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Cabinet Shuffle Jan 19

Rifleman62

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It seams the new VAC Minister feels she was demoted and is disgruntled. Just what the bureaucrats at VAC like: a disengaged Minister.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-ivison-wilson-raybould-couldnt-hide-her-disappointment-at-move-from-justice-minister?video_autoplay=true

John Ivison: Wilson-Raybould couldn't hide her disappointment at move from justice minister - 14 Jan 19
    On a day of strange decisions, it was Wilson-Raybould’s unceremonious, and rather ruthless, downgrading in the cabinet shuffle that raises most questions

The tale of the latest cabinet shuffle can be told in two contrasting pictures: in the first, from the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall just over three years ago, Justin Trudeau can be seen gazing in patronizing fashion into Jody Wilson-Raybould’s eyes, his hands grasping her arms, while she beams back at him, bursting with joy and optimism at being named justice minister, the highest office in the government of Canada ever attained by an Indigenous Canadian.

The second, from Monday’s ceremony, shows Wilson-Raybould trying to cover her disappointment as she is demoted to veterans affairs minister. She offers Trudeau a curt handshake and he gives her a rather sheepish peck on the cheek. Try as she might, she could not hide her bruised pride. Publicly, Trudeau and Wilson-Raybould disavowed any suggestion that this was anything other than another inspired move to “make better possible.”

Trudeau said his former justice minister would offer a “deft and steady hand” in her new job; she said she could think of “no world in which I would consider working for our veterans in Canada as a demotion.” Her replacement is David Lametti, an extremely able former law professor, who used to co-captain Oxford University’s hockey team with Mark Carney, and who has the additional advantage of representing a Quebec riding. But, despite the pro forma pleasantries, it was clear that Wilson-Raybould felt betrayed.

Moreover, it was apparent another of the prime minister’s catchphrases — that no relationship is more important than the one with First Nations — had just taken a bit of a battering. The former B.C. regional chief was one of the star candidates assembled as part of Team Trudeau before the last election. She was heavily involved in setting out the 10 principles designed to reboot relations with First Nations, many of them developed from a document written by Wilson-Raybould and her husband, Tim, that advocated First Nations re-organize themselves into larger groups better able to manage their own affairs.

In a highly unusual move, Wilson-Raybould issued a statement that, as one colleague pointed out, read as if it were written in anger in the middle of the night. She said she recognized cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the prime minister but proceeded to point out that there is very little in her mandate letter, “if anything,” that has not been accomplished. “We have also achieved much beyond it,” she wrote. And it’s true. In a busy three years, her department has introduced 13 pieces of legislation, including legalizing cannabis and assisted dying, as well as appointing 250 judges.

She hinted at why she believes she was moved. As attorney general of Canada, she said she had to be non-partisan and willing to “speak truth to power.” “That is how I served throughout my tenure,” she wrote. Cabinet colleagues say she was “very independent” and rubbed some people the wrong way, including senior figures in the Prime Minister’s Office. Others point out she went through multiple chiefs of staff during her three years at justice — usually a sign of a strained working environment. “She’s smart and competent but she doesn’t exude empathy,” said one colleague. “It’s an odd pick for veterans affairs.”

The vacancy created at Treasury Board by Scott Brison’s decision to leave politics had a cascading effect. Philpott was the logical choice to succeed him, given that she is well-liked, capable and was already vice-chair of the board. But she was just starting to have a positive impact at Indigenous Services, Trudeau’s self-proclaimed “most important relationship.” After being moved into that role in the summer of 2017, Philpott took the unprecedented decision to hold a press conference to tell Canadians precisely how bad things were with Indigenous service delivery. “It doesn’t help for anyone to be in denial,” she said, a curious thing for a politician to say given the job relies on a judicious, indeed a partial, interpretation of the truth.

