In order to show government frugality and that Conservative governments are leaner and meaner Harper has expanded the cabinet to 37 members from 31, rewarding
his loyal crew of MPs with bigger salaries but it should be noted Harper is moving towards equality of sexes at the public trough.. This is from the Vancouver Sun.
Note that since Quebec misbehaved it has one less cabinet minister. Globe and Mail.
Bloated cabinet strange way for Harper to show restraint
Frugality seems to have been shown the door as prime minister makes more than one in four MPs a member of the inner circle
Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver SunPublished: Friday, October 31, 2008
Stephen Harper has avoided tough choices, announcing Thursday a hefty cabinet that makes more than one in every four elected Conservatives a minister.
Fully 38 of the 143 members of Parliament on the governing side will sit in cabinet. That's up from 31 members before the Oct. 14 election.
What makes the size noteworthy is the fact the prime minister, in announcing his new team, emphasized the government's main focus will be the economy.
"The central responsibility of our new mandate will be to ensure that Canada's businesses and families have the security they need to weather any global economic storm," he said in the foyer of the House of Commons following the cabinet swearing-in. For the sake of stability, he kept Jim Flaherty in finance.
But frugality does not appear to be part of the Conservative calculation, despite the fact the country is now flirting with the possibility of a deficit budget.
Harper's cabinet is both large and unfocused.
Salaries alone for the additional ministers will total more than $500,000. In addition, each minister must be supported by a small bureaucracy.
By having a corpulent cabinet, Harper increases his government's profile in more places in the country, which of course is helpful politically.
The large number of cabinet positions also works wonders for Conservative morale and party loyalty.
Showing posts with label Harper cabinet shuffle.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harper cabinet shuffle.. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Emerson made head of foreign affairs
This is an ideal choice for this government. Emerson is a turncoat Liberal widely praised by analysts apparently. No doubt this is because he has shown himself to be unprincipled and also a sellout to the United States in the softwood lumber deal. This positions himself well to occupy a post where we will be a junior partner and provide manpower and cannon fodder for U.S. projects such as the war in Afghanistan. We already have a head of our forces who received a medal for service in Iraq!
CTV.ca News Staff Updated: Wed. Jun. 25 2008 3:35 PM ET
Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed the highest profile job in Wednesday's cabinet shuffle -- the head of foreign affairs -- to B.C. MP David Emerson. It was a move praised by analysts, but one that also stirred controversy.
Before being officially assigned the post, Emerson had been serving as the interim head of foreign affairs for the past few weeks. He took over the job for Maxime Bernier, who resigned last month following a series of political blunders.
Emerson had been serving double-duty, managing both foreign affairs and his post as the head of International Trade, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has now handed to Senator Michael Fortier, the former public works minister.
Emerson also served as the minister responsible for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic Games. Analysts have praised Emerson, 62, as one of only a handful of qualified Tories whom Harper could turn to when adjusting the cabinet.
He chairs several cabinet committees, including the special committee on Afghanistan and the foreign affairs and defence committee. Emerson is also widely credited for helping forge a new Canada-U.S. softwood lumber pact. The deal occurred after a five-year-negotiation deadlock under the previous Liberal government.
"He's been a very steady performer. He will bring adult supervision to the Department of Foreign Affairs," former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley told CTV Newsnet shortly before Wednesday's shuffle.
Manley said Emerson should be able to help the government regain credibility on the world stage after a series of recent missteps by foreign affairs. Those included:
the misplacement of classified material
the leak of a confidential report about NAFTA positions held by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates
inappropriate public comments about an Afghan leader
However, while Emerson has been praised for his efficacy, he has also been the centre of controversy. Emerson had served as the industry minister after being appointed to the post by Liberal prime minister Paul Martin in 2004. But Emerson, who was handpicked by Martin to run as a Liberal, crossed the floor of the House and joined the Conservatives -- within days of winning the 2006 election for Vancouver Kingsway under the Liberal banner.
The move outraged many of the riding's voters, who said they would never have voted for Emerson had they known he was planning to switch parties. The Conservative candidate in the riding had come in a distant third behind Emerson and the NDP candidate.
Before his sudden and unexpected post-election party switch, Emerson declared that he wanted to be Harper's "worst nightmare."
Just days later, he embraced Harper. The move was politically shrewd for Emerson, who jumped back into a cabinet post while his former Liberal colleagues languished on the opposition benches.
The Tories did not hold a byelection in Emerson's riding after he crossed the floor. Residual anger about Emerson's switch appears to have remained. A lone protester appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, holding a sign which called Emerson a "hypocrite," a "coward," and a "fraud."
