Thoughts on the new Federal Cabinet
Wow, some Liberals sure are upset with this new Cabinet. I guess that must mean that Harper did a pretty good job in his picks.
Here's the way I see it:
- The only Cabinet Ministet open to criticism right now is Hon. David Emerson, not because he crossed the floor, but because he was a Minister before. He has a record as a Minister and so judgements can be made. The whole debate on "defecting" to another party are greatly exaggerated by opposition parties. Sure people voted for him as a Liberal, however I believe many of those votes came because they voted for their MP who was a Minister. Mr. Emerson will do more good for Vancouver, for BC, and for the 2010 Olympics in his current position than he would have as an opposition member. I predict in a future election that he does what Scott Brison and Belinda Stronach have done, he wins again. The difference between Mr. Emerson's defection and Ms. Stronach is that the Liberals needed Ms. Stronach in order to win a crucial vote and stay in power, in the case of Mr. Emerson, his 1 vote isn't crucial to the success of the CPC, but his portfolio is very important to the province of BC, he did it for his constituents, and he made the right decision.
- The Liberals are very quick to try to create controversy, they mention all the Conservative MP's who were left out; ie. Diane Ablonczy and Jason Kenney, among others. What I find interesting is how they mention only Alberta MP's who were left out. The fact is everyone knew that Harper couldn't appoint more Alberta Ministers then he already did, and so tough choices had to be made.
- Harper's Alberta Ministers were brilliant choices. Rona Ambrose as Environment Minister is excellent. The rest of Canada will soon learn what the polls have told us for years, that Albertans care more about the environment than most people give us credit for.
In summary, a smaller Cabinet, a more efficient government. Canadians have seen that the Conservatives are willing to do what is right for the country as a whole as opposed to what is right for themselves, unlike the Liberal party.
Lets reserve judgement on the Cabinet until we have actual issues to judge them on. For now however, the future looks bright for Conservatives in Canada, and for the country as a whole.
I'd be afraid too if I was a Liberal. They don't have a leader, no one seems to want to be their leader, and they will soon find themselves facing a popular government on track to be a majority in the next election.
posted by Anonymous @ Monday, February 06, 2006
8 comments
8 Comments:
Another interesting, and I consider brilliant move, was how Harper did not announce who would be Deputy Prime Minister. On the one hand many people consider that he is abolishing the position, however, I believe that he is merely waiting to announce who will fill the role, and when he does that will be the biggest news story of the day. As it was yesterday, announcing a Deputy PM would have been the 3rd story in the media, behind the new cabinet, and the Emerson defection.
You have to admire the brilliance in the decisions being made so far.
I really like the new cabinet as well. I think Harper make good decisions about Fortier and Emmerson - yes it was risky, but he chose to spend some political capital in order to plug some major wholes in the cabinet (Vancouver and Montreal representation). I think it was a move made to build for the future. I also agree that no matter what cabinet looked like, he was going to get heavily criticized. And I prefer the current criticism to what the story could have been: "Harper appoints extreme right-wing cabinet" "Harper cabinet dominated by Alberta" etc etc. Once again Harper has shown he is in this to not only be a 2 year minority PM, but to build a new, stable, long term and national governing coalition. The Fortier move could help the CPC turn those 10 Quebec seats into 20 next time.
Its a great cabinet! It is unfortunate that some highly qualified members had to be left out, but that is just the reality of governing.
Last note: I don't believe he will pick a deputy PM. Rumours are that he will have a Parliamentary secretary, but not a deputy.
Rumours are running rampant about what is still to come. What I heard on the news is that Alberta will get huge influence with the Parliamentary Secretaries. Jason Kenney is expected to be Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (sort of like a Deputy PM, but not quite), and Diance Ablonczy is in line to be Parliamentary Secretary to Jim Flaherty in Finance.
All in all, Alberta will be well represented.
Don't embrace the pics too soon. Putting your cabinet in place, is just like setting up your pieces in chess. Lets see how they move, once the game really starts.
Ambrose, is the Sidney Crosby of the field and doing her job, but lets see what happens if she takes a hard body check, she hasn't been really tested yet.
Agree on Emerson he is a very nice choice, shows Harper's is not blindly partisian and looking for wide representation.
Harper may well be one of the must intelligent Prime Ministers. Only time will tell...
Harper’s One-Man-Band, and Pretzel Tories.
So, a little time has passed, and Harper’s daring moves to impress the electorate with his political acumen have now sunk in a bit. Reaction across the country to his cabinet appointments – and abandonment of principles espoused during the election – have varied from sheer disbelief, to shock, to amusement. Never has a Canadian politician fallen so far so fast. Usually it takes time for power to corrupt, but Mr. Harper is a man in a hurry.
