Stephen Harper's Top Ten Cabinet Duds

So, apparently Stephen Harper is going to shuffle his cabinet tomorrow. And hopefully apologize to New Zealand on Greg Thompson's behalf, before they cut off our sheep supply.

And by the by, I'm willing to fly business/first class to New Zealand and can be at Rideau Hall for the morning, if anyone at the PMO is reading this. If you fly me Air Canada, you can even book it in economy and I'll use a certificate to upgrade. See, I'm saving the taxpayers money already!

And if the PMO is reading, hopefully the reports that tomorrow’s minor cabinet shuffle will reward incompetence by retaining ministers who have failed miserably in their portfolios are untrue. But alas, Stephen Harper seems content to keep a tight rein on the Conservative agenda and stick to a course that lacks any vision for Canada’s future.

If Harper was willing to start clearing out the deadwood however, here are ten ministers he'd be well advised to shuffle off into the sunset:

1. Lisa Raitt

Her greatest hits: Botching Canada’s medical isotope supply; her insensitive “cancer is sexy” comment caught on tape; leaving a top secret briefing binder at a TV station and then forcing her young ministerial aide to take the fall for it; signing off on thousands of dollars of questionable expenses as President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) and then, once in federal cabinet, organizing a partisan fundraiser out of the TPA offices. She now faces no less than three investigations – by the Ethics, Privacy and Lobbying Commissioners.

2. Peter Mackay

Ever since becoming a reality TV star, Mr. Mackay’s ratings have plummeted – first for attacking sympathetic civil servants who speak the truth, and then for using the Canadian Forces as a shield for all political criticism.

3-5. Jim Flaherty
Tony Clement
and John Baird

In a move that should terrify investors, Mr. Harper is leaving his Harris-era cohort of front-bench ministers intact.

John Baird has little more to show for his infrastructure spending spree than delayed projects and underwhelming job creation.

Jim Flaherty is responsible for a record $56 billion deficit.

And Tony Clement shrunk his side of the balance sheet after giving away Nortel’s made-in-Canada technology.

Mike Harris would no doubt be proud of what his children hath wrought.

6. Jim Prentice

The onetime cabinet superstar has lost all independent willpower. Charged with the impossible task of trying to communicate the government’s excuses for inaction on the environment, he became the laughing stock of the world in Copenhagen.

7. Gerry Ritz

Combining his cavalier attitude with a dangerous mismanagement style, Minister Ritz felt it was funny to make jokes while Canadians were dying of listeriosis.

8. Jay Hill

Conservative MPs use Mr. Hill’s Parliamentary "disruption" manual as a guide on how to dismantle important committee work. Mr. Hill’s Afghanistan committee no-show technique wasn’t even good enough for Mr. Harper, who took it a step further and canceled Parliament altogether.

9. Helena Guergis

After nearly two years of promising an ‘Action Plan’ to advance women’s equality, we wish that Minister Guergis had achieved nothing. Instead, she has stood silently in the background while her cabinet colleagues chipped away at women’s equality rights – whether through cuts at Status of Women, the cancellation of the Court Challenges Program or attacks on pay equity – leading to a growing gender gap under her government.

10. Stephen Harper

Our Prime Minister has shuttered our dearest democratic institution for the second time in a year so he can stage daily Potemkin village photo ops. He followed up his tirades against delayed government legislation by killing 36 of his own bills, and blew up his Senate reform agenda by appointing more cronies in one year than any Prime Minister in history.

But if Stephen is shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic, perhaps it would be best if the captain went down with the ship...

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No snark necessary (just strategic bolding)

Less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised the G8 for its latest climate-change targets, his environment minister said those targets are ``aspirational'' and that Canada may not meet them.

Jim Prentice, in an interview with CBC from L'Aquila, Italy, said reducing emissions by 80 per cent by the year 2050 is an ``aspirational goal.''

The best-case scenario for the Harper government's climate-change program _ which does not yet have enforceable regulations in place _ is a reduction in Canada's greenhouse-gas emissions of up to 70 per cent by 2050.

Prentice said Canada does not need to change its policy.
(story)

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Do the thing or get off the pot, Steve

As the Stephen Harper Conservatives do their worst to hang onto government, while they do have power they remain determined not to do anything constructive with it:

The federal government made international headlines last year when it added bisphenol A to the country's toxic substances list, but it has quietly stopped issuing new reviews of hazardous chemicals under the program that highlighted the dangers of the plastic-making compound.

