Reboot Alberta

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Stelmach's Cabinet Is Both Progressive and Conservative.

I am partisan and biased but all kidding side…Premier Stelmach's Cabinet is great for so many reasons. What I like mostly it that it is progressive and activist but focused. It is also conservative and prudent. The prudent, progressive and activist aspects are all wrapped into one when you look at Ron Stevens. He continues as Deputy Premier and goes to the revitalized International and Intergovernmental Relations, adding investment attraction as well. For a more detailed understanding of my reasons of how great the Stevens appointment is look at my post of Monday March 10…he fulfills every criterion.

Iris Evans in Finance with added aspects called “Enterprise” that includes economic development agencies is a focused activist appointment. Snelgrove stays in Treasury Board to ride herd on changes that are needed but he will not to sell the farm in the process. This is a conservative prudent appointment. Splitting Infrastructure and Transportation shows just how serious Stelmach is about the 20-year capital plan he highlighted just before the election too. More conservative prudence as I see it.

It is a great progressive idea for Renner to be continuing in Environment – he is very capable there and it will be a hot potato portfolio for sure. Morton staying on in Sustainable Resource Development is conservative and prudent because we need the continuity to get the Land Use Framework done - and it will be a challenge.

In no order of priority consider these other progressive moves in the new Stelmach Cabinet. New departments of Aboriginal Relations, Culture and Community Spirit as well as Tourism, Parks and Recreation means Premier Stelmach was listening to the messages from these largely ignored areas of our society. Adding a Housing and Urban Affairs department shows a new awareness of the changing nature of where Albertans live – in cities – and there is a housing crisis that needs immediate attention. Fort McMurray needs the crown lands around the city released immediately to get on with housing supply. Minister Fritz is back in this new focused and progressive portfolio and will have to deal with that challenge yet again - and hopefully get it done this time.

New faces that are exciting to me include Jack Hayden in Infrastructure where there is a need for sound management and a depth of knowledge in local government which Jack has in spades. Mary Anne Jablonski in Seniors and Community Supports is a perfect fit. This area needs someone who cares, has passion for the needs of vulnerable citizens and can help push through the big changes needed in the portfolio for theses service sectors to be sustainable. This portfolio has been very poorly served by many of the Ministers and has been in decline ever since Gene Zwozdesky was in charge. Speaking of Zwoz, Aboriginal Relations will benefit from his experience and enthusiasm. My MLA, Heather Klimchuk goes to Government Services and she knows PC politics and people. Calgary’s Alison Redford is the new Minister of Justice and is a good move for a rookie Minister too. They are new urban female appointments that show Stelmach learned some other important lessons from his last Cabinet too.

The Cabinet Policy Committees are all chaired by rookie MLA except incumbent Neil Brown and oh yes Tony Vandermeer who lost in 2004 is back again and chairing the CPC on Health. The new initiative of Parliamentary Assistant has some strong people too. The ones I know and think highly of are Doug Griffiths (Agr. and Rural Dev), Janice Sarich (Education), Diana McQueen (Environment), Raj Sherman (Health and Wellness), and Thomas Lukaszuk (Municipal Affairs). I don’t know Evan Berger (SRD) but I hear good things about him and hope he makes a difference.

So the larger Cabinet is not just bigger because size matters when it comes to a Caucus. It is bigger in ways that makes sense and with a mix of experience, continuity and new faces. The five new priorities that were announced with the Cabinet are important too. They are indications of where the Premier’s head is at and were he intends to focus his government but that is fodder for another post.

I imagine we can expect the Deputy Minister appointments tomorrow. One Cabinet Minister was dropped today. I would not be surprised to see one or more Deputies dropped tomorrow. Stay tuned.

17 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:58 pm

    Stelmach likes big government. This cabinet is huge compared to Premier Ralph's lean cabinet.

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  2. Don't forget the monsterous Klein Cabinetwhen he won 74 seats.

    The big difference between Ralph's last Cabinets and Selmach's first is Ed's team will actually get somethings accomplished.

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  3. Anonymous2:01 am

    You mean like make more P3s? You know, the Pork Provided Promptly deals?

    and prepare folks. It's about all we can do right now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6:10 am

    Wow, Ken, unsurprisingly we have completely different views on the Environment Minister. I wish you would elaborate on why you think Renner is so progressive. I'm judging him based on what was accomplished last term: not a whole lot (beyond an embarrassing climate change "plan").

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  5. His CEMA letter response in the campaign is the most public proof of his progressive approach. This is where a diverse group of oil sand stakeholders including industry ENGOS and aboriginal leaders want a partial moratorium on further oil sands leases until 2011 - and he agreed with it.

    There is a video on the Calgarygrit blog a couple of weeks back with Renner saying this at a public forum. Check it out.

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  6. Anonymous12:25 pm

    I think anon 2:01 needs to learn what P3's really are before making asinine comments like that. It's sad when people think facts are debateable simply because they disagree with it. I mean, if anon 2:01 didn't like gravity would he just insult it and not believe it as well?

    scary.

