Harper is either stupid or an arrogant cad. First, there's the whole David Emerson stink. Maybe Harper and the (dis)honourable Emerson were in collusion before the election and it was secretly agreed ahead of time that Emerson would run under the Liberal banner and switch as soon as he got elected (the only way for a Conservative to get in). Or, maybe Emerson really did switch immediately after being elected as a Liberal, having suddenly decided that he was too magnificent a man to serve his constituents as a backbencher and that he would jump at Harper's offer to screw the voters. Who knows? The only thing that has been established with certainty is that David Emerson is a self-serving unethical sleaze.Then there's the appointment of Michael Fortier. Who needs to run in an election? Just sit back and wait for an offer from the Harpercrite party. Unethical, you say? Perhaps, but such an effortless way to become a minister. Who could refuse?
And what cabinet would be complete without a former defence industry lobbyist (Gordon O'Connor) as a Defence minister?
Finally, how could I not mention the appointment of a unilingual Anglophone from Alberta as parliamentary secretary for francophone affairs and official languages? Reform Party dinosaurs don't need to scrap our rights to be heard in French. Just appoint someone who can't speak our language. How deviously harpercrite.
No wonder Canadians are becoming more and more disillusioned about politics in general and about the current batch of politicians more specifically.