Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:28am - 31 Comments

While most everyone else seems to be using that dreaded word to describe Lisa Raitt’s situation, here is the official line.

Harper said Raitt “has a great future, and I think this move will give her a little more varied experience in government.”

Tags: cabinet, cabinet shuffle, Lisa Raitt, shuffle, Stephen Harper

http://intensedebate.com/people/LynnTO LynnTO

Read: this move will allow her to learn to make sure the "record" light is off before she spouts off about other ministers.
http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

She will enjoy the varied types of labour and union officials calling her office in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1……

Well, she might….
AT1

Experience is good. Here's another MP with varied experience, some upwards, dome downwards:

# first elected to the House of Commons in 1963.

# appointed Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister in 1965.

# was Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Finance 1966.

# In 1967, became Minister of State for Finance.

# appointed Minister of National Revenue in 1968.

# Later in 1968, was appointed Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, until 1974.

# In 1974, became President of the Treasury Board.

# became Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce in 1976.

# In 1977 was appointed Minister of Finance.

# was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General in 1980.

# became Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources in 1982.

# took over the portfolio of Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1984.

# Deputy Prime Minister in 1984.

http://intensedebate.com/people/LynnTO LynnTO

Excellent, post number 3 and we've got the Chretien comparison covered already.

AT1

It wasn't intended to be negative.
Chretien, of all recent PMs, was likely the most experienced in government ministries.

Anon

Is it 2:00 PM in Alberta already?

Sláinte!
Dave

Meh. It's 2:00 p.m. somewhere
joshua

What experience did Harper have before becoming PM? None in government. And even less in the private sector. He went from university to working for an MP, to working for the Reform Party, to working for Deb Grey, to being an MP, to quitting to run an "advocacy" group. Man never had a real job in his life.
http://intensedebate.com/people/YSP YSP

Well, he did belong to the Young Liberals when he was in high school, and worked as an aid for PC Jim Hawkes before leaving that party because they ran deficits.

So far he's belonged to the Liberal Party, the Progressive Conservatives, Reform, Canadian Alliance, and the CPC under it's multitude of names. So when he accuses his opponents of flip-flopping, he knows of what he speaks.
http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Wow, how clever. Calling him Iffy. Impressive.

http://intensedebate.com/people/LynnTO LynnTO

I think you're right, and here's a question that stems from your posts: do you suppose Harper is trying to prime Raitt to succeed him?

Or, more generally, is he trying to give as many ministers as possible experience in Cabinet posts, so that if and when his government loses power, they can claim that the next PM (for the sake of argument, let's just say Iggy, for now) and his cabinet are too inexperienced?

http://intensedebate.com/people/psiclone psiclone

I love the irony that is inherent in our politics -d oes anyone remembber the tape – where Lisa was concerend about Leona whom might not be up to the task ahead with H1N1 = what do we have now but Lisa crawling backup the career hill in front of her only to have Leona finishing off the largets immunization plan in our history and one with very positive effects for Canadians as well as the gov't – see cookie from Stevie in her file … ROFL

http://intensedebate.com/people/danby danby

YMHTCFIT

You must have the cleanest floors in town

http://intensedebate.com/people/danby danby

demoted

Hmmm…. it's just doesn't sound sexy

http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

Have you tried saying it really breathily?

http://intensedebate.com/people/danby danby

Speaking of labour…… back to Lisa Raitt!!
http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

No, more like Ginger from Gilligan's Island.

canadian

I would also like to take this moment to criticize the prime minister for not publicly undermining Lisa Raitt’s creditability any more then it already has been. I know that when I have to demote someone I usually finish it up by publicly spitting in their face….
http://nottawa.blogspot.com Mark

Speaking "demoted" and "potato", didn't Peter MacKay take a bit of a kicking today?

http://nottawa.blogspot.com Mark

The Gateway is only part of the equation. ACOA''s website listed MacKay as its Minister up until one hour ago. The Minister of State now has unfettered political control of what used to be Peter's regional perogative.

http://intensedebate.com/people/LynnTO LynnTO

Yes but the Tories are looking to gain seats in the Atlantic, and a good way to do that is to have a person devoted exclusively to those Atlantic issues. I would argue that this is less about whose purvue is getting bigger or smaller, and more about whose interests they are looking to elevate (if only to a state secretarial post).

http://nottawa.blogspot.com Mark

…or that Harper is getting tired of reading about MacKay as a potential successor.

Besides, the Tories aren't looking to gain much in the Atlantic "region", per se. Their own polling should tell them that the only province they could possibly make up any ground in is New Brunswick.

Dot

Why couldn't the new ministers be sworn in on a conference call to the GG?
Trillium

Stock just got handed a 'hot potato'. Nobody likes the guy who 'tightens the purse strings'.
Kevin

Any idea why Rona Ambrose got sent to Public Works just as the Auditor General begins to look at how the stimulus money was spent? Is it a sign that Harper has confidence in her abiltiies to handle the results or was it a sentence to the political graveyard?
http://intensedebate.com/people/WDM WDM

Song in all head all day. Damn Wherry.
Sigh

So who gets him next? Bloc? NDP? Green? Rhinocerous?
Brian

I have to agree with the spin. Labor is Natural Resources without the headaches.