It was clear that Wilson-Raybould felt betrayed

 
But the $1.8 billion allocated to addressing water issues on reserves is filtering through — the number of long-term boil water advisories has fallen to 62, with 78 lifted since the Liberals came to power. The obvious move might have been to shift Wilson-Raybould into Indigenous Services, but the ministry was instead handed to Seamus O’Regan, a former broadcaster with little obvious connection to Indigenous politics, which may be a good thing.

Another curious decision was to create a new role of minister of rural economic development. With Brison’s departure, it was clear one of the remaining nine Nova Scotia Liberals (excluding Speaker Geoff Regan) was in line for a cabinet job. Rookie MP Bernadette Jordan — the only woman in the group — got the nod, but the job description remains opaque. There are already six economic development agencies, including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, spending billions trying to kick-start innovation across the country, often with less than stellar results. “If ACOA and the others fall under this new role, it’s fairly substantive. If they don’t, it’s not,” said one Liberal MP.

The rationale seems to be to hold on to the rural seats the Liberals hold by promising high speed internet access to voters whose children can’t do their homework because of lack of rural broadband. Trudeau mentioned rural connectivity in his remarks, so we should expect some costly incentives to telcos to build rural towers in the next budget. “There’s no type of infrastructure that registers more than broadband,” said the rural Liberal MP. “It’s electoral cat-nip.” But on a day of strange decisions, it was Wilson-Raybould’s unceremonious, and rather ruthless, downgrading that raises most questions.

While Brison was the sole retiree when ministers were asked their plans before Christmas, Wilson-Raybould may yet decide to step away. Two days ago, she said she will be the Liberal candidate in Vancouver Granville at the next election but her statement referred cryptically to her dedication to build a more just Canada “in whatever public or private roles I may play.” In an excellent profile in Maclean’s last year, journalist John Geddes said Wilson-Raybould’s place in the history of First Nations politics is assured by reaching the office of justice minister. “What’s left to discover is how far she can go in using it to usher in change.”

The answer, it seems, is not that far. The architect of the framework guiding the Liberal party’s reconciliation policy with First Nations has just been given the hook.


https://jwilson-raybould.liberal.ca/news-nouvelles/statement-from-the-honourable-jody-wilson-raybould-minister-of-veterans-affairs-and-associate-minister-of-national-defence-and-member-of-parliament-for-vancouver-granville/?platform=hootsuite

STATEMENT FROM THE HONOURABLE JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD, MINISTER OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND ASSOCIATE MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
- 14 Jan 19
 

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I think maybe there are only a few more high profile cabinet positions than Justice minister; VA definitely isn't one of them.

Tough portfolio, had some big challenges when she was there.

Don't have any opinion of her one way or another, but pretty disingenuous for the PM to say it's not a downgrade. She's taking it over from a former tv presenter, so not like there is a big skill set needed.  Also, she was the minister responsible for some of the pretty big court cases brought by veterans, so pretty weird choice (unless someone wants her to quit).
 
Navy_Pete said:
I think maybe there are only a few more high profile cabinet positions than Justice minister; VA definitely isn't one of them.

Tough portfolio, had some big challenges when she was there.

Don't have any opinion of her one way or another, but pretty disingenuous for the PM to say it's not a downgrade. She's taking it over from a former tv presenter, so not like there is a big skill set needed.  Also, she was the minister responsible for some of the pretty big court cases brought by veterans, so pretty weird choice (unless someone wants her to quit).


There have been a few hints, on social media (so take them for what they're worth), that she is unpopular with the prime minister's inner circle because she did speak her mind. Also, I read, somewhere (not something I remember, now), that she was said to be hamstrung on the judicial appointment file by 'direction' from the PMO that new judges were to be appointed in batches with one being female, one being indigenous, one being a visible minority, etc and ALL being bilingual ... I read (heard?) that she fought back because the 'guidance' was impossible, especially on the language issue, but was dismissed by the insiders in the Blackburn Building (formerly the Langevin Block, but renamed because of sensitivities about Sir Hector-Louis Langevin's role in establishing the residential school system in the 19th century) home of the PMO.
 