Before joining federal politics, Emerson served as B.C.'s deputy minister of finance in the 1980s. He began working with the provincial government shortly after receiving his doctorate in economics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
In addition to serving in provincial politics, Emerson has also served as the head of the Western and Pacific Bank of Canada and B.C. Trade Development Corporation. The married father of five also oversaw the expansion of Vancouver International Airport during the 1990s and headed Canfor Corp., one of B.C. largest forestry companies.
"He brings some really serious qualifications to the job ... I think it will be a seamless transition," Conservative strategist Geoff Norquay told Newsnet.
© 2008 All Rights Reserved.
CTV.ca News Staff Updated: Wed. Jun. 25 2008 3:35 PM ET
Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed the highest profile job in Wednesday's cabinet shuffle -- the head of foreign affairs -- to B.C. MP David Emerson. It was a move praised by analysts, but one that also stirred controversy.
Before being officially assigned the post, Emerson had been serving as the interim head of foreign affairs for the past few weeks. He took over the job for Maxime Bernier, who resigned last month following a series of political blunders.
Emerson had been serving double-duty, managing both foreign affairs and his post as the head of International Trade, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has now handed to Senator Michael Fortier, the former public works minister.
Emerson also served as the minister responsible for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic Games. Analysts have praised Emerson, 62, as one of only a handful of qualified Tories whom Harper could turn to when adjusting the cabinet.
He chairs several cabinet committees, including the special committee on Afghanistan and the foreign affairs and defence committee. Emerson is also widely credited for helping forge a new Canada-U.S. softwood lumber pact. The deal occurred after a five-year-negotiation deadlock under the previous Liberal government.
"He's been a very steady performer. He will bring adult supervision to the Department of Foreign Affairs," former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley told CTV Newsnet shortly before Wednesday's shuffle.
Manley said Emerson should be able to help the government regain credibility on the world stage after a series of recent missteps by foreign affairs. Those included:
the misplacement of classified material
the leak of a confidential report about NAFTA positions held by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates
inappropriate public comments about an Afghan leader
However, while Emerson has been praised for his efficacy, he has also been the centre of controversy. Emerson had served as the industry minister after being appointed to the post by Liberal prime minister Paul Martin in 2004. But Emerson, who was handpicked by Martin to run as a Liberal, crossed the floor of the House and joined the Conservatives -- within days of winning the 2006 election for Vancouver Kingsway under the Liberal banner.
The move outraged many of the riding's voters, who said they would never have voted for Emerson had they known he was planning to switch parties. The Conservative candidate in the riding had come in a distant third behind Emerson and the NDP candidate.
Before his sudden and unexpected post-election party switch, Emerson declared that he wanted to be Harper's "worst nightmare."
Just days later, he embraced Harper. The move was politically shrewd for Emerson, who jumped back into a cabinet post while his former Liberal colleagues languished on the opposition benches.
The Tories did not hold a byelection in Emerson's riding after he crossed the floor. Residual anger about Emerson's switch appears to have remained. A lone protester appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, holding a sign which called Emerson a "hypocrite," a "coward," and a "fraud."
Before joining federal politics, Emerson served as B.C.'s deputy minister of finance in the 1980s. He began working with the provincial government shortly after receiving his doctorate in economics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
In addition to serving in provincial politics, Emerson has also served as the head of the Western and Pacific Bank of Canada and B.C. Trade Development Corporation. The married father of five also oversaw the expansion of Vancouver International Airport during the 1990s and headed Canfor Corp., one of B.C. largest forestry companies.
"He brings some really serious qualifications to the job ... I think it will be a seamless transition," Conservative strategist Geoff Norquay told Newsnet.
© 2008 All Rights Reserved.
Monday, August 13, 2007
CEO's not buying Harper cabinet.
I find this poll a bit surprising. Except for the trusts taxation turnabout I thought that the Harper government was in general pro-business. Perhaps it is simply that governments are never pro-business enough for business leaders! I wonder what it is they expect from the Conservatives that would make them so much different from the Liberals. Both are pro-business in general as far as I can see. In a democracy you can't expect government to simply ignore other interests all the time! In fact you can't expect that in any government.
Hmm. A strange headline. Is the Harper cabinet for sale to business?
CEOs not buying Harper cabinet
Business leaders weary of 'new' government in Financial Post-BDO Dunwoody poll
David Pett
Financial Post
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The honeymoon is over for Stephen Harper's Cabinet, according to Canadian business leaders who believe the current government has done little to differentiate itself from its Liberal predecessor.
