New faces, new strengths
Published Saturday November 15th, 2008
From the day someone dreamed up the concept of an executive council, premiers, prime ministers, presidents and other heads of state have at some time or another suffered from the shuffle demons.
While there might be a few exceptions to the rule, generally speaking every caucus member from outside of cabinet wants in. Those within cabinet generally want to stay.
That makes shuffling a cabinet, which happened this week, one of the most difficult job a premier faces.
This is not a partisan affliction, but something that affects all premiers. Just ask Bernard Lord, who suffered one of the lowest moments of his political career during the Tankerpalooza affair, when MLA Michael Malley went rogue and sat as an independent briefly after being left out of cabinet.
Mr. Lord drew criticism for making few changes to cabinet during his tenure but after the nasty bit of business with Mr. Malley, one can understand his reluctance to take any bold steps. He was afraid of what would happen, apparently for good reason.
Choosing a cabinet is always a balancing act. Factors to be considered include regional representation, linguistic balance and gender balance. Each of these must be contemplated in terms of the strengths of each individual MLA.
Three backbenchers got the call for a promotion on Wednesday, each bringing a different set of skills and interests to the table.
Rick Brewer and Brian Kenny were both first elected in 2003, gaining seats in what were considered election-night upsets.
Mr. Kenny succeeded veteran Liberal Marcelle Mersereau in Bathurst, but the Tories considered the riding ripe for the picking in 2003 with no incumbent in the race and a strong candidate of their own. Kenny prevailed, due to a strong work ethic.
Mr. Brewer upended a Tory heavyweight in 2003 when he took down Norm Betts in what many considered a shocker.
Those victories, and the cMLAs' 2006 re-elections, indicate that these two new cabinet ministers are very much in touch with what the concerns of people are at a riding level and bring that horse sense to the cabinet table. Mr. Brewer is another strong voice for rural New Brunswick, as his vast constituency is arguably the most rural of all 55 provincial ridings.
Transforming the economy in northern New Brunswick is a priority for this government, and Bathurst will be a key player in a northern revival. Given the importance of Bathurst it is important to have someone like Mr. Kenny, who has a strong business background, involved in those cabinet discussions about the future of the north.
Bernard LeBlanc brings a professional background in public administration to the table. His experience as a councillor and mayor in Memramcook will serve him well in his new role as Minister of Local Government. His riding is a mix of rural and urban, encompassing part of the province's fastest-growing community of Dieppe. He is also another strong francophone voice at the table.
It was no doubt difficult for the premier to leave out strong backbenchers such as Chris Collins, Bill Fraser, Rick Miles, and Cheryl Lavoie this time around. But each of these MLAs are just starting their political careers and the call will come for them sooner rather than later. Those not in cabinet this time around are full partners at the caucus table, where important issues receive a full airing. The ultimate goal is to move the province forward into the 21st century. This requires a full team effort from the caucus, cabinet and the party.
Meanwhile, in case you missed it, new Tory leader David Alward named his new Opposition shadow cabinet recently.
The difference between picking a real cabinet and a shadow cabinet is night and day. There are no difficult decisions to make when you have the luxury of putting everyone in a shadow cabinet. You can even get creative in naming the roles of your critics.
Mr. Alward has appointed people to roles such as Lieutenant Governor critic, Ombudsman critic, Conflict of Interest Commissioner critic and Auditor General critic. Given these are independent offices, I'm not sure how that plays out on the legislature floor. Perhaps the Lieutenant Governor's critic will want to question His Honour on the floor of the Legislature, or ask about his federally set budget. There is a Tourism critic and a separate critic for Kings Landing. There is even a critic for the Commission on Legislative Democracy, which has not existed since completing its mandate with a final report in March 2005. The Tories had 18 months to act on the recommendations of that report and did nothing, but it was Premier Graham who acted on things such as fixed election dates (a law he will abide by, unlike the federal Tories).
The premier's job in assembling a real cabinet is much more difficult. In essence, unlike Mr. Alward's effort, any premier's task must be grounded in reality. As the government heads into the second half of its mandate, and facing an international time of some turbulence, experienced, steady hands in key departments are essential. Indeed, Mr. Harper, in naming his new cabinet recently, kept many key people in place. However, the fresh perspective of these three new ministers is an important dynamic.
One suspects this cabinet will be charged by the premier with delivering on important policy goals - after all, even though cabinet shuffles are a difficult task, they are expected to produce results.
Britt Dysart is a lawyer who practises in Fredericton and president of the New Brunswick Liberal Association.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
