It’s Peter Donolo day here on the Hill — pasta and vintage movies for everyone! Especially the vaguely-familiar names on the org chart the Liberal Opposition sent out this morning. Meet the hardy band of scrappers who move on to the next episode of Survivor: Fourth Floor, Centre Block:
Now I’m going to make some general comments on this crew and the way they’re organized. Since I may accidentally say nice things about the way Jean Chrétien ran his office, let me first hasten to say that some very prominent names here had very prominent roles when Paul Martin was leader. Jim Pimblett was at his right hand for the whole ride, and for a while after, as Martin’s main staffer after he stepped down as leader. And Mario Laguë was communications director for Martin’s first abbreviated stint as PM, before the 2004 election. (Mario’s in the index of my book, if you want to see how that worked out.)
So there’s no point looking for evidence of rampant factionalism in these names. Also no point scouring the list for notorious Donolo cronies. Donolo never had cronies: in his first stint in Ottawa he was well liked by (mostly) everyone, but kept a certain emotional distance, as far as I could tell, from everyone. The two new names that come leaping out of this chart at me like something from a Doctor Tongue movie are Mario Laguë and Brian Bohunicky. I don’t recall either of them being boon Donolo companions, and in the random, distracted games of Who-Do-You-Think-Is-Going-To-The-DonOLO (pronounced Dun Oh Ell Oh) that I’ve participated in over the past three weeks, precisely nobody named these two. What they have in common is generational — they were already Hill veterans in the late 1990s, Bohunicky as a staffer to British Columbia cabinet ministers, Laguë in a succession of mandarin-type roles for the Quebec provincial Liberal government and at PCO. So Donolo’s reached out to people from his own time, not to poker buddies.
Laguë was Canada’s ambassador to Costa Rica after 2004, was thought to be in bad favour with Harper but served out his term after 2006 without difficulty, and worked for two years at an environmental NGO outside Geneva until recently. (He will be an early target for Conservatives because his name came up during the Adscam unpleasantness. Details are here, here and, ahem, here.) I would have sworn Bohunicky, who is a friend of mine, was right out of politics. He has done good work for the Harper government at senior levels of the bureaucracy, first on the Pacific Gateway infrastructure project and lately at Agriculture.
So much for personalities. I’m not super-familiar with the rest of this crew. Sachin Aggarwal becomes the most senior surviving Class of ‘06 Ignatieff-ite. What’s most striking, however, is the structure of this office. Since 2003 it’s been fashionable for successive Liberal leaders’ staffs, either to brag about how “horizontal” their organizations were, or simply to have a very horizontal structure without, I suspect, much awareness that that was happening or that other structures were possible. A “horizontal” structure is one without a lot of hierarchy, where just about everyone has access to one another, to different files, and to the top people. Sometimes these work formidably well. We’re pretty horizontal at Maclean’s. Michael Bloomberg’s New York City Hall is a famously flat structure, and that guy looks like mayor until the end of time. But when it works badly, it’s chaos, gridlock, and an organizational version of a Little League soccer team where absolutely every kid chases the ball instead of playing position.
Look now at the DonOLO org chart. Tall. Slim. Vertical. Ruthlessly hierarchical. I don’t know Patricia Sorbara, who is said to be Of The Toronto Sorbaras, but I’m pretty sure she was hired simply so Donolo could put an extra square between Ignatieff and the mob. So now you have the leader; Pimblett, in charge of Running The Leader; Donolo, in charge of Running Everything; Jean-Marc Fournier, in charge of Running Everything Else; Sorbara, in charge of Running It All Again; and six others, in charge of Not Seeing Much Of The Leader Because They’re Busy Running Stuff.
Under Bill Graham (to a limited extent and at limited cost), Stéphane Dion and Ignatieff I, senior jobs seemed to fall randomly into people’s hands with no clear idea of what they meant or what anyone was supposed to do. Those days have come to a screeching halt. The hardest work lies ahead for Liberals, including this crew, and the org chart hasn’t been written that can reverse a nine-point polling deficit all by itself. But Donolo has made a good start of things.
UPDATE: Susan Delacourt has Donolo’s memo explaining who these people are and what they’re going to try to do.
UPDATER: Jane Taber’s version features this paragraph, which is completely wrong: “With the help of David Zussman, a public policy and governance expert in the capital, Mr. Donolo has also managed to attract some serious francophones, which were lacking in Mr. Ignatieff’s previous OLO. Jean Marc Fournier, a former MLA and Quebec cabinet minister from Chateauguay, is the new principal secretary. He also served as a senior adviser to Quebec Premier Jean Charest.” Guess where Zussman’s supergenius francophinder phound Fournier? In Ignatieff’s office, where he’s been since August.
