PM Stephen Harper names cabinet. And sends a bad message.
I had previously warned my fellow conservatives to be very careful to limit their criticizing of Belinda Stronach and Scott Brison to them alone and not to floor crossers in general. My reasoning was that it is not that uncommon, and if the Tories were to gain power, it was inevitable that some Liberals would join the Tory ranks. I did not, however, think it would take less than two weeks for this to happen. Stephen Harper announced David Emerson will remain as Industry Minister as a Tory. I'm sure the spin will be that they wanted "to maintain continuity in a portfolio as vital to working Canadians as Industry" or something along those lines. But quite simply, this is an absolute disgrace. Emerson was elected two weeks ago as a Liberal, in a riding where the Tory candidate finished third. This is even more crass politics than Belinda crossing the floor. Emerson should resign his seat immediately and run in a by-election. I somehow doubt this move fits in with Harper's promise to clean up government, make it more accountable, and win back the public's trust. I also think that if the CPC's strategy to gain MP's in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver is to have more MP's cross the floor, it is a very poor one.
posted by Skeelo @ 1:34 PM
4 Comments:
What a blunder!
Just sworn in and Harper shows his arrogance and political immaturity in these ways. It should not really be a surprise to us, though: he is used to running things “my way or the highway”, and this breathtaking arrogance in doing a 180 degree turn on parliamentarians who change parties, really takes the cake!
And to choose Stockwell Day instead of boosting the number of women in his first cabinet: what message are you sending to 50% of the population, Harper – that being a white male with outdated social views makes you far more qualified for office than being a woman does? Watch your popularity amongst women slide by a handful or so of points on this one.
And so much for your platform of an elected senate ... just a bit too inconvenient right now, eh? Besides, voters are cattle – they won’t remember what you said if you now start saying something else ...
These crass steps just confirm the views of the voters in Canada’s big cities: don’t trust a man who runs a stealth campaign, hiding many of his policies.
Going to be a very interesting 12 months!
I disagree. My problem wasn't with Harper making the offer to Emerson. That's part of politics, just as I didn't get upset at Martin when Belinda changed sides. My problem was that Emerson changed sides two weeks after the election. If he didn't want to be a Liberal, he shouldn't have campaigned as one.
Choosing a cabinet is not an exercise in identity politics, it is about putting the best people you have around the leader. Day proved himself to be a very strong critic and fully deserves the cabinet post. The fact he is male is completely irrelevant. It's ridiculous to suggest woman should be outraged.
Treating voters like cattle is something the Liberals invented so let's not be hypocritical here.
How can you claim Harper has hid policy when all he did today was choose a cabinet?
For what it's worth Harper is going to be taking us in the right direction (pun intended) towards individual responsibility and less government. I say that should be a good 12 months.
Harper’s One-Man-Band, and Pretzel Tories.
So, a little time has passed, and Harper’s daring moves to impress the electorate with his political acumen have now sunk in a bit. Reaction across the country to his cabinet appointments – and abandonment of principles espoused during the election – have varied from sheer disbelief, to shock, to amusement. Never has a Canadian politician fallen so far so fast. Usually it takes time for power to corrupt, but Mr. Harper is a man in a hurry.
Many Tories have had to swallow their tongues and bend themselves into pretzels defending the indefensible. Some MPs have said they fear going back to their ridings because they will have to explain to their supporters how the Harper crew did a sudden U-turn on the accountability issue, which, after all, was the Tory strong point in the election. Harper ran as Mr. Clean, and painted Martin as Mr. Corruption at every opportunity he had.
Even the rightwing press is stunned and disappointed.