Rifleman62 said:
... she said she had to be non-partisan and willing to “speak truth to power.” “That is how I served throughout my tenure,” she wrote ...
Yup, that'll do it ...
 
E.R. Campbell said:
There have been a few hints, on social media (so take them for what they're worth), that she is unpopular with the prime minister's inner circle because she did speak her mind. Also, I read, somewhere (not something I remember, now), that she was said to be hamstrung on the judicial appointment file by 'direction' from the PMO that new judges were to be appointed in batches with one being female, one being indigenous, one being a visible minority, etc and ALL being bilingual ... I read (heard?) that she fought back because the 'guidance' was impossible, especially on the language issue, but was dismissed by the insiders in the Blackburn Building (formerly the Langevin Block, but renamed because of sensitivities about Sir Hector-Louis Langevin's role in establishing the residential school system in the 19th century) home of the PMO.
Are you maybe thinking of this Paul Wells column in Macleans? The line below the headline is very telling on how the Butts/Tedford team is as or even more controlling than what the Harper PMO ever was.
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/in-the-trudeau-government-whats-a-cabinet-shuffle-for/

In the Trudeau government, what’s a cabinet shuffle for?

Paul Wells: Like the shuffle before it, today’s won’t change anything about a government that’s chronically stage-managed by a tiny cadre of staffers
 
E.R. Campbell said:
There have been a few hints, on social media (so take them for what they're worth), that she is unpopular with the prime minister's inner circle because she did speak her mind. Also, I read, somewhere (not something I remember, now), that she was said to be hamstrung on the judicial appointment file by 'direction' from the PMO that new judges were to be appointed in batches with one being female, one being indigenous, one being a visible minority, etc and ALL being bilingual ... I read (heard?) that she fought back because the 'guidance' was impossible, especially on the language issue, but was dismissed by the insiders in the Blackburn Building (formerly the Langevin Block, but renamed because of sensitivities about Sir Hector-Louis Langevin's role in establishing the residential school system in the 19th century) home of the PMO.

Well, if she manages to get close to a few of our Veterans, she can expect to hear some more 'truth to power' related to Justice and Fairness issues, I'm guessing :)
 
daftandbarmy said:
Well, if she manages to get close to a few of our Veterans, she can expect to hear some more 'truth to power' related to Justice and Fairness issues, I'm guessing :)

Speaking "truth to power" is far different from listening to "truth to power".  :worms:

:cheers:
 
Maybe she will use the veterans file to hassle the PMO and eventually cross the floor to the CPC.  Too much to ask for?
 
E.R. Campbell said:
Also, I read, somewhere (not something I remember, now), that she was said to be hamstrung on the judicial appointment file by 'direction' from the PMO that new judges were to be appointed in batches with one being female, one being indigenous, one being a visible minority, etc and ALL being bilingual ... I read (heard?) that she fought back because the 'guidance' was impossible, especially on the language issue

It has long been accepted knowledge in the public service that official bilingualism favours middle-class types from suburban Ontario and suburban Quebec. There are not many immersion programs in rural schools, whether they be from the west, small town Ontario/Quebec or the Atlantic Provinces, and if you are new to Canada your priority is mastering one official language, not two. That this also disadvantages immigrant and indiginous populations has led to a bit of a Catch 22 -- either you will have diversity or you will have bilingualism, but these are two sacred cows that can't comfortably share the same pasture.

The former Attorney General may have been demoted in part for voicing that incompatibility.
 
Ostrozac said:
It has long been accepted knowledge in the public service that official bilingualism favours middle-class types from suburban Ontario and suburban Quebec. There are not many immersion programs in rural schools, whether they be from the west, small town Ontario/Quebec or the Atlantic Provinces, and if you are new to Canada your priority is mastering one official language, not two. That this also disadvantages immigrant and indiginous populations has led to a bit of a Catch 22 -- either you will have diversity or you will have bilingualism, but these are two sacred cows that can't comfortably share the same pasture.

The former Attorney General may have been demoted in part for voicing that incompatibility.

