public affairs analysis briefs

Analysis: January 2010 Cabinet Shuffle

January 2010 | public affairs

Background

On January 19, 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, AB) announced the first significant adjustment to the Canadian Cabinet in almost two years. While the shuffle had been rumoured since the announcement of the Prorogation of Parliament in late December 2009, the changes became necessary with the announced resignation of the Hon. Greg Thompson, the former Minister of Veterans Affairs and New Brunswick’s representative in cabinet. Given the attention that has circled around the PM’s decision to suspend Parliament until after the Olympics, the cabinet shuffle also provided an opportunity to “change the channel” on political coverage in Ottawa.

The Changes

Some very senior portfolios changed hands today: Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, AB) – originally appointed to the Environment portfolio but relegated to the relative purgatory of Minister of Labour – has been elevated back to a senior role as Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). PWGSC is the Government’s one-stop procurement shop and, as a result, Ambrose will be tasked with keeping a close eye on capital expenditures in an era of tightening purse strings.

The man now responsible for tightening those strings enough to sing is the Hon. Stockwell Day (Okanagon-Coquihalla, BC). Before his time as party leader, Minister Day was the Treasurer of Alberta (the equivalent of Minister of Finance in most other provinces). The PM is asking Day to call on this experience in his new role as President of the Treasury Board – the central agency responsible for expenditures across government.

Taking over from Minister Lisa Raitt (Halton, ON) (who, after some stumbles, is now the Minister of Labour (see above)) at Natural Resources Canada is the Hon. Christian Paradis (Mégantic-L'Érable, QC). The PM made special mention of Paradis’s excellent work during his scrum after the shuffle at Rideau Hall and noted that he deserved “more interesting and stimulating challenges”. Natural Resources is a significant economic portfolio with oversight of files crucial to Canadian interests including: the oil sands, nuclear issues including the sale of AECL, the forestry industry, and mining. Minister Paradis retains responsibility for regional development in Quebec as well.

Other moves saw Minister Peter van Loan (York-Simcoe, ON) go from Public Safety - where he has been replaced by the Hon. Vic Toews (Provencher, MB) – to International Trade. The Hon. Jean-Pierre Blackburn has taken over Veterans Affairs (with an added junior role as Minister of State for Agriculture, thereby providing the government with a necessary link to theQuebec Agriculture industry). And Minister of State Diane Ablonczy (Calgary-Nose Hill, AB) will move from Tourism to Seniors.

The New Faces

The PM went to great lengths to sing the praises of newcomer Rob Moore (Fundy Royal, NB), the new Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, and a second voice for New Brunswick at the cabinet table. Moore has impressed the PM and had been personally tapped for the big table by the boss.

Also in New Brunswick, the Hon. Keith Ashfield (Fredericton, NB) been elevated from the relative obscurity of Minister Peter MacKay’s shadow where he was a second, junior minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to a full-fledged Minister in his own right with responsibility for Revenue Canada, ACOA, the Atlantic Gateway and a supporting role to the Minister of Transport.

What it means for GCI clients

The government’s narrative must be clear for their message to resonate with voters: we are focused on completing our Economic Action Plan and then getting out of deficit. As a result, many of the programs or expenditures that would otherwise be attractive to a government looking to secure an elusive majority government may be sacrificed on the altar of fiscal restraint. The changes announced by the Prime Minister involve some of his most trusted confidants taking on roles that will be key to meeting those targets – Minister Day at Treasury Board in particular. The message to those looking to business with government should be clear: your ask needs to fit in our agenda, or it simply will not be a priority.

That’s where GCI Group comes in. With a balanced team of government relations professionals, GCI is able to speak to your issues on all sides of this fractious Parliament and across the senior ranks of the Public Service. In both Houses of Parliament, in all Parties and with officials that matter, GCI can help ensure you and your issues get the hearing they deserve.