Bob Rae: With shuffle, the Harper Revolution continues its slow, steady crawl Add to ...
The predictable clichés aside – “shuffling chairs on the Titanic,” “the fish rots from the head, and they didn't touch the head,” et cetera – the midterm cabinet shuffle merits a closer look.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has confirmed a couple of things. The leader of a party and movement dedicated to “smaller government” has an old-fashioned pol’s love for the elephantine: Ministers of state galore, all equipped with salaries, cars, drivers and extra staff. The shuffle continues the Harper tradition of big, bulky and multi-titled cabinets. From an organisational perspective, there is nothing lean, small or focused about this bunch. It's hard to preach restraint from such a lavish pulpit.
A big, diffuse cabinet actually permits Mr. Harper to continue to exercise maximum control, although it must be said that Nigel Wright’s departure as chief of staff has left a gap that a dedicated loyalist like Ray Novak simply can’t fill. To keep the kind of control and direction Mr. Harper obviously wants requires talent at the centre, talent that goes beyond loyalty. Ministers and MPs need to respect as well as fear the direction from the centre. Mr Wright had that until his demise, and Mr Harper’s PMO lacks a real intellectual leader.
Also notable are the ministers who didn't change: Jim Flaherty, Tony Clement, Edward Fast, Joe Oliver, John Baird, and Bernard Valcourt in the increasingly difficult Aboriginal Affairs portfolio. The economic direction and message of the government won’t change, and its direction will be maintained. James Moore will get a crack at a senior economic ministry and will deal with telecom and competition issues. Kevin Sorenson is a well-liked MP and committee chair whose loyalty has been rewarded once Ted Menzies announced he wasn't running again. And James Rajotte, the effective and more independent-minded MP from Edmonton, has been overlooked again.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/bob-rae-with-this-shuffle-the-harper-revolution-continues-its-slow-steady-crawl/article13222103/
