Roundup: The more substantial shuffle

On the heels of a tiny cabinet shufflette came a much more substantial shakeup in the government’s senior ranks, particularly as it concerns deputy ministers. The Deputy Minister of Defence (a former head of CSIS) is now the PM’s new National Security Advisor, while the DM of Public Works is now an ambassador to OECD in Paris – two portfolios that very much affect our military procurement, and in particular what is going on with the fighter jet replacement programme. The fact that key players in that process are moving on could easily be interpreted as a curious move if one were the suspicious type. More shuffles occurred at Health, International Trade, Environment, Agriculture, and Shared Services. I would also note with some particular curiosity that these moves happened on a Tuesday afternoon, which is almost unheard of lately. Pretty much every time any of these kinds of announcements are made, it’s on a Friday afternoon, usually around 3:30, so We The Media are left scrambling to report something about it. I’m not sure if this is actually indicative of anything, given Harper’s playing nice on Monday, but it is curious nevertheless.

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