(snip)

Ottawa hasn't issued evaluations of any of them, stoking worries among public-health and environmental advocates that the government is cooling toward the plan, which the Conservatives touted as showing their green credentials when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced it with great fanfare in 2006.

(snip)

There is speculation that Environment Minister Jim Prentice is holding up the process while Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is ready to proceed, although officials from both departments declined to comment on the delay.

Are we beginning to see a pattern here?

The Harper government has not yet named the leader of a promised probe into the listeriosis outbreak that killed 20 people — a lag critics say discredits an already suspect process.

(snip)

An independent report was to be finished by March 15.

With less than three months to go, a senior government source confirmed there's still no lead investigator.

The delay raises fresh concerns among food-safety watchers, who doubt Conservative commitment to overhaul what they say is a chronically short-staffed inspection system.

Canada's Conservatives: Flashy announcements. Bold promises. No follow-through.

If they don't want to govern anymore, I know some folks that are willing to give it a shot. How does the saying go, Steve? Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

But back to the first story. It seems Conservative wunderkind Jim Prentice is losing the Conservatives some of the very few supporters their environmental platform has:

The delays are baffling supporters of the plan, including the Canadian Cancer Society, which is on a group Ottawa set up to advise it on the review.

"We don't know why the delays are continuing, and that's a concern," said Dan Demers, director of national public issues for the society.

He said the holdup affects "some chemicals we're very concerned about," including hexane, butane, and sulphuric acid.

Although environmentalists have pilloried the Conservatives over claims they aren't acting quickly enough on global warming, the government has won praise for its approach on toxic chemicals. Now, one prominent group that backed the government is reconsidering its position.

"If the government is now winging it when it comes to this supposedly clear procedure then we will be reassessing our support for this program," said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence.

I thought Prentice was the one that knew what he was doing?

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Dion consulting to develop manufacturing policy

For those that were worried Stephane Dion’s summer tour would be all bbqs and no policy meat, the Star has an informative piece today on Dion’s extensive consultation process over the summer with stakeholders in the manufacturing sector, with the goal of developing sound and innovative economic policy:

What Dion can say with certainty is that a Liberal government would not allow Canada's industrial base to keep deteriorating. He rejects the view that a modern nation can sustain itself by buying and selling services. "We need a balanced economy. We need to build on what we've done well."

As prime minister, he would encourage Canada's manufacturers to change. The successful industries of the 21st century won't be characterized by smokestacks, Dion says. They will use clean technology. They will consume less energy, create less pollution and free people from their dependence on fossil fuels. "We need to move there right now."

Dion’s recent tour of a Chrysler facility in Windsor garnered good reaction and media coverage as well. There’s video of the visit here. Earlier in July he met with members of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.

Given Dion’s coming push on economic competitiveness and manufacturing I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Harper put his most trusted minister, Jim Prentice, into the industry portfolio in yesterday’s cabinet shuffle. Neither does the anonymous Conservative MP that talked to the Globe:

Plus, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is making a strong foray on economic policy, arguing loudly that the Conservatives have let down the manufacturing sector by having no industrial strategy.

"The more pressure he puts on it, the more of a priority it is for us," the source said.

It looks like Dion is more of a leader than the Conservatives would like to admit. First Dion led Harper into pretending to care about the environment, and now he’s leading Harper into paying more attention to economic strategy.

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Gordon says hells no, he won’t go

Which means of course that Gordon O’Connor’s days as Deceivin’ Steven’s minister of defence are numbered (a shuffle is rumoured to be imminent). And while as a Liberal I’m tempted to say keep him in there, as a Canadian I’d rather see someone competent in the rather important portfolio.

So, rather than re-cap the incompetent boobery of O’Connor in the defence portfolio, except to say I told you so, let’s turn instead to the matter of who replaces O’Connor at DND as Rick Hiller’s 2iC boss.

The Globe today has the official speculation:

Two senior cabinet members, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, have been touted as the most likely successors to Mr. O'Connor at Defence.

Mr. Bernier's name has been cited by Conservatives who believe a Quebec minister would make the best spokesman for the mission when the Quebec-based Royal 22nd Regiment deploys to Kandahar.

Mr. Day, meanwhile, is seen by many Tories as a surprise success because he has avoided major public pitfalls in a portfolio plagued with tricky issues and bad news, including a spate of RCMP controversies.

My eyes bulged a bit at seeing Stock’s name on the list. I’d just assume keep Day away from anything to do with guns myself. Granted, he hasn’t made a total ass of himself in his current portfolio. But then again, given the job performance of some of his cabinet colleagues, as long as he didn’t start flinging around his own droppings he’d look good by comparison. He hasn’t exactly excelled either though.

