Shuffle as you will, we know the joker is still on top.
Photo Credit: Bartmaha

Firstly let us recall that the small government-touting Conservatives have gone from a twenty-seven member cabinet, a “smaller Cabinet and more streamlined Cabinet structure… designed for work—not for show” (Stephen Harper), to their current thirty-eight member (awkward and showy?) cabinet.

Secondly, let us take a look at the January nineteenth’s move of Lisa Raitt from her position as Minister of Natural Resources.

Taking a controversial minister away from the position of being in charge of our nuclear plants seems like a no-brainer, especially when she finds medical isotope shortages to be “sexy”.

Speaking of no-brainers; let’s make her the … drum roll please … Labour Minister. Real smart. Please someone explain why she is still a minister at all?

Disaster here we come. Let us ponder rising unemployment rates and the increasing difficulty of earning a living wage, wow; Labour Minister: “That’s hot”.

Now to be fair the post is seen as kind of a filler, does-nothing role; the move seen as a demotion. To be fair: what are we paying this hack for again?

Apparently there is not a Conservative who can handle the Natural Resources posting. Gary Lunn fired nuclear watchdog Linda Keen (for disagreeing with the government over how reasonable risking nuclear meltdown was) and is now Minister of State for Sport.

The lesson for Christian Paradis, the new Minister of Natural Resources: act like the public interest is the last thing on your mind.

Thirdly: Keith Ashfield, caught on the way out of the meeting where he had just picked up two more ministerial titles, told reporters “there’s a lot of work to do”. No kidding, he is a minister three times over. I am sure each position deserves a pay hike, just as if one person were devoting themselves to handling the files, he’s worth three of anyone else. That or the Atlantic Canada postings aren’t being taken seriously. The man can’t manage his own internet domain (Telegraph-Journal. Saint John, N.B.: Mar 7, 2009. pg. A.3). I wonder which option is closer to the truth.

Conservativism is dead, but long lived are Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.

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Tags: cabinet shuffle, Christian Paradis, Keith Ashfield, Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, stephen harper

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm and is filed under Federal Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.