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  7. Jennifer - how do you Anon does not know what a P3 is and facts are debatable simply because people disagree with them...that is usually the essence of debate - disagreement over facxts.

    P3s are man made constructs so the gravity metaphor does not work so much either.

    Anon is being rhetorical more than he/she is being helpful. He/she is therefore easily dismissed based just on what he/she actually said without more.

    No need to respond in kind to my mind...people are not stupid and the get it when someone is myopic or shallowly self-absorbed.

    It's the blogosphere Jennifer and therefore full of wit, wisdom, fun, foolishness and yes - idiocy - isn't that great ;~)

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  8. Anonymous2:59 pm

    Ken: I've seen the video you're referring too. I have to say that 30 seconds of grainy footage from an all-candidates panel, in which Renner says he would not be against CEMA's recommendations, does not make up for his incredibly weak climate change plan. Actions speak louder than words and until Renner puts his money where his mouth is painting him as progressive is simply political spin.

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  9. But eh - you may not realize that I know this man personally and have worked with him in the PC Party ever since he was elected.

    I know his values and that video clip reflects the nature of the man I know...it is not the full measure of my assessment of him.

    the key is he is prepared to take a policy position based on his values and the needs of the environment and not get caught up in the power politics that is the default position of too may politicians these days.

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  10. Anonymous10:24 pm

    Thank God Dave Hancock was booted from Health. He did nothing the whole time - I say no improvements no job. Stelmach is to be commended for kicking out one of the least productive members of the team. It is much better to have him in Education which is a much easier role (i.e. let the universities decide the use of the funds).

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  11. Anonymous1:01 am

    Rhetoric is simply the art of using words to convince. These days it's taken on a connotation of empty words, but for those who care to dig a little (as in, read the article conveniently linked,) the substance is there.

    "Numerous studies and reports show P3s often end up costing taxpayers more than when governments simply borrow money, but Stelmach is still pursuing P3s not just for roads, but schools as well. In fact, some of the schools pulled from Stelmach’s pre-election goodie bag will be P3s. “[Stelmach] still defends P3s for infrastructure as saving taxpayers’ money, but he never once has provided a shred of evidence… to show that that’s the case,”"

    However, maybe he was just cowed by Klein. Maybe now that Klein's gone, the 7 billion dollars of infrastructure deficit he allowed to build while the costs to fix it were far lower will end up being seen as the anomoly, after all, what's 7 billion between friends, right? It's not as if being Minister of Infrastructure gave him any power to do anything about it.

    Maybe the Washington Envoy post really isn't a 200,000/yr patronage appointment, and maybe his stint as agricultural minister where he promoted industrial-scale livestock projects without any concern for the environment until public pressure became huge and the evidence from his own department of these projects being heavy pollutants was overwhelming.

    Maybe all that history is just so much rhetoric.. but it convinces me all the same.

    I'm not arguing against Stelmach's character at all. He seems a friendly enough fellow, and probably really believes that he's trying to do the right thing.

    I just don't think he even knows what that is.

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  12. Anonymous12:09 am

    The Attorney General doesn't have a parliamentary assistant. Expect one of the lawyers to take that post later, likely Jonathan Denis.

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  13. Why does the Minister of Justice need an assistant? The job is not that demanding these days in terms of legislation, tack forces and consultations etc. - the stuff of the PA's.

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  14. Anonymous6:54 pm

    The Minister of Justice would be the first one who needs a PA given the amount of legislation that needs to be carried. I think Denis would make a good one - he proved to be a hard worker in the campaign.

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  15. Anon - WHAT are you talking about? What amount of legislation is coming out of Justice??? The Mandate Letters have not even been distributed yet.

    Justice is not going to be an active legislation source. Besides the Government House Leader deals with most of the stickhandling and heavy lifting in that regard. He already has an assistant and 2 Deputies.

    Denis is not going to be elevated beyond the backbench. Deal with it and get over it. Besides...it could be worse...he could be Guy.

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  16. Anonymous6:58 pm

    What on earth are you talking about? Justice is by far THE most active ministry in terms of legislation and also in terms of advising other departments of their legislation.

    Perhaps a read of Peter Hogg's Constitutional Law 101 would be in order.

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  17. Face the facts and quit carping - your boy Denis did not and is not going to make the Parliamentary Assistant cut.

    Read the Justice mandate letter - thin gruel...to my mind.

    I have read parts of Hogg and I do know a few things about Canadian Consititutional Law 101.

    Listen up!!! All the real Constitutional issues impacting Alberta will be handled by Ron Stevens in Interntional and Intergovernmental Affairs...not Justice as the lead but they will be obviously involved as legal advisors.

    Stevens has the political experience on these matters which is more vital right now. And he has the confidence Cabinet, Caucus and the Premier becasue of his experience, ability and status as Deputy Premier.

    Move on Anon - this issue is dead!!! Denis is not in the political/power mainstream this time and 2 newbies in any portfolio is not wise at any time anyway.

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