper's moves?

Well, even though 10 ministers change jobs, it doesn't feel like a big shuffle. The only new face is future "stump-the-At-Issue-Pannel-picture" Rob Moore. Sure, there are a few promotions and demotions - Lisa Raitt gets bumped down to Labour, where she will presumably do less damage, while Rona Ambrose gets promoted to Public Works after a few years in...beats me - no one's seen or heard from her since 2006. So I guess she's served her time in purgatory.

Oh, and Diane Ablonczy moves from an enjoyable tourism portfolio over to Seniors Affairs. Let that be a cautionary warning for any other Harper Cabmins thinking about showing any sort of support for the gay community.

But, on the whole, the Cabinet doesn't look a lot different. Stelmach and McGuinty went for face lifts - Harper seems content with a new haircut.

Looking at some of that fine tuning, the two moves getting the most ink are Christian Paradis to Natural Resources and Stockwell Day to Treasury Board. On Paradis, the thinking is that Quebecers will feel better about a Quebecer selling them on oilsands expansion, than an Albertan. Or, at the very least, Paradis will be able to spar with Gilles Duceppe on that issue.

I'm not sure Stockwell Day's move to Treasury Board in itself means the Tories are preparing for a round of cuts, but the Conservatives are spinning it that way, and that likely means Flaherty will be more restrained in his next budget. As an aside, I did enjoy hearing Stock refer to the stimulus program as the "Action Canada Plan" - clearly there hasn't been enough government advertising to get the message out!

Pass the Hat

The Globe has a story on how much money different Tory MPs have donated to the Conservative Party over the past year. James Moore has given more than any other Conservative MP to his own party. So clearly just writing a cheque doesn't guarantee you a Cabinet spot. Apparently, neither does being an extremely bright and talented MP. But I digress.

Apparently, there has been some "displeasure" over the fact that 18 Cabinet Ministers haven't donated cash to their own party this year. Luckily, after asking some questions in the right places, I've come up with the top 8 excuses by Tory Cabinet Ministers for not donating to the party:


8. Lost all my money in that income trust flip-flop.

7. Stockwell Day: "Already donated to get the Big Valley Creation Museum started".

6. Gordon O'Connor: "I did donate money. What? I didn't. General Hillier said I did."

5. Made an "in kind" donation by giving Stephen Harper fashion advice.

4. To be honest, I don't do anything unless explicitly instructed to do it from the PMO. I'm afraid to even order a donut on my own.

3. Tony Clement: "Now that Belinda's a Liberal, I've had to finish paying off my own leadership campaign debt."

2. John Baird: "After thirteen long years of Liberal corruption...I'm sorry - what was the question again?"

1. Felt it could be better spent donating it to the Stephane Dion leadership campaign.