But it matches the Canadian historical narrative quite nicely, like, you know, a distant, privileged and smugly self-satisfied elite enriching themselves on the backs to the toiling, lumpen proletariat while installing a variety of colonial-like 'coercive' forces to do their bidding, including a society of protected and pampered mandarins who dangle the hope of a pathway to similar self-enrichment just a little beyond grasp.... :)
 
Ostrozac said:
...either you will have diversity or you will have bilingualism, but these are two sacred cows that can't comfortably share the same pasture.
Wonder how that will map in the next few decades with the popularity of French immersion in the very diverse BC lower mainland.
 
quadrapiper said:
Wonder how that will map in the next few decades with the popularity of French immersion in the very diverse BC lower mainland.

It's an interesting question, but such an impact is probably a long way off. As of last census, StatsCan had bilingualism rates in BC remaining steady. With bilingualism rising in both Ontario and Quebec, it'll take a lot of immersion programs for BC to start to catch up to the established order in Upper and Lower Canada.
 
quadrapiper said:
Wonder how that will map in the next few decades with the popularity of French immersion in the very diverse BC lower mainland.

The attraction to French Immersion programs does not relate much to 'bilingualism', but is more of an attempt by parents to have their children enrolled in classes that are not in the (in some cases, dire) public education 'main stream'.

It's a 'semi-private' educational experience, not a bilingualism builder.
 
It could be Trudeau is protecting his good buddy Seamus from the Veterans' backlash (as seen on various websites) now that they are receiving there Pension For Life notifications. Plus Butts gets rid of a thorn: " Gotcha B----".
 
daftandbarmy said:
The attraction to French Immersion programs does not relate much to 'bilingualism', but is more of an attempt by parents to have their children enrolled in classes that are not in the (in some cases, dire) public education 'main stream'.

It's a 'semi-private' educational experience, not a bilingualism builder.

:eek:ff topic:
I happened to roll through grade school in Ontario when the immersion school program pilots where ramping in the 80s; it was less of a semi-private than people thought it would be self selecting to a degree. I think it's backwards, but I heard more than a few parents basically say they sent their kids there because they figured the 'dumb' kids would wash out.  There were a few kids that had a hard time learning French, but from what I could tell, we were no smarter on average than any other group.  No surprise, the kids that already spoke a few other languages had an easier time, so it was mostly the uni lingual anglos that had issues.

They did a really shite job of teaching grammar (in any language) so to this day I still have to think about what nouns and adverbs are (in English or French) and expected us to figure out the rules organically or something by just reading and speaking. Being able to understand another language is super useful generally, but wish we weren't subjected to someones' experimental curriculum for the basics.
 
And let the outrage commence....


https://www.straight.com/news/1190051/grand-chief-stewart-phillip-rips-justin-trudeaus-decision-replace-jody-wilson-raybould
 
Liberals possibly have lost the Indian vote, and the Veterans vote.
 
Rifleman62 said:
Liberals possibly have lost the Indian vote, and the Veterans vote.

Statistically, the veteran vote doesn't matter. The Indigenous vote doesn't carry a great deal of weight either, and in any case, what are the viable alternatives to the Liberals for that particular demographic? They could vote NDP, but that's looking to be a throwaway anyway. The Liberals are already pandering about as much as anyone could expect any party to.
 
Obviously. But they make noise. The military vote split between ridings means nothing either.
 
Brihard said:
Statistically, the veteran vote doesn't matter. The Indigenous vote doesn't carry a great deal of weight either, and in any case, what are the viable alternatives to the Liberals for that particular demographic? They could vote NDP, but that's looking to be a throwaway anyway. The Liberals are already pandering about as much as anyone could expect any party to.

Based on the feedback I'm getting form some of the younger, and 'Greener' people on my staff, they lost the Millennial vote too when they bought the pipeline.

The only tricky part is that the opposition might be just too messed up to take advantage of these various offerings of idiocy from the Liberals...
 
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