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A New Cabinet Posting
Innisfil Enterprise
January 10, 2007
By Peter Van Loan, MP, York-Simcoe
Last week, I was sworn in to a new job in
the Federal Cabinet. My new
responsibility will be as Government House
Leader and Minister for Democratic Reform.
It was just over five weeks since I first
joined the Cabinet as Intergovernmental
Affairs and Sports Minister.
The move was part of a larger shuffle that
had been the subject of speculation in the
media for several weeks. I was
summoned to a meeting at 24 Sussex on
January 2 to meet with the Prime Minister.
As the sun set over the Ottawa River, we met
in an enclosed sunroom - oddly located on
the north side of the House. I was
asked to take on the new responsibility, and
accepted. It was a significant
promotion, becoming part of the core
leadership of the Government. It was a
real vote of confidence by the Prime
Minister.
The shuffle would take place in a day and a
half at Rideau Hall. Until then, I had
to keep the new responsibility a secret.
Throughout there had been all kinds of
speculation in the media about who might get
what jobs. Some was asserted as if it
were fact. Almost all of the news
stories in the weeks leading up to the
shuffle were overwhelmingly inaccurate.
Not one journalist or newspaper that I know
of published an admission that they had
things wrong in their previous stories.
Most portfolio predictions (save one or two)
were off the mark. No story said I
would become Government House Leader (but
the Globe + Mail seemed to come pretty
close).
On the day of the swearing-in, I had one
last task as Sports Minister; calling the
Canadian Junior Hockey team to congratulate
them on making it to the Finals and to wish
them good luck the next day playing for the
gold medal. But when the time came,
all kinds of phone troubles ensued - first
in Sweden, then at our end. I finally
connected with the Team Captain on my cell
phone while in the driveway at Rideau Hall.
The team had me fully convinced they would
win for sure by the end of the call - and I
put in a special greeting for Steve Downie,
a star team member from the York-Simcoe
riding.
I got off the phone and headed in to take on
my new job.
As the ceremony proceeded, I thought to
myself that, while everybody understands
what Minister for Sport is all about, nobody
normal knows what a Government House Leader
does. As a twice elected MP, even I
was quite fuzzy on the full nature of the
job - how would I explain it to my
constituents? Sure it was a promotion,
but that alone was like kids who explained a
parent's job by saying "Dad works at the
office".
It really calls for a fuller explanation,
That is what I will seek to do in reports to
you in the weeks ahead, as I begin my work
as Leader of the Government in the House of
Commons.
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