Many Tories have had to swallow their tongues and bend themselves into pretzels defending the indefensible. Some MPs have said they fear going back to their ridings because they will have to explain to their supporters how the Harper crew did a sudden U-turn on the accountability issue, which, after all, was the Tory strong point in the election. Harper ran as Mr. Clean, and painted Martin as Mr. Corruption at every opportunity he had.
Even the rightwing press is stunned and disappointed.
Examples of press reaction:
The Vancouver Sun:
“"I expected some of the superficial criticism I've seen," Mr. Harper told The Vancouver Sun in an interview. "But I think once people sit back and reflect, they'll understand that this is in the best interests of not just British Columbia but frankly of good government." Mr. Harper referred to his statements on Monday, when he said he recruited Mr. Emerson to Cabinet to give Vancouver -- which didn't elect a Tory MP in five city ridings -- a voice in Cabinet. He used the same rationale to explain why he appointed Tory national campaign co-chairman Michael Fortier, a Montreal businessman, to the Senate and as Minister of Public Works. Montreal, like Vancouver, did not elect a government MP. "I think I was clear what I did and why I did it," Mr. Harper said yesterday.
The Calgary Sun – Roy Clancy:
“Stephen Harper must be breathing a sigh of relief today. Just minutes after being sworn in as prime minister, he relieved himself of one of the biggest burdens he had carried into the job. No longer must he live up to the impossible standard of political purity and ethical integrity saddled upon him by a naive electorate. ...But as widespread moans of anger illustrate, many Canadians took Harper seriously when he promised Monday to "begin a new chapter for Canada." No wonder they were disappointed when they learned within moments that this new chapter looks a lot like the old one. ...Harper's pragmatic moves may not have violated the letter of his promises to change the way government is run, but they shattered the spirit. .... Monday's manoeuvres quickly lowered the bar when it comes to public expectations of this new regime.“
The Calgary Sun - Rick Bell:
“See the Tories wriggle. Wriggle, Tories, wriggle. Ah yes, one party's turncoat is another party's principled politician. No anger now. No demands to step down and face the voters now. No nasty name-calling now. No sympathy for the poor electors of the riding of the quisling now. ... The trouble with talking about the moral high ground is you actually have to walk on it or, like the kid standing by the broken window after throwing the snowball, insist without shame you've done nothing wrong. ... So the rationalizations flow, the lame explanations are exhaled into the hot air and only those who have drunk the Conservative Kool-Aid will follow as good old ideological ants.”
So, what lessons can be taken from Harper’s first exercise of Prime Ministerial power? Here are a few for you to ponder:
• Just as it is unfair to accuse every Republican of having the same moral vacuity that President Bush has displayed, so too is it unfair to say that all Conservatives – and all voters who voted for the Tories – lack good moral and political judgment. It is very clear that there are a lot of people who voted Tory because they sincerely believed that it was time for the Liberals to mend their house, and for another party to bring in some anti-corruption measures. These people still have high standards; they are as bewildered by the events of this week as others are.
• Harper obviously believes he is above trifling things like having to take the feelings of others into consideration. This exercise of Prime Ministerial power shows that he will think things through – apparently mostly on his own – and then decide on the best way forward. If he explains his thought process, it is obvious to him that voters will then understand why he is right, and fall into line. There is a word for this: paternalism. Harper shows clear signs of seeing himself as the Big Wise Daddy of Canadian politics. His use of the word “superficial” to describe the reaction of others to his crass abandonment of some of the major planks of his election platform illustrates this very clearly.
• Harper is focused on winning a majority in the next election, to happen within 18 months. Everything he will do or say is geared to that. If lesser mortals within his own party do not understand this, that is their problem. They must suck it up and stay in line. Big Daddy knows best.
• Harper does not believe in a democratic party for the Tory government. It is his way or the highway (witness Stronach). This is perhaps the most worrisome aspect for many Tories: did they realize they were electing a dictator rather than the leader of a parliamentary party fashioned along the lines of a Westminster democracy? How many more decisions will be made by The Leader, and rammed down the throats of the caucus? And how can Canadians expect such decisions to be the best, if they are not tested by vigorous debate within the governing party before being made?
If Harper continues in the same vein for the next 12 months, expect him to join the ranks of the Clarks, Campbells and Martins as a short-lived blip on the Canadian political firmament.
Some people are getting a little carried away here, it is important to remember that the choice of who sits in Cabinet has always, ALWAYS, fallen to the Prime Minister. A PM selecting his cabinet does not make him less democratic, he is merely doing his job.
Some of you are looking way to much into this. Yes Mr. Harper could have made some different decisions, but unlike his predecessor who was afraid to make any decisions, at least we now have a PM who has demonstrated he is not afraid of controversy.
If this is the worst thing Mr. Harper does as Prime Minister, then we are in for some glory days as Canadians.
Agreed. I'm pretty sure the CPC has the most diverse caucus in terms of age, ethinicity and gender. I wonder if there are any stats on that somewhere...
The Emerson appointment was a huge mistake.
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