A Few Thoughts On Cabinet-Making
Okay, I’ve had a few hours (not to mention a couple of double-Jacks on ice) and I do have a few thoughts:
1. Is David Emerson the same as Belinda? Well, David’s gone gray and he doesn’t have breasts. (Sorry — cheap shot.)
Seriously, though, I can’t get worked up over Emerson. As I wrote when Stronach defected, the only people with any right to be upset are the voters in his riding who voted on partisan rather than personal grounds. I don’t have any right to be upset at Emerson because I never voted for him.
Another thing to remember: Emerson was never a name or “star” candidate in Belinda’s league, and he jumped prior to the session rather than during the heat of battle. Which means that, come the next Parliament, he won’t face the same level of heat that Belinda did, because a) he was never touted as a Liberal “star” to begin with, and b) the uproar over his defection will have lost its immediate impact by the time Parliament opens.
2. Is Michael Fortier going to be a problem? Fortier, the new Public Works minister, doesn’t have a seat in Parliament and has been given a temporary appointment to the Senate so he can actively participate in Cabinet.
Is he hampered in his duties? Partially, but not completely. Bob has raised the objection that Ministers need to face their critics in the House. That’s actually half-true: ministers need to be accountable to Parliament, and there are two ways for Fortier to do this:
a) For Question Period, he can designate a Minister to reply to questions for him. As he’s Public Works, the most probable Minister to reply for him would be John Baird of Treasury Board, but others can speak for him.
b) As Minister, he still needs to appear before the House Standing Committees — more than likely, the one on Public Accounts, and the one on Government Operations. Both of these Committees are normally chaired by members of the Opposition, so it’s not like Fortier’s going to get an easy ride.
As a contrast we might look at Brian Mulroney’s appointment of Lucien Bouchard as Environment Minister. Bouchard wasn’t a sitting member at the time of his appointment either; he had to wait for a by-election to be called. The problem right now is, with a minority government, Harper’s not in a position to be calling by-elections unless it’s absolutely necessary. Given Fortier an appointment to the Senate isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s workable.
Which brings me to my final point:
3. How, as a Conservative, can I defend these appointments? Has Harper signalled it’s “business as usual”?
Actually, Harper isn’t doing “business as usual.” Have you noticed that the Tories were able to keep the cabinet list secret right up to the day it was appointed? Paul Martin’s Liberals would never have been able to do that; there’d have been leaks all over the place. Stronger caucus discipline is a major difference.
Another thing to remember is that Harper is more policy wonk than politician, which means he’s not going to behave like a traditional politician. A traditional politician would never have attempted to poach someone from the Opposition; the opportunities for treachery are too great, and it would violate the unwritten rules of the political game. But if Harper feels that getting Cabinet representation for metro Vancouver is important, and if he needs more Ministers with cabinet experience, then persuading Emerson to defect would be worth the risk of ostracism. And he’s never struck me as the type who liked “playing the game” anyway.
Yes, people are upset over Emerson and Fortier, and that’s to be expected right now. But the business of government is not a game, with sides and winners and losers. As a policy wonk, Harper already knows this. It’s high time the rest of us understood this as well.
The best thing to do right now? Wait until Parliament opens, and the budget is brought in. If Harper’s cabinet, including Emerson and Fortier, is competent enough to run the government, we’ll know it by the budget.
The best attitude, as always, is to wait and see.
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February 7th, 2006 at 02:24
These are the among the best comments I’ve read on the matter thus far. It is true, the current furor is being pushed by over-anxious Conservatives and Liberals who are chastizing the Tories over what they have done already.
Fortier can go some time without ever being elected and simply reporting to Parliament, at least until this summer. This is an old trick used by several different administrations, and until we have elected senators, there is no reason why it can’t be ultilized.
Harper has just won my respect. He picked a solid cabinet, critics be damned. It is a sharp, sneaky move and, yes, no one saw it coming. Reading the speculation in today’s newspapers tell you that no one had any idea as to the make up of government. Everyone was talking about Cannon’s probable appointment to Deputy PM.
He’s a far sharper political machine than people realize; The Liberals had better get their act in gear and elect a solid competor quick like if they hope to be in power in six years.
February 7th, 2006 at 14:18
Well spoken, Phantom.
February 7th, 2006 at 19:53
Harper also mentioned that Fortier would be accountable during Question Period in the Senate … which really means that Graham is only upset because he won’t get the camera time on the evening newscasts.
February 7th, 2006 at 23:09
Agreed. People are hugely over-reacting to these moves in cabinet. I do have to admit that these moves are not ideal… the optics are not good for sure. But Harper is showing me that he’s more concerned with governing Canada in the best way rather than ensuring the optics always look pretty. He’s not afraid to make the tough decisions. That’s why Harper will make a good PM.
February 8th, 2006 at 00:18
Emerson’s move gives the Tories a huge tactical advantage in the next election. We all know what Liberal insiders know: that the Liberals 2006 campaign strategy was to spread slander and lies about Harper to scare the electorate. Soon, hopefully, Emerson will expose the Liberals disgusting and hatemongering campaign for what it was. When he does, he will get a much wider audience than us bloggers. Therefore the Liberal tactic will be much less effective next time. Can you say Tory majority.
February 9th, 2006 at 01:36
James Moore will likely speak for Fortier, as he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary, so in a sense Moore will be acting Minister, which will be great news for B.C. I was watching Politics with Dooonnn Newwwman yesterday and they showed Stephen Harper replying to a question in Quebec, if he’d appoint Mario Dumont, if on election day he had no representative from Quebec, that if you wanted people in cabinet you needed to elect them. IMO that was just politics, for he was in essence saying, if not pleading for Quebecers to elect some; any conservatives. The CBC in their partisanship choose not to replay the following quote from the Town Hall from their own network the Thursday before the election in reply to a question on floor crossers: “My short answer is no. And I understand the voters’ frustration. You can imagine I feel that frustration as much as anyone. I was the victim of a number of the particular incidents that the voter is referring to, that Colleen’s referring to, but the difficulty, Peter, I know that many members of Parliament have put forward various proposals that would restrict the right of MPs to cross the floor, force elections, or whatever. I haven’t seen one yet that convinces me that it would create anything other than a situation where party leaders have even more power over the individual members of Parliament. And, as you know, I’ve said that, of course, I’ve said that for a long time that I think our members of Parliament need more authority, need to be able to represent their constituents’ views, and they may make very bad decisions in crossing from a good party to a bad party or, more particularly, a winning party to a losing party. But that all said, I haven’t seen one yet that I’m convinced creates a bigger problem than it’s actually trying to fix.” In regard to Metro representation; Fortier’s appointment in Montreal, if Daniel Lessard of Radio Canada and Rheal Seguin of the Globe and Mail are to be believed, his appointed has been lauded and appreciated. I do recall Harper intimating in the campaign he’d insure representation from Quebec and their was Parliamentary precedent for doing so; therefore if there’s that expectation in Montreal who are the ROC to deny them. Emerson’s poach is a bonus, as Harper’s always been a fan of Emerson and needed Vancouver representation, as well. He’d been trying to recruit him even before he ran for the Liberals. Harpers being grilled for not following legislation he hasn’t even written yet, though I believe he has every intention of doing so. Harper was always condemned for being a blind idealogue. I believe at heart he was guilty of simply wanting to build the best cabinet possible. His critics seem to be the idealogues and he the practical cabinet maker. I doubt Harper will be doing any more poaching from the remains of the Liberal caucus, as he took the cream and left the dregs.