Harper cleans the back offices as he faces the new house

Summer's over and the politicians are back to the task of steering the nation along the course that she shall follow, wherever that may lead.

For Minority Government Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that means a fine line between trying to push for his own agenda and not stampeding the opposition to the exits ready to head to the polls once again.

The NDP seem to be ready to roll, that after a rather remarkable convention in Quebec City; one where they promised to take Canadians to places that they may not necessarily want to go. But in reality they're but bit players on the scene until the Liberals get around to righting their ship and setting sail again. NDP support is always suspect until the Liberal machine completely implodes upon itself, short of that a good portion of the new fans of Jack are probably fair weather friends to say the least, ready to swim to the good ship Liberal once they know who the captain is.

Harper probably has at least five monthts of slack as the Liberals get around to selecting Doc, Sleepy or one the many other options being put forward at convention in Montreal in early December, after that it's Christmas and well nobody and we mean NOBODY, wants an election at Christmas.

So that would probably take us towards the Budget in February for a possible confidence vote and another trip to the electoral polls.

With all of that to ponder, the Conservative government has apparently been busy cleaning up its own affairs, re-organizing their Ministers offices (and assorted behind the scenes workers) and sending those that aren't on the same page off on their merry way to "other opportunities".

Not quite a purge, but yet a definite signal that they plan on governing with a tight grip on the reins as the fall session gets underway (unlike their counterparts at the BC Legislature, the Feds at least figure that there is enough important issues facing the nation that they should actually sit between summer bbq and Christmas seasons!)

John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail has peeked through the doorways of the Conservative side of the Centre, West and East blocks and observed some of the behind the scenes dealings designed to prop up some of the weaker links in the Harper cabinet and ready the government for what is expected to be a raucous session. He even provides a bit of a report card for those that have come up wanting and those that have excelled in their short time in office.

It's no doubt a project that if nothing else, will help him trim his Christmas card list for later this year.

Who's been naughty and who he's been nice, read the story below it makes for a handy primer as we turn our attention to the Hill and the fall session.

PARLIAMENT RETURNS
Harper cleans house with a steady broom
JOHN IBBITSON
Globe and Mail
Monday, September 18, 2006

At some point in the life of every government, a story appears claiming that never before has the Centre exercised such enormous power. This is that story.

In the weeks preceding today's return of Parliament, Stephen Harper has engaged in a round of staff housecleaning. Various aides have left "to pursue other opportunities," while deputy ministers have been shuffled or replaced. The goal has been to remove weak performers, and bolster weak ministers, in the run-up to the crucial fall session and February budget.

The purge offers further proof that this Prime Minister and his closest aides are keeping a very tight rein on this administration. The truth is, they have little choice.

Mr. Harper had only 125 members in the caucus from which to construct a cabinet, and many of those MPs were from the West. To achieve regional balance, the Prime Minister had to pick the ablest MPs he could find in eastern ridings, and hope for the best.

Those hopes have not always been fulfilled. While some cabinet ministers have performed ably, others have disappointed. The biggest disappointment may be Health Minister Tony Clement.
The former Ontario health minister was given an impossible task: Create a national program establishing acceptable waiting times for key health procedures.

Meeting that commitment required provincial co-operation and extra money. Neither has been particularly forthcoming. Add to that the debacle of a planned, then aborted, announcement on HIV/AIDS, and things over in Health are looking grim.

Mr. Clement's performance may have been hampered by political baggage. As a candidate in the Ontario Conservative leadership race of 2002, many expected him to throw his support to fellow economic conservative Jim Flaherty, when it became clear Mr. Clement could not win. Instead, Mr. Clement went to Ernie Eves, who won the contest. Neither Mr. Flaherty nor John Baird, one of his key supporters, was very pleased with Mr. Clement's decision. And now Mr. Flaherty is at Finance, Mr. Baird is President of Treasury Board, and Mr. Clement can't get any funding.

This is not to say that the Health Minister's days are numbered. Mr. Clement is an able politician who is regularly invited to attend meetings of the priorities and planning cabinet committee, even though he is not an official member. Nonetheless, it has been a long seven months for the Minister of Health, who can only be hoping things pick up in the fall.

Rona Ambrose has also had a rough ride. Maybe it wasn't the Environment Minister's fault that one of the Harper government's first acts was to acknowledge that Canada would never meet the Kyoto targets. But the rookie MP found herself suddenly stuck with the challenge of crafting air-quality legislation, which was never to have been a policy priority. Ms. Ambrose has failed to convince anyone that she is truly in charge of that file, and there is little enthusiasm at the prospect that she will be responsible for selling the package to the public.

Others who have failed to shine include Human Resources Minister Diane Finley (her interpersonal skills have been found wanting), Transportation Minister Lawrence Cannon (transportation policy? What transportation policy?) and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay (great at photo ops; for the rest, not so much).

The good news for the Conservatives is that some solid performers have emerged: Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Baird have proven to be an able tag team, as they search for savings to finance the government's ambitious agenda. International Trade Minister David Emerson delivered the softwood lumber deal (though with much help from the Centre), vindicating the Prime Minister's risky decision to poach him from the Liberals. Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has impressed Mr. Harper greatly, not so much for his handling of that troubled ministry as for his organizational skills as chair of the cabinet operations committee.

Although none of the francophone cabinet ministers has seized the title of Quebec lieutenant, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier is in charge of drafting legislation that could drastically reform the telecommunications industry. How he handles this task may determine whether he becomes the senior minister in Quebec.

And Michael Chong, in the minor role of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister, has emerged as an effective spokesman for the government on the fiscal imbalance file. However, Mr. Chong should not expect promotion any time soon. Mr. Harper will probably take his existing cabinet into the next budget, on which the fate of this government hinges.

Only if the government survives that budget vote will Mr. Harper's thoughts turn to a cabinet shuffle and Throne Speech, which would be a year and an eternity away.

Barring unforeseen shocks, Mr. Harper will face the new session of Parliament, the new Liberal leader, and the acid test of the next budget with the current crew -- sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.