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Harper transition team packed with non-partisans
OTTAWA — None of the people co-ordinating Stephen Harper's transition to prime minister were involved in his election campaign, and none will be involved in running or lobbying his government.
Harper's choice of transition team suggests the Conservative leader has learned from Paul Martin's example that it's a big mistake to rely on the same group of ultra-partisan advisers to run both campaigns and government, blurring the line between political and public interest.
In setting up his government, Harper appears to have recognized the value of independent advice from experienced people who have no personal stake in how the government is structured or staffed.
"Independence is an enormous advantage when you do these types of exercises," said David Zussman, a public administration expert who headed Jean Chretien's transition team in 1993.
"Then you can be working simply in the public interest all the time and there's no other agenda."
Harper has reached back to the last Conservative era, under former prime minister Brian Mulroney, to find transition advisers with experience in government.
Derek Burney, a former Mulroney chief of staff and a former ambassador to Washington, is heading up the small transition team. The five-member team also includes Camille Guilbault, former deputy chief of staff to Mulroney, Elizabeth Roscoe, a former chief of staff to senior Mulroney ministers, Maurice Archdeacon, a veteran public servant with expertise in security issues, and Ray Speaker, a founding member of the Reform party and a former Alberta cabinet minister.
Marie-Josee Lapointe, a former Mulroney deputy press secretary, is acting as spokeswoman for the team but is not involved in the transition process itself.
Lapointe said all members of the team are volunteering their time and none have anything to gain by being involved. None are registered lobbyists and she said it's a "reasonable assumption" that none will go on to work in Harper's Prime Minister's Office or other ministerial offices.
By contrast, Martin relied heavily on a tight-knit inner circle of advisers for both political and governmental advice. His 2003 15-member transition team consisted of a number of lobbyists, including team head Michael Robinson, as well as a host of people who wound up as senior staffers in his Prime Minister's Office.
Also on board was David Herle, a communications consultant who headed Martin's leadership and subsequent election campaigns while simultaneously under contract to various government departments.
Martin has been heavily criticized, even by fellow Liberals, for blurring the line between his political objectives and the public interest. Many Liberals complain that the inner circle who helped him wrest the leadership from Jean Chretien did not have the temperament or skills to run the government.
"I've said many, many times that people who run the transition exercise shouldn't go into government," said Zussman. "To do it otherwise is almost to be in a conflict of interest."
The job of the transition team is to determine the structure and staffing of the new government, including advising on who should be appointed to cabinet. Lapointe wouldn't comment on the details of what Harper's team is contemplating.
Given the tenuous nature of Harper's minority government, Zussman doubted his transition team would recommend any wholesale restructuring of government departments. But he said it will have to address two lingering problems left over from the Martin era: the separation of Skills Development from the Human Resources Department and the separation of International Trade from the Foreign Affairs Department.
Legislation authorizing the splitting up of the two departments has not been passed, although separate ministers and bureaucracies were appointed.
Zussman said Harper may want to reconsolidate the departments. In opposition, the Conservatives voted against creating a separate International Trade Department.
Other structural issues the transition team will have to address include Harper's election promise to create a public prosecutor's office and a public appointments commissioner.
Moreover, Zussman said the team will have to consider what to do with the Canada Firearms Centre, given Harper's vow to eliminate the long gun registry.
Zussman said the team will also have to determine if any structural changes are necessary to accommodate Harper's top priorities, such as the GST reduction or the child-care allowance.
Harper transition team packed with non-partisans
OTTAWA — None of the people co-ordinating Stephen Harper's transition to prime minister were involved in his election campaign, and none will be involved in running or lobbying his government.
Harper's choice of transition team suggests the Conservative leader has learned from Paul Martin's example that it's a big mistake to rely on the same group of ultra-partisan advisers to run both campaigns and government, blurring the line between political and public interest.
In setting up his government, Harper appears to have recognized the value of independent advice from experienced people who have no personal stake in how the government is structured or staffed.
"Independence is an enormous advantage when you do these types of exercises," said David Zussman, a public administration expert who headed Jean Chretien's transition team in 1993.
"Then you can be working simply in the public interest all the time and there's no other agenda."
Harper has reached back to the last Conservative era, under former prime minister Brian Mulroney, to find transition advisers with experience in government.
Derek Burney, a former Mulroney chief of staff and a former ambassador to Washington, is heading up the small transition team. The five-member team also includes Camille Guilbault, former deputy chief of staff to Mulroney, Elizabeth Roscoe, a former chief of staff to senior Mulroney ministers, Maurice Archdeacon, a veteran public servant with expertise in security issues, and Ray Speaker, a founding member of the Reform party and a former Alberta cabinet minister.
Marie-Josee Lapointe, a former Mulroney deputy press secretary, is acting as spokeswoman for the team but is not involved in the transition process itself.
Lapointe said all members of the team are volunteering their time and none have anything to gain by being involved. None are registered lobbyists and she said it's a "reasonable assumption" that none will go on to work in Harper's Prime Minister's Office or other ministerial offices.
By contrast, Martin relied heavily on a tight-knit inner circle of advisers for both political and governmental advice. His 2003 15-member transition team consisted of a number of lobbyists, including team head Michael Robinson, as well as a host of people who wound up as senior staffers in his Prime Minister's Office.
Also on board was David Herle, a communications consultant who headed Martin's leadership and subsequent election campaigns while simultaneously under contract to various government departments.
Martin has been heavily criticized, even by fellow Liberals, for blurring the line between his political objectives and the public interest. Many Liberals complain that the inner circle who helped him wrest the leadership from Jean Chretien did not have the temperament or skills to run the government.
"I've said many, many times that people who run the transition exercise shouldn't go into government," said Zussman. "To do it otherwise is almost to be in a conflict of interest."
The job of the transition team is to determine the structure and staffing of the new government, including advising on who should be appointed to cabinet. Lapointe wouldn't comment on the details of what Harper's team is contemplating.
Given the tenuous nature of Harper's minority government, Zussman doubted his transition team would recommend any wholesale restructuring of government departments. But he said it will have to address two lingering problems left over from the Martin era: the separation of Skills Development from the Human Resources Department and the separation of International Trade from the Foreign Affairs Department.
Legislation authorizing the splitting up of the two departments has not been passed, although separate ministers and bureaucracies were appointed.
Zussman said Harper may want to reconsolidate the departments. In opposition, the Conservatives voted against creating a separate International Trade Department.
Other structural issues the transition team will have to address include Harper's election promise to create a public prosecutor's office and a public appointments commissioner.
Moreover, Zussman said the team will have to consider what to do with the Canada Firearms Centre, given Harper's vow to eliminate the long gun registry.
Zussman said the team will also have to determine if any structural changes are necessary to accommodate Harper's top priorities, such as the GST reduction or the child-care allowance.