That's the conclusion of a Web-based COMPAS poll conducted in conjunction with BDO Dunwoody LLP for the Financial Post, which asked a panel of CEOs and business leaders to assess the Prime Minister and key ministers in Cabinet. The poll was conducted after media speculation about a Cabinet shuffle, expected as early as Monday.
In their assessment of key ministers governing the country, the panelists spared no one, as performance scores for every minister fell since the last, similar poll in February, 2006. That includes the Prime Minister, who saw his score drop from 74 to 66 on a 100-point school report-type scale. Mr. Harper still continues to outperform his ministers, however, and his performance score also remains higher than previous Liberal prime ministers Paul Martin and Jean Chrtien, who rarely scored higher than 55.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's score dropped 17 points to 64. That's good enough to rank among the highest-performing ministers, alongside Peter McKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, who scored 65, and Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, who scored 60.
In October last year, Mr. Flaherty reversed a Conservative election promise not to tinker with government tax policy regarding income trusts, by announcing that income trusts would no longer benefit from "unfavourable tax incentives" come 2011.
The panelists regard taxation as the most important priority affecting their evaluation of the Conservative government. "Tax policy is a joke and undermines the confidence of business in relying on an understanding government, which it is not," one respondent said. "There seems to be too little thinking about repercussions about tax changes and more bowing down to policy wonks. They are not living in the real world."
Also noteworthy is the fall in ratings of Environment Minister John Baird. His score dropped 18 points to 57, following recent environmental announcements on greenhouse gas emissions that one panelist called "unachievable, unfair and the opposite of what the government had promised."
Taken together, the decisions made on tax policy and the environment reflect a general disappointment among respondents, who believe these decisions are symptomatic of a government unwilling to set an agenda that is distinct from Liberal leadership of the past.
"The overall feeling is this is a Liberal government in Conservative clothing," COMPAS founder Conrad Winn said. "That came in pretty loud and clear."
The 118 respondents to the survey conducted from Aug. 8 to 10 were hand-picked, with a higher representation of small and medium-sized firms. The study is considered more accurate than similarly sized public surveys because of the small population of CEOs and business leaders from which the sample was drawn.
Hmm. A strange headline. Is the Harper cabinet for sale to business?
CEOs not buying Harper cabinet
Business leaders weary of 'new' government in Financial Post-BDO Dunwoody poll
David Pett
Financial Post
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The honeymoon is over for Stephen Harper's Cabinet, according to Canadian business leaders who believe the current government has done little to differentiate itself from its Liberal predecessor.
That's the conclusion of a Web-based COMPAS poll conducted in conjunction with BDO Dunwoody LLP for the Financial Post, which asked a panel of CEOs and business leaders to assess the Prime Minister and key ministers in Cabinet. The poll was conducted after media speculation about a Cabinet shuffle, expected as early as Monday.
In their assessment of key ministers governing the country, the panelists spared no one, as performance scores for every minister fell since the last, similar poll in February, 2006. That includes the Prime Minister, who saw his score drop from 74 to 66 on a 100-point school report-type scale. Mr. Harper still continues to outperform his ministers, however, and his performance score also remains higher than previous Liberal prime ministers Paul Martin and Jean Chrtien, who rarely scored higher than 55.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's score dropped 17 points to 64. That's good enough to rank among the highest-performing ministers, alongside Peter McKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, who scored 65, and Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, who scored 60.
In October last year, Mr. Flaherty reversed a Conservative election promise not to tinker with government tax policy regarding income trusts, by announcing that income trusts would no longer benefit from "unfavourable tax incentives" come 2011.
The panelists regard taxation as the most important priority affecting their evaluation of the Conservative government. "Tax policy is a joke and undermines the confidence of business in relying on an understanding government, which it is not," one respondent said. "There seems to be too little thinking about repercussions about tax changes and more bowing down to policy wonks. They are not living in the real world."
Also noteworthy is the fall in ratings of Environment Minister John Baird. His score dropped 18 points to 57, following recent environmental announcements on greenhouse gas emissions that one panelist called "unachievable, unfair and the opposite of what the government had promised."
Taken together, the decisions made on tax policy and the environment reflect a general disappointment among respondents, who believe these decisions are symptomatic of a government unwilling to set an agenda that is distinct from Liberal leadership of the past.
"The overall feeling is this is a Liberal government in Conservative clothing," COMPAS founder Conrad Winn said. "That came in pretty loud and clear."
The 118 respondents to the survey conducted from Aug. 8 to 10 were hand-picked, with a higher representation of small and medium-sized firms. The study is considered more accurate than similarly sized public surveys because of the small population of CEOs and business leaders from which the sample was drawn.
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