Cabinet shuffle deals pretty much the same hand
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
This week’s cabinet shuffle was little more than the proverbial shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic in that it did not address the pressing issues in Canada. The public relations exercise merely served as an opportunity for the government to appoint people they see as key to Conservative Party fortunes into the bloated cabinet.
What this country needs right now is a commitment to getting some good jobs back that we lost in the ongoing recession, yet it seems the only good jobs that are being created are for people like Julian Fantino or Peter Kent. Instead of addressing the loss of full-time employment, failed pensions or growing senior poverty rates, this government has focused on the needs of the financial sector, lowering corporate taxes and their immediate political fortunes.
It is no secret that the Conservatives will have to do better in Toronto if they want to win a majority government, so it was politically expedient that they promote Toronto area Kent and Fantino. But was it necessary?
Peter Kent is Canada’s 5th Environment Minister in 5 years. It is a thankless position that burns out ministers who have to explain why Canada has fallen to the bottom of the industrialized world when it comes to protecting our environment. With the oil-sands being developed at break-neck speed our previous commitment to climate change seems laughable. It is obvious the environment is a low priority for this government. While fossil awards pile up at international climate change conferences, lobbyists working for oil companies have the most access to the Prime Minister and his inner circle. Mr. Kent’s appointment should do little to change this pattern.
Mr. Fantino has a similarly thankless job as the Minister of State for seniors. The Conservatives commitment to seniors has left more of our retirees looking for extra income through a return to work, getting by with less, or even turning to food banks to make ends meet. A tiny increase in the CPP rate did not match rising inflation and run-away prices on real basics like energy and food. Seniors in Canada can now look forward to being ignored by Mr. Fantino who couldn’t be bothered to show up to all-candidate debates (not once) during his recent election.
With the addition of Ted Menzies and shuffling of Diane Ablonczy, the Harper cabinet now has to stuff 38 people around the table. This is not economic austerity. It is just the opposite. With so much real power in the hands of very few cabinet ministers, many of these appointees are window dressing in preparation for the next federal election. They are merely there to ensure certain regions are seen to have cabinet representation in the hopes to win additional seats in the West and in the GTA.
If the Harper government is going to tell Canadians that we have to tighten our belts – largely to pay for the billions lost to corporate tax cuts – then they should have shown some leadership and tightened their own first.
