Leader Jack Layton: John Baird

Cabinet Shuffle Dept: Canadians know there are big challenges ahead. Harper says growing the economy is our top priority. Then there s reining in the deficit, repairing Canada s frayed international stature, and negotiating border security with our neighbours, to cite a few others, according to The Star. Within cabinet itself, one of the largest in Canadian history, most of the old warhorses remain. The two key changes John Baird to foreign affairs and Tony Clement to Treasury Board simply shift old players into new posts, albeit with a heavy dose of irony and prime Minister Stephen Harper combined a bland cabinet shuffle Tuesday with a cynical spurt of old-fashioned patronage. As a fresh start, it was less than convincing. But Harper s first instinct was to reward his own. After naming the cabinet he quietly vaulted three defeated Conservative candidates into the Senate two weeks after the voters rejected them. Larry Smith and Fabian Manning, who quit the Red Chamber to run, are back in. So is Josee Verner, a minister who went down to defeat. New Democrat Leader Jack Layton rightly called it a slap in the face to voters. As reported in the news.
@t josee verner, prime minister stephen harper