I like the Harper Party Cabinet. It has the trappings of an activitist government with his best people in portfolios that are key policy issues. There will be the usual scorecard calculations of winners and losers but I would rather focus on the good things I see in the new Cabinet.
First is Flaherty remaining in Finance is very important for continuity in these turbulent times. Next best move is Prentice to Environment. This is a critical issue for Harper and he obviously recognizes it with the appointment of his resident “Fixer” into this very contentious portfolio.
Alberta is already suspicious of Harper’s inclination to interfere in natural resources jurisdiction with his bitumen export remarks. Prentice will have to work with the amalgam of the environment and the economy as a whole systems approach. If anyone can do this, Prentice can and with a weak player like Clement in Industry, Prentice will be able to do what is needed without much push-back internally.
Next smart move is James Moore to Heritage. Verner was a dud and this guy has talent and is a quick study. He will not be a strong voice for arts and culture per se but he will be a champion for cultural industries going forward.
Baird is a doer and will have his hands full in Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Likely to be the busiest guy in Cabinet as the economy turns down and public works project gear up in response. He is a great choice and he leaves some good feelings behind in Environment especially around parks policy.
Lisa Raitt in Natural Resources and Leona Aqlukkaq in Health are bold moves that deserve to be applauded…and not because they are women. Key portfolios to two newbie’s augers well for some chances for more openness and perhaps real participation by Cabinet members in policy beyond Harper as the one-man show. Time will tell.
Other clever moves are in the Minister of State functions like Rob Merrifield in Transportation, Fletcher in Democratic Reform – whatever that is, and Peter Kent in Foreign Affairs concentrating on the Americas.
Disappointments are Ablonczy not getting a promotion and James Rajotte still on the outside. Gerry Ritz is a survivor and Peter Van Loan replacing Stockwell Day in Public Safety is not encouraging…Peter is a pit bull in a china shop.
Big losers are Lunn and Verner, Clement. O’Connor, Guergis – all well deserved demotions.
Continuous performance in the *wrong* direction is not a good thing in these turbulent times.
ReplyDeleteFlaherty ran an operational deficit for 6 out of the last 7 months that Finanace Canada reported on before the election. He managed to remain in budgetary surplus by issuing a hell of a lot of Canadian Bonds -- in short, using long term debt to maintain a short-term surplus.
They acknowledge they'll be running a deficit next year because they know that the short-bonds will be needing to be paid back then.
More info: http://mikewatkins.ca/2008/10/08/harper-government-running-deficit-now/
A very good commentary. The one big promotion missed though was Jason Kenney, who goes to Citizenship and Immigration. This is something that is very well deserved given his clear success in his previous post. Don't be surprised to see Kenney promoted again in a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think I'd have to point out that Harper's going to have let his people actually run things if the good bits you see are to be realized - not something that Harper's been overly willing to do so far.
ReplyDeleteMgS - I know Harper has been an Emperor in the past. If he sustains that single minded (his) approach, he will not be governing long. I think with the econimc meltdown he will be more than happy to spread the risk/blame around to others in Cabinet.
ReplyDeleteJason Kenny definitely deserves a positive mention too. He is another pitbull like Baird and Van Loan but he is an effective campaigner.
ReplyDeleteHis work in getting conservative minorities to vote for the Harper Party has been more effective than most of us thought it would be. He will continue that work in the Citizenship and Imigration job. Another Calgary Minister in a key portfolio that is important to Alberta.
And Edmonton gets screwed again. Calgary has four ministers, including the PM and a heavy hitter like Prentice.
ReplyDeleteRona Ambrose is NOT a strong voice for a progressive city like Edmonton, and she's definitely not aligned with our values.
Under Chretien and Martin, we had Anne McClellan (and to a lesser extent, David Kilgour), and under Mulroney, we had Don Mazankowski.
Edmonton-Strathcona ought to have been a warning for the Cons. Next time, let's hope Edmonton-Centre and Edmonton-East return to their moderate roots.