Then there’s Maxime Bernier. What is there you can say about Bernier? Well, he’s not Michael Fortier, so that’s a positive. He’s been low profile, hasn’t garnered much attention that I can recall. He did fight Fortier on the pork-barreling regional plums related to the Boeing contract; I give him points for that.

Why would Bernier want the job though? With the Vandoos on their way to Afghanistan a mission already unpopular in Quebec is going to become even more unpopular there. Why would you want to tar an as yet unblemished Quebec minister with this one? He would become the focal point for all the anger with the mission in the province, and he needs to not only get re-elected there, but have some coattails too.

So, who would I give the job to? Since I’m guessing I have to pick from the CPC caucus that’s though. Unless I can dangle the job to a floor crosser? Nah. Hmm, that’s tough then.

I’ve always felt young James Moore was deserving of a cabinet seat, but he should start smaller. While he hasn’t wowed in agriculture, Chuck Strahl is a decent, competent guy and is at least somewhat familiar with defence issues (the closed CFB Chilliwack was in his riding). Jim Prentice is another good performer but you probably want to keep him where he is right now, in Indian Affairs. Maybe it’s time to give Monte Solberg a bigger platform to sink or swim on; he’s been invisible in human resources.

I think Strahl would be an interesting choice though.

P.S. Might be a good time to name a new Liberal defence critic too. Just sayin'.

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An apology is due, minister

Bill Curry reports in the Globe today that the Conservative government will not issue an apology as part of a forthcoming settlement package for survivors of Indian residential schools.

First Nations groups are upset because this contradicts written agreement reached between the previous Liberal government and the Assembly of First Nations. They feel that promise for an apology should be honoured.

While I agree that it's not always appropriate to hold current governments to agreements reached by past governments, we're talking here about an agreement between First Nations peoples and the Government of Canada, not any political party. Some things should supersede politics.

The AFN is also wondering why Harper is nixing their promised apology when Harper has recently apologized on behalf of the government to Maher Arar and for the Chinese head tax.

I don’t want to play politics here, or attempt to ascribe motive to the Conservative decision. Instead I'd just like to know, as Indian Affairs minister Jim Prentice doesn't offer much of an explanation in the Globe piece, why no apology Minister? You say this is different from the Arar or the head tax cases. How?

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Want an election? Me? You're crazy!

Put another nail in the coffin for this parliament. The Conservatives are quickly and quietly putting the pieces in place for the election Steve Harper still continues to insist he totally doesn't want for a few more years yet.

On Friday, the Conservatives decided to cancel their national policy convention, which was scheduled for November in Winnipeg. If I can digress for a moment…November in Winnipeg, December in Montreal, do all political parties hate their members? Can we all get on board with bringing the Turks and Caicos into Canada? Now that's a winter convention location I could get behind.

Anyway, the convention was postponed until fall 2008 because of the imminent possibility of an election. Also, attending both the CPC campaign college this month and the convention could have put people over the legal donation limit, and I guess they've decided to start following that law for a change.

More interesting to note though is the recent change in messaging from the Con spinners. It was typified by Jim Prentice on CTV's Question Period over the weekend. Rather than the usual line of we don't want an election, we're going to govern until 2010 or whenever their fixed election date is, here's what Prentice had to say:

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice refused Sunday to dampen election speculation, repeatedly coming back to the immediate parliamentary calendar when asked about his party's rising stock.

"I see a very busy month ahead," Prentice said when asked whether rising polling numbers for the Tories suggest to him a majority mandate is within sight.

"I see the budget coming later in the month. (Environment Minister) John Baird has spoken about his plans relative to the environment in the month ahead. So it's going to be a month that Canadians will be able to take stock of how this government is moving forward in a very activist way."

Your key phrase there is "taking stock." As in hey, look at all the great stuff we've done, don't we deserve to be re-elected, maybe with a majority, please? (Unless he was pleading for Stock Day to cross the floor…take Stock, please!) A subtle change perhaps, but I think in conjunction with Prentice's refusal to offer the usual "we don't want an election" platitude a telling one.

So, yet another piece of evidence Harper will be engineering his own defeat and triggering an election sooner, rather that later. I'm betting this spring. No doubt he's at home now practicing his totally surprised, didn't want this election, it's all the Liberal's fault face.

Really, though, particularly in minorities, all the time all parties spend to try to not "get blamed" for precipitating an election is rather lame. A few days in, most people could care less who started it. They just want to finish it.

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