Roundup: New Cabinet Eve

Posted on by

Welcome to Stephen Harper’s last day as Prime Minister. Tomorrow is the big day, and if you’re in Ottawa and want to take part, well, Rideau Hall is getting it all set, with big screens on the grounds, and helpful hints on attending (like you can’t park there and you’d better wear comfortable shoes, because you might be standing from 10 am to 1 pm). The cabinet will also apparently arrive by bus rather than everyone in their own individual cars, and it sounds like there will be some sort of interaction with the crowds, so I guess we’ll see how that all goes when it happens. Suffice to say, it again marks a change in tone from the last guy. If you’ve missed the others so far, Kady O’Malley gives a good primer on how to form a cabinet, while Nick Taylor-Vaisey fills you in on some more of the background details, like just what is a cabinet, and what are the oaths you need to sign? And no, I’m not going to engage in any cabinet speculation, because it’s a bit of a mug’s game at this point. I also don’t really want to get into the “gender quota versus merit” debate because it’s not a debate. There have always been quotas, be it linguistic, regional or even religious (when that mattered), more than merit, and I can’t believe that this is even a conversation, but whatever. The real question is how many women get into the “big” portfolios of finance, foreign affairs, justice, or defence.

https://twitter.com/ashleycsanady/status/661179686009962497

https://twitter.com/ashleycsanady/status/661180078185775104

https://twitter.com/ashleycsanady/status/661180363868278784

https://twitter.com/laura_payton/status/661291352769064961

Good reads:

  • 11,000 people responded to the Liberals’ open call for ministerial staff positions, which certainly makes it look less like they’re rewarding party loyalists.
  • Top bureaucrats met back in May to look at ways to push back against creeping partisanship in the civil service. We’ll see how the Liberals fare on this front.
  • Those senior public servants are also eagerly awaiting to see what the new government has in store for them.
  • Here’s a great look at some of the actual concerns with marijuana legalization and not just concern trolling over its difficulty.
  • For the love of all the gods on Olympus, can we please stop this pernicious myth that the Reform Act gives MPs new powers? It actually restricts them.
  • TransCanada has asked the Americans to put a hold on the Keystone XL pipeline process.
  • The Privacy Commissioner wants regulations for camera-equipped drones near “sensitive areas.”
  • Stephen Harper will address the Conservative caucus, including defeated candidates, on Thursday.
  • New Conservative MP Garnett Genius gives his thoughts on the election loss.
  • Carissima Mathen muses about the new government’s relationship with the courts, and talks about the court challenges the new government is inheriting (video).

Odds and ends:

DND staff are apparently making a “commemorative photo book” as Jason Kenney’s going away gift as defence minister.

Here is a look at this year’s Silver Cross Mother.