On Prime Minister Harper's Ministry

The list of cabinet appointments is out. The only Conservative M.P. representing Metro Vancouver, Vancouver-Kingsway David Emerson, is trade minister also responsible for the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. Montréal gets a senator in the cabinet--Mont-Royal resident, Senator Michael Fortier is government services minister responsible for the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act. Both Emerson and Fortier were businessmen active in Vancouver and Montréal; Emerson was CEO of Canfor and Fortier worked in the Montreal office of TD Securities. What does Toronto get? One has to stretch the GTA boundaries pretty wide to account for any Conservative ministers from Toronto. Durham Region is blessed with two ministers with full departments: Whitby-Ajax M.P. Jim Flaherty takes Finance, Clarington-Scugog-Uxbridge M.P. Bev Oda takes Canadian Heritage. The other minister with a 905 area code is Niagara Falls M.P. Rob Nicholson, government leader in the House of Commons. In 905/519 is Wellington-Halton Hills M.P. Michael Chong who takes Sports. From 705, Parry Sound-Muskoka M.P. and Health Minister Tony Clement has a second home in the GTA. You wonder who is responsible for the Cities file? It goes to a Quebecer. Pontiac M.P. Lawrence Cannon is Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Prior to his election, Cannon was president of the Société de transport de l’Outaouais in 2002, was president of the Association du transport urbain du Québec in 2004, and city councillor in Gatineau from 2001 to 2005. Toronto Mayor David Miller will have to deal with Mr. Cannon. Otherwise, Mayor Miller has to contend with ministers from suburban GTA. Pontiac is on the Quebec side of the Ottawa Valley. On the Ontario side, the City of Ottawa gets three ministers: Ottawa West-Nepean M.P. John Baird gets Treasury Board, Carleton-Mississippi Mills M.P. and retired Brigadier-General Gordon O'Connor gets National Defence, and Senator Majory LeBreton is government leader in the Senate. Elsewhere, MPs representing Québec City, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, suburban Victoria, St. John's, Jonquière and Medicine Hat all received cabinet appointments. If Toronto wants a federal cabinet minister, voters here will have to elect a Conservative.