06 February 2006

Canadian Provincial Cabinet Sworn In

Without making a qualitative judgement one way or the other, the new Harper cabinet seems rather provincial, doesn't it? Provincial in two ways.

Provincial (adj.): of or concerning the regions outside major urban centres. There are only three such centres in Canada, and there is no minister in the new cabinet who was elected in either
Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver under the Conservative banner.

Also, using the word in the context of the Canadian federation, many of the new ministers have formerly been provincial cabinet ministers or have worked in provincial government. My list includes:

Jim Flaherty (Ontario)
Vic Toews (Manitoba)
John Baird (Ontario)
Tony Clement (Ontario)
Stockwell Day (Alberta)
Loyola Hearn (Newfoundland & Labrador)
Lawrence Cannon (Quebec) as ministers,

and


Rona Ambrose (Alberta)

Josée Verner (Quebec)
as having worked in or for provincial governments.

Hopefully this will reduce the squabbling between the two different levels of government that sometimes makes us wish a for a more centralised state (until we come back to our senses of course).

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