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It's back to the future for Iggy. While shuffling the deck chairs on his Titanic, he has dusted off some old has-been chairs and moved them to the front of the pack, but it's still the same old tired bunch.
Its true then, everything 'old' is 'new' again.It won't help at all.Nice try – Ignatieff needs to go.Rae needs to go.Nobody cares about them
The whole party needs to go.
Even better.A whiff of Ad scam and they are going to drop like a stone.
I'm still a bit confused as to why any of this is news worthy of so much speculation and analysis.
Harper's onto his fourth communications chief in four years.
Iggy's onto his second in, what, four years since he first ran as an MP and less than one as leader of the opposition?
What's the big deal?
This is my absolute favourite theme of partisans of opposition parties, going back as long as I have been in Ottawa: Why are you people writing about us?!?!!! It is an only slightly more popular theme among partisans of opposition parties than their other favourite theme: Why won't you people write about our excellent ideas?
My intended (and bipartisan) point was: Harper changing communications heads a few weeks ago and Iggy doing the same are hardly Earth-shattering events.
Ah. Fair enough. That's why neither will get play in the print edition of our magazine. The website, and certainly my blog, are for fellow junkies and obsessives, like the author.
Hey Wells,
Give us the Chart for Harper. I want to compare and contrast.
Hey Zoe….this is not about Harper. It is about the loser leader of the official opposition he has no fresh ideas and is simply retreading the old advisers from the Chretien era.
It says something about the Liberal party and Donolo's efforts to attrack fresh talent with experience. So he has to go back to the future.
However, the leader is the face of the party. It is he who has to effectively communicate with the electorate. To date he has done an incredibly bad job and the polls show it. How is changing the deck chairs on the titanic going to change that.
Since when has the Count been a team player? Look at his C V. Always the chief and answerable to no one. No—- someone is behind the curtain, running the show. Like the post above "Puppet and Marionette". Who is it? C'mon you supposed journalists, get with it!
This revelation is very helpful to the CPC. Revel in your glory Liebs.
Well I agree with Zoe, I would like to see charts of Harper OLO and Layton's office.
One of the tenets of these things is that structure follows strategy. However, given that they havent had time yet then it isnt surprising that Mr Donolo would put together a traditional structure and peopled it with individuals he is sure can get along and work together. No time for Web 2.0 experimentation in new theories of organization or coddling of 20 somethings who are used to "self organizing".
Funny how the themes are about message control, limitation on spokespeople, per the Globe this am, and discipline. Sounds familiar…cue the screams of but this is different…sorry to tell you it isnt, this is how you run a profesional politicial org,
I still find it more interesting that Iggy had no sense that this thing was out of control or that the office wasnt organized approriately. Suports the point that he really doesnt know what he is doing….lets put it this way, he is used to an Individual contributor role, not a role as leader of the team.
It will be up to Iggy to enforce the structure.
And the first thing the new boss does is welcomes back another name that is connected to the Adscam. At this rate they will have to change their name to the Adscam party.
If nothing else, showing everyone they have been thinking and are actually organizing into a gang that actually might accomplish something sometime (beyond *cough* Doctor *cough* Bennett beclowning herself), well, that has to count for something.
Now then: Policy, people. Show us some policy, please.
MYL, your general point is perfectly valid, but I hope you're not questioning Carolyn Bennett's credentials as a physician? The Commons is lousy with people whose claim to the honorific "Dr." is flimsy at best — Ruby Dhalla, Gary Goodyear, basically the entire Spine-Cracking Caucus. But don't make me quote Bennett's cv at you. She was, frankly, a hell of a lot more distinguished as a physician than she has lately been as an MP, and it's beneath your usual standards to joke about that.
Sounds like inkless is dissing a profession to me, perhaps explains a bit. Just for the record you may recall that Carolyn (she gets no honorific from me) would have been Minister of Public Health around the time the money tap for pandemic planning was opened in Ottawa (SARS). As the Christians would say "as the shoot is bent so grows the tree", so the agency currently failing in its pandemic mandate was a creation of her watch.
BTW would "Dr." Suzuki fit that definition as well? I know many other PhDs who claim the title, are they suspects too? I rarely take exception to your stylings, but this is uncalled for in my view.
Speaking of "impressive CVs" Carolyn's boss has one too. How's that working out?
