McLeod's Shot at Cabinet

(Aired on April 14, 2010)

The Jaffer-Guergis scandal will certainly get worse before it gets better for Stephen Harper, and it's a case of reaping what you sew in the people you choose to be on your team.  Here's all you need to know about Rahim Jaffer - he was a Conservative in Alberta and he lost.  In 2008, Jaffer lost his Edmonton riding to a New Democrat, and the world has yet to return to equilibrium.  It was my impression that to be a Conservative in Alberta and lose, you have to be either medically dead or on the sex offender registry.

That mark on Jaffer's record - losing that is - added to the drunk driving and cocaine possession issue never did bode well for his wife, Helena Guergis.  And while the allegations against Guergis are still very much being kept under wraps, right now I'm more interested in her abandoned cabinet post.

Here's a wild idea - how about Cathy McLeod as the new Minister of State for the Status of Women?  I've travelled quite a distance to arrive at this destination, but I think the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo M.P. would be a terrific candidate for the cabinet spot.  McLeod has some strikes against her as a rookie M.P. and being from the west when Stephen Harper needs to replace a cabinet minister from Ontario.

But she has some definite assets as well.  McLeod has shown hard work and competency as a member of parliament.  She has, in my opinion, represented the interests of her riding well in Ottawa, including scoring us a significant amount of Building Canada grant moneys.  While she lacks some public speaking acumen, she makes up for it by being courteous, professional, and quick to respond to requests.  And above all, she seems to be as far removed as possible from a lifestyle of scandal.  Minister of State for the Status of Women is not exactly a high profile position, and ideal for a political neophyte like McLeod.

Stephen Harper has a lot of things working against him these days, and he can use all the good people he can get.  Cathy McLeod is one of them.

(Blogger's note: Rona Ambrose was appointed Minister of State for the Status of Women after Guergis' ouster.  Whether this is a permanent arrangement remains to be seen.)