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A Conservative Pierre Trudeau is taking charge
LAWRENCE MARTIN
Lawrence Martin |
Welcome to the era of certainty.
A new style of governance is in evidence in the country. In little more than a fortnight, Stephen Harper is already showing himself to be a man in control. He has a compass. He knows what he wants and how to get there.
Like a Pierre Trudeau, he suffers from few internal doubts and will be inclined to take orders only from above -- the space between his eyes and hair. His new way sharply contrasts with the ambiguity of a Paul Martin administration which, at last count, had narrowed its priorities to 47. It's a departure from a Jean Chrétien government which, while sometimes effective, plodded along without grand purpose.
The Harper regime -- regime may well come to be a good name for it -- has had a stumbling start owing to the David Emerson appointment. But no one should interpret that fiasco as illustrative or symbolic. There are other signposts that suggest a calculated clarity.
Witness Mr. Harper's summary execution of his communications director, William Stairs. One misstep. Gone. Recent PMs could rarely bring themselves to fire anyone and suffered accordingly.
Behold the imperial press conference this week. A confident Prime Minister standing at attention in the ornate Commons foyer issuing crisp pronouncements. This as opposed to fielding questions in a cheap chair in a dreary media amphitheatre.
Then Mr. Harper's response, when pressed, to a question about denying access to the media legions who think they run Ottawa. "I will be available when I have something to announce," the PM curtly informed the stenographers. As in, not at your beck and call.
Striking also was the measure of authority in Mr. Harper's earlier rebuke of the American envoy on the subject of Arctic sovereignty. That space is ours, he so much as told him. Take a hike. Down the Mississippi.
As the man in control, Mr. Harper seems intent on asserting Canadian control. There was his surprising Stand Up for Canada election campaign. Then warnings not just on the Arctic, but to foreign governments to butt out of the East Coast fisheries, and to the U.S. on the softwood lumber dispute. Not many would have expected a new nationalism from the Conservative Leader. But he appeals to the left political flank with the sovereignty planks, and to the right with, among other measures, more power to the provinces. It is a paradoxical but potent mix.
His cold-blooded political play for Quebec support with the appointment of the unelected Michael Fortier to his cabinet was another signal of strategic certitude. He reaches out to the Charest government on health care and child care, he brings in many old faces from team Mulroney, he has the gall to give Quebec the major pork-barrel cabinet posts. All this from a Western Prime Minister.
The Harper transition period, courtesy of a Derek Burney team not clicking on many cylinders, has had a slipshod, confused air about it. But, as in the Emerson appointment, it should not be viewed as a harbinger.
The Tories had been out of power for 13 years. A confusion-free transition was hardly to be anticipated.
Few have ever found Stephen Harper to be confused. There is an air of calculation about him and those who will govern with him. As his top bureaucrat, his clerk of the privy council, he has appointed Kevin Lynch. A man of advanced strategic intellect and other strengths, Mr. Lynch has never been known for flexibility or reaching out. Then there is Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, Mr. Harper's highly suspicious confidante and gatekeeper, who sees enemies at every pop stand.
A populist government this will not be -- nor will it be one dictated to by the media. As prime minister, you can set the agenda yourself, or you can let the press do it for you. To his credit, Mr. Harper has no intention of being dragged off by the latest journalistic feeding frenzy. It's a gamble. Three earlier Tory PMs -- Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, John Diefenbaker -- all got hacksawed by the media, in some cases, for good reason. Mr. Harper seems more inclined to try and ride herd above the fourth estate, as did, quite successfully, Mr. Trudeau.
The new PM's priorities are clear, as is his modus operandi. Certainty is good. Too much can kill you, especially in a minority situation. But it will be refreshing to see a government not flying by the seat of its pants. Canada needs a compass.
A Conservative Pierre Trudeau is taking charge
LAWRENCE MARTIN
Lawrence Martin |
Welcome to the era of certainty.
A new style of governance is in evidence in the country. In little more than a fortnight, Stephen Harper is already showing himself to be a man in control. He has a compass. He knows what he wants and how to get there.
Like a Pierre Trudeau, he suffers from few internal doubts and will be inclined to take orders only from above -- the space between his eyes and hair. His new way sharply contrasts with the ambiguity of a Paul Martin administration which, at last count, had narrowed its priorities to 47. It's a departure from a Jean Chrétien government which, while sometimes effective, plodded along without grand purpose.
The Harper regime -- regime may well come to be a good name for it -- has had a stumbling start owing to the David Emerson appointment. But no one should interpret that fiasco as illustrative or symbolic. There are other signposts that suggest a calculated clarity.
Witness Mr. Harper's summary execution of his communications director, William Stairs. One misstep. Gone. Recent PMs could rarely bring themselves to fire anyone and suffered accordingly.
Behold the imperial press conference this week. A confident Prime Minister standing at attention in the ornate Commons foyer issuing crisp pronouncements. This as opposed to fielding questions in a cheap chair in a dreary media amphitheatre.
Then Mr. Harper's response, when pressed, to a question about denying access to the media legions who think they run Ottawa. "I will be available when I have something to announce," the PM curtly informed the stenographers. As in, not at your beck and call.
Striking also was the measure of authority in Mr. Harper's earlier rebuke of the American envoy on the subject of Arctic sovereignty. That space is ours, he so much as told him. Take a hike. Down the Mississippi.
As the man in control, Mr. Harper seems intent on asserting Canadian control. There was his surprising Stand Up for Canada election campaign. Then warnings not just on the Arctic, but to foreign governments to butt out of the East Coast fisheries, and to the U.S. on the softwood lumber dispute. Not many would have expected a new nationalism from the Conservative Leader. But he appeals to the left political flank with the sovereignty planks, and to the right with, among other measures, more power to the provinces. It is a paradoxical but potent mix.
His cold-blooded political play for Quebec support with the appointment of the unelected Michael Fortier to his cabinet was another signal of strategic certitude. He reaches out to the Charest government on health care and child care, he brings in many old faces from team Mulroney, he has the gall to give Quebec the major pork-barrel cabinet posts. All this from a Western Prime Minister.
The Harper transition period, courtesy of a Derek Burney team not clicking on many cylinders, has had a slipshod, confused air about it. But, as in the Emerson appointment, it should not be viewed as a harbinger.
The Tories had been out of power for 13 years. A confusion-free transition was hardly to be anticipated.
Few have ever found Stephen Harper to be confused. There is an air of calculation about him and those who will govern with him. As his top bureaucrat, his clerk of the privy council, he has appointed Kevin Lynch. A man of advanced strategic intellect and other strengths, Mr. Lynch has never been known for flexibility or reaching out. Then there is Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, Mr. Harper's highly suspicious confidante and gatekeeper, who sees enemies at every pop stand.
A populist government this will not be -- nor will it be one dictated to by the media. As prime minister, you can set the agenda yourself, or you can let the press do it for you. To his credit, Mr. Harper has no intention of being dragged off by the latest journalistic feeding frenzy. It's a gamble. Three earlier Tory PMs -- Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, John Diefenbaker -- all got hacksawed by the media, in some cases, for good reason. Mr. Harper seems more inclined to try and ride herd above the fourth estate, as did, quite successfully, Mr. Trudeau.
The new PM's priorities are clear, as is his modus operandi. Certainty is good. Too much can kill you, especially in a minority situation. But it will be refreshing to see a government not flying by the seat of its pants. Canada needs a compass.