Examples of press reaction:
The Vancouver Sun:
“"I expected some of the superficial criticism I've seen," Mr. Harper told The Vancouver Sun in an interview. "But I think once people sit back and reflect, they'll understand that this is in the best interests of not just British Columbia but frankly of good government." Mr. Harper referred to his statements on Monday, when he said he recruited Mr. Emerson to Cabinet to give Vancouver -- which didn't elect a Tory MP in five city ridings -- a voice in Cabinet. He used the same rationale to explain why he appointed Tory national campaign co-chairman Michael Fortier, a Montreal businessman, to the Senate and as Minister of Public Works. Montreal, like Vancouver, did not elect a government MP. "I think I was clear what I did and why I did it," Mr. Harper said yesterday.
The Calgary Sun – Roy Clancy:
“Stephen Harper must be breathing a sigh of relief today. Just minutes after being sworn in as prime minister, he relieved himself of one of the biggest burdens he had carried into the job. No longer must he live up to the impossible standard of political purity and ethical integrity saddled upon him by a naive electorate. ...But as widespread moans of anger illustrate, many Canadians took Harper seriously when he promised Monday to "begin a new chapter for Canada." No wonder they were disappointed when they learned within moments that this new chapter looks a lot like the old one. ...Harper's pragmatic moves may not have violated the letter of his promises to change the way government is run, but they shattered the spirit. .... Monday's manoeuvres quickly lowered the bar when it comes to public expectations of this new regime.“
The Calgary Sun - Rick Bell:
“See the Tories wriggle. Wriggle, Tories, wriggle. Ah yes, one party's turncoat is another party's principled politician. No anger now. No demands to step down and face the voters now. No nasty name-calling now. No sympathy for the poor electors of the riding of the quisling now. ... The trouble with talking about the moral high ground is you actually have to walk on it or, like the kid standing by the broken window after throwing the snowball, insist without shame you've done nothing wrong. ... So the rationalizations flow, the lame explanations are exhaled into the hot air and only those who have drunk the Conservative Kool-Aid will follow as good old ideological ants.”
So, what lessons can be taken from Harper’s first exercise of Prime Ministerial power? Here are a few for you to ponder:
• Just as it is unfair to accuse every Republican of having the same moral vacuity that President Bush has displayed, so too is it unfair to say that all Conservatives – and all voters who voted for the Tories – lack good moral and political judgment. It is very clear that there are a lot of people who voted Tory because they sincerely believed that it was time for the Liberals to mend their house, and for another party to bring in some anti-corruption measures. These people still have high standards; they are as bewildered by the events of this week as others are.
• Harper obviously believes he is above trifling things like having to take the feelings of others into consideration. This exercise of Prime Ministerial power shows that he will think things through – apparently mostly on his own – and then decide on the best way forward. If he explains his thought process, it is obvious to him that voters will then understand why he is right, and fall into line. There is a word for this: paternalism. Harper shows clear signs of seeing himself as the Big Wise Daddy of Canadian politics. His use of the word “superficial” to describe the reaction of others to his crass abandonment of some of the major planks of his election platform illustrates this very clearly.
• Harper is focused on winning a majority in the next election, to happen within 18 months. Everything he will do or say is geared to that. If lesser mortals within his own party do not understand this, that is their problem. They must suck it up and stay in line. Big Daddy knows best.
• Harper does not believe in a democratic party for the Tory government. It is his way or the highway (witness Stronach). This is perhaps the most worrisome aspect for many Tories: did they realize they were electing a dictator rather than the leader of a parliamentary party fashioned along the lines of a Westminster democracy? How many more decisions will be made by The Leader, and rammed down the throats of the caucus? And how can Canadians expect such decisions to be the best, if they are not tested by vigorous debate within the governing party before being made?
If Harper continues in the same vein for the next 12 months, expect him to join the ranks of the Clarks, Campbells and Martins as a short-lived blip on the Canadian political firmament.
You make vaild criticisms and as I stated it is a black mark against Harper. You are jumping to some pretty strong conclusions calling him paternalistic though. You say he is trying to win a majoity in the next election. Of course he is, that's his job. I also wouldn't say he drove Belinda out of the party. Belinda left for one reason and one reason only - because she wasn't the leader. Anything else she says about her values or Harper being a threat to Canadian unity is a load of shit.
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