Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Harper got a new cabinet from Ikea

Where does Stephen Harper get his cabinets? And I'm not talking about the legislative kind composed of MPs. I'm talking about furniture. I think he prefers the pragmatic modular nature of Ikea cabinets? A cabinet that can easily be broken down into it's individual pieces and rebuilt at a moments notice. The Swedish pragmatism devoted to Stephen Harper's cabinet means all the pieces must fit together cohesively; but at the same time each piece becomes incapable and expendable on its own.
Ok, maybe I was talking about government cabinets all along. Tomorrow morning Stephen Harper will announce his cabinet Ministers, uncovering the mystery. No ministers have been confirmed as of yet, but intense speculation has surrounded the decision process. The Cabinet is composed of Ministers, who each handle a specific portfolio (environment, defence, healthcare, etc). It is definitely going to be interesting, seeing which Conservative MP will go where.

Here are some points to consider:

Jason Kenney: This MP is credited with reaching out to "ethnic" communities, and delivering the vote of people in "ethnic costumes". As the Minister of Immigration, Citizen, and Cultural Affairs, Jason Kenney played a key role in delivering Harper's majority. His efforts are worthy of a promotion; but to where? It has been reported he might be moved to take over the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Department's former Minister, Lawrence Cannon, was voted out of his riding in Pontiac, Quebec. If Jason Kenney did his job and won the ethnic vote, then maybe he is too valuable in that position to be moved. Maybe, just maybe, new Canadians fell in love with his boyish grin and dimpled cheeks.

Peter MacKay: He already has one of the most important cabinet positions, so I don't really see where he can go. He has had a strong positive presence along side Harper, and he has upheld Harper's mandates.

Mike Flaherty: Same as Mackay. Flaherty is currently serving as finance Minister, and the only place this guy can go is up. But he is already at the top. The next logical step for Flaherty would be as Leader of the Conservative Party.

John Baird: I don't know what this guy is going to be doing. I read he is rumoured to become to Minister of Justice, but that is, hopefully, unlikely because he doesn't have a law degree. He might replace Stockwell Day as President of the Treasury Board.

It important to look at who the Prime Minister appoints to which cabinet positions. If the PM appoints a clearly incapable MP to a portfolio, it is a good indication that the PM doesn't really consider that issue a high priority. How often did you hear about Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, before it became evident she was incapable of doing her job? Take John Baird as Minster of the Environment from 07-08. epic fail.

Here is a funny video of John Baird commenting on Flash Mobs:


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