The fact is I couldn't care less what Carolyn Bennett's cv looks like before entering politics. As pointed out by another poster her boss comes with a great cv as well. She looks like granny clampett unhinged when she asks questions in the House. She is so over the top in her rhetoric and tries to feign outrage so bad she sometimes looks like a complete fool. As Inkless says she is a doctor in real life with some repute. She should ask questions on swine flu based on medical expertise not like a partisan hack.
By the way I agree with Peter. It is her supposed pandemic plan that is being implemented by the government. Does this government have to fix everything that was done by the Liberals over 13 years of do nothing years? The fact is everything they touch has to be reworked or started over from scratch.
Wow, it's raining idiots today. Carolyn Bennet is one of the most distinguished physicians of her generation. It's a simple point. I make no claim, here or ever anywhere else, about her political skill. I'm saying her medical career deserves respect. It's not even a complicated point.
My GP, who delivered my three children, insists on being called "Doug". BTW Ad Hominum is a bully tactic. If indeed she is "one of the most distinguished physicians of her generation" perhaps she should reconsider her career options because she she sure seems to be failing as a parliamentarian.
It's raining idiots allright.
http://tinyurl.com/yjopm6b
"But don't make me quote Bennett's cv at you."
I had no idea that Bennett was a well-considered doctor until you mentioned it and then I had a look at her bio. Everyday is a school day, as my nan says.
I would never have guessed with her performance during QP that she was a distinguished doctor. It makes it all the more depressing that she asks those asinine questions instead of really holding Cons feet to fire.
BTW I do like the crazed Granny Clampett comparison. Yesterday it was SCTV. Today it's Beverly Hillbillies. Keep 'em coming, folks.
Orson Bean…..Funny….it may be the hairdo etc but the more I see of her the more I think she looks like Granny Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies. I didn't know if anybody on the board would know who I was talking about. Thanks for acknowledging it.
Thanks, Paul. No I am not questioning her credentials as a physician. I don't know enough about her accomplishments in medicine. Be my guest: quote her CV all you like. But I do know this: She of all people should know better than to do what she's been up to this last couple of weeks.
madeyoulook…….I agree with you. Granny Clampett's (Carolyn Bennett) credentials as a physician has nothing to do with her current job. I could care less what she did prior to going into politics. However, what it does say is she is a smart, educated woman. However, the way she acts as an MP is disgraceful. When she asks questions she is way over the top and sometimes looks like she is about to become unhinged.
This is how people judge her when they see her acting like a partisan hack. If she wants to be known for her medical skills she should go back to practicing as a doctor.
Thanks, hollinm, but I cannot accompany you all the way to "nothing to do with her current job." It makes perfect sense that she would be the health critic for the official opposition party. I even recall her congratulating the Health Minister, on the floor of the House, many months back after the Minister invited Bennett in on some public health meetings at the beginning of the "crisis." It's just too bad she chooses (or allows herself to be coerced) to beclown herself like she has lately.
It seems to me that Iggy has to be surrounded with people who can prop him up because he cannot stand on his own two feet. These people are his crutches. Why not dump Iggy and install Donolo. You did it with Dion why not with Iggy! How can any Liberal in this country expect us to vote for such a weak, wishy washy person like Iggy. Honestly after the last year and a half you Libs are expecting us average Canadians to do an awful lot of forgetting and swallowing. Forget it! It will not happen. How any of you can support this guy Iggy is beyond me. I'd rather vote for Layton! And he is an Idiot.
UMMMM. Pasta and a movie.
So sleeeeepy
But when it works badly, it’s chaos, gridlock, and an organizational version of a Little League soccer team where absolutely every kid chases the ball instead of playing position.
That brings back some memories from when my children used to play soccer…I'm sure it took years off my life.
Why is it that you didn’t tag your post here with Pat Sorbara’s name, while you noted every male principal in the 0L0 org chart? Gender-specific oversights like that say something about you.
I was wondering if the promotion of former Premier Doerr to Washington was because Harper wanted him out of the way in case people get "sick" of Layton and choose Doerr as NDP leader, after all, he is "younger-ish", not too bad looking and would probably garner more NDP votes thus hindering the "sought-after" majority for Harper, what about that idea??????
I stand corrected. It's raining idiots with a shaky command of Latin spelling.
You can insult us all you want inkless but the fact remains Carolyn Bennett is not a practicing physican today she is a back bench MP. If she wants respect as an MP she needs to earn it. Her shenanigans as an MP do not do her justice. Many MPs come with previous careers i.e. lawyers. Do we say Chretien was a great Prime Minister simply because he was a lawyer before entering politics?
Just goes to show ya, never get in a war of words with a guy who buys inkless by the barrel :)
btw it's distracting trying to get the kids ready for school and fed while "ranting" (it's early on this side of the continent)