Your cabinet will meet around this oval table

Sir John A. MacDonald once inscribed his occupation as cabinet maker in a guest book. When people would criticize his cabinet ministers, Sir John A would tell them to send him better wood. Crafting the cabinet is an essential but difficult task for any Prime Minister or Premier, and it is a job that does not permit a lot of flexibility.

The importance of the cabinet in Canadian politics is reflected by some of the problems facing governments. Stephen Harper has struggled in the past with unnecessary and embarrassing scandals due at least in part to weak or inexperienced cabinet ministers. He has also struggled to find appropriate appointments for important ministries, also for the same reasons. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has had some strong ministers in his cabinet. However, he may face future problems because the Tories are now led by the plucky and aggressive Tim Hudak, and most of his talented ministers have left or will soon leave the cabinet. The difficulties faced by the Prime Minister or by a Provincial Premier are magnified by the regional nature of the country and the provinces: the government leader must, to the best of his ability, ensure that there is adequate representation in the cabinet from all the regions within his jurisdiction.
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Stephen Harper announced today that he will be firing all of his cabinet except himself. “I was wondering what I could do to cut government spending and at the same time hold on to more power”, he said with a constant twitching of his left eye. “As of today, I will be taking over all of the ministerial jobs in Foreign Affairs, Justice, Finance, Revenue, Indian Affairs, Inter-Governmental, Fisheries, Environment and any other departments I can think of. I will be giving myself a healthy raise for taking on this extra workload but rest assured that the rest of the savings will be passed on to Canadians. My first order of business is with the department of Technology. I have ordered them to develop a new device that will transfer all the information of the various departments straight to my brain,” he confided. Harper’s move means that his Conservatives have completely been relegated to backbencher status.
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