Overall, I'm not displeased with Harper's cabinet. I think that most of the picks are good ones, and that he was very shrewd in how he handed out portfolios. However, I dislike the Emerson pick (talked about elsewhere), and I strongly dislike the Fortier pick.
Here's why...
1) It's frankly insulting to the six Quebec MPs who got actually got elected as Conservatives but didn't recieve Cabinet positions (4 did).
2) Diane Ablonzy would have been a better choice overall. Harper made a mistake in not including her - having another woman MP is good for PR, and she's also very qualified for a cabinet position.
3) He never got elected, and hence it makes Harper look a bit hypocritical.
However, here's the main reason...
As some pundits have predicted, it's quite possible that Harper will actually go overboard in trying to court the big cities to his party. Clearly, this is why Fortier was appointed - Harper's showing some love to a part of the country who showed him none hoping that it'll help him out in the next election. In my mind, it would have been better to essentially say to the big cities...
"Hey, if you want somebody from the big cities in cabinet, you're going to have to vote for my party. Period."
Now, I'm not saying he should be that blunt - he should smile, and be cordial, and say "Well, it's best to form my Cabinet from people who were elected as Conservatives. So that's the first prerequsite that I have for anybody I consider for Cabinet.", and leave it at that. The press will figure it out, and editorialize the rest for you.
Let Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto be on the outside looking in. They chose to vote against the party who formed the government (well, in Montreal's case, more like they voted for one of the two taditional choices - Liberal or Bloc) - let them live with that choice, and face the natural consequences of doing so. The next time around, urban voters swinging between Liberal and Conservative may vote Conservative just to get a voice from the big cities in Cabinet. Let the Liberals suffer from strategic voting for a change.
With the choice that Harper made, I suspect that people from big cities will feel secure in voting Liberal in the future, knowing that should Harper be re-elected, he'll make sure the big cities get in anyway.
Here's why...
1) It's frankly insulting to the six Quebec MPs who got actually got elected as Conservatives but didn't recieve Cabinet positions (4 did).
2) Diane Ablonzy would have been a better choice overall. Harper made a mistake in not including her - having another woman MP is good for PR, and she's also very qualified for a cabinet position.
3) He never got elected, and hence it makes Harper look a bit hypocritical.
However, here's the main reason...
As some pundits have predicted, it's quite possible that Harper will actually go overboard in trying to court the big cities to his party. Clearly, this is why Fortier was appointed - Harper's showing some love to a part of the country who showed him none hoping that it'll help him out in the next election. In my mind, it would have been better to essentially say to the big cities...
"Hey, if you want somebody from the big cities in cabinet, you're going to have to vote for my party. Period."
Now, I'm not saying he should be that blunt - he should smile, and be cordial, and say "Well, it's best to form my Cabinet from people who were elected as Conservatives. So that's the first prerequsite that I have for anybody I consider for Cabinet.", and leave it at that. The press will figure it out, and editorialize the rest for you.
Let Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto be on the outside looking in. They chose to vote against the party who formed the government (well, in Montreal's case, more like they voted for one of the two taditional choices - Liberal or Bloc) - let them live with that choice, and face the natural consequences of doing so. The next time around, urban voters swinging between Liberal and Conservative may vote Conservative just to get a voice from the big cities in Cabinet. Let the Liberals suffer from strategic voting for a change.
With the choice that Harper made, I suspect that people from big cities will feel secure in voting Liberal in the future, knowing that should Harper be re-elected, he'll make sure the big cities get in anyway.
