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Feb 10 - Feb 17, 2002 |
Jean Chrétien's Cabinet Shuffle
Alfonso Gagliano and Maria Minna are out as Maurizio Bevilacqua moves in
By Angelo Persichilli
Originally Published: 2002-01-20
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Minister Manley, Anne McLellan and Allan Rock
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Both confirmations and surprises came from the big cabinet shuffle announced this week by PM Jean Chrétien. The latter include the exit of Deputy-PM Herb Gray, who will perhaps go to the Senate, and of Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano, who will become Canada's Ambassador to Denmark. The former came from John Manley's promotion and Allan Rock's transfer to the Ministry of Industry.
As far as the Italian-Canadian community is concerned, in addition to Gagliano it lost Maria Minna, who has been replaced as head of the Ministry for International Co-operation.
At the same time, Maurizio Bevilacqua's appointment as Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development was received with satisfaction.
Generally speaking, Chrétien changed the faces of 13 ministries, brought 10 new MPs into the government, removed six, and accepted the resignation of one other.
The real winners in this shuffle are John Manley and, to a lesser degree, Allan Rock, the former Health Minister. Manley becomes the new Deputy-PM, replacing Herb Gray; rumours have Gray becoming a senator, and therefore being compelled to abandon active politics after 39 years.
Rock will replace Brian Tobin, the Industry Minister, who resigned his post. This is a very important appointment, allowing the Toronto Liberal politician to lead an economic ministry after his stints first as Justice Minister and then as Health Minister.
From this new position he will surely have the opportunity to strengthen his chances of replacing PM Chrétien when he will decide to retire from politics. This event, however, seems less and less likely to take place anytime soon.
Addressing the press, after the new ministers had been sworn in, Chrétien said he has no plans to leave the political scene: "I took a walk in the snow, last night," he said, recalling Pierre Trudeau's famous walk in 1984, on the eve of his announcement that he was going to retire. "...and I decided to stay!"
Of course, things can change quite fast in politics, and recent events remark this rule, but clearly Chrétien, at least for the moment, has no intention of stepping aside, and leaving the reins of the government and of the Liberal Party.
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