John Duncan resigns as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

Fidel wrote:

So he resigns over a minor conflict of interest rule violation and not because he was totally incompetent as a minister for Aboriginal Affairs. And there are plenty more idiots where they found that one. Good grief.

This was a convienient out for him thats all.

I think a day or two after Hurricane Katrina the head of emergency organization FEMA Michael Brown was overheard to be mulling over the correct choice of cufflink to wear when offering his resignation, and saying something to the effect "this thing can't be over soon enough"

I wonder why I thought about that just now

John Duncan was useful because many people thought it was his incoherent defence of the status quo that was the problem with aboriginal issues when he was simply implementing Harper's agenda. I grant that Duncan was quite happy to do so. Afterall, he began his Reform political career by saying that an aboriginal fishery would be a racist act against white fishermen. However, make no mistake that he was implementing Harper's aboriginal agenda that, if it is going to change at all, it will only be because Harper is now concerned that Aboriginal reaction could interfere with his natural resource exploitation at all costs agenda. Even the reporters on Power and Politics basically agreed with this in their comments today. 

There's some rumour that his replacement could be Kenney...

Havent listened to or read any of these speculations about Kenney.

But there is a major flaw: Kenney is seen as irreplacable in building the party's ties with new Canadian communities. And that is a central pillar of their future.

Debater wrote:

Why he wanted a loser like John Duncan as a Minister though, I have no idea.  He was not only a weak Minister, but wasn't even strong in his own riding - even lost his seat to the NDP a couple of elections ago and had to win it back.  Too bad Catherine Bell didn't run again to put this old fart out of his misery.

Not many MP's on Vancover Island to chose ministers from and his North Island riding has many FN's.  John Duncan came out of the BC Fisheries Survival Coalition, a very openly racist organization, however his wife is of aboriginal ancestry.  He is also a yes man with no original thoughts.  Seems to me he was Harper's ideal minister.

Q: how many MPs do the Cons have in BC?

Thanks. I thought it was far less.

It's one less than it was in 2008!

Didnt know about Courtenay and Cumberland coming out of the riding. That puts a harder lock for the NDP on Nanaimo, but makes this always close one harder for the NDP.

I didnt notice Duncan saying if he was not re-offering- but I think that one is a foregone conclusion. His health may have made that dubious even before this came up. Duncan was a good candidate for the Cons on North Island. Not irreplacable; but barring getting someone with deep popular appeal, they'll have a harder time keeping the seat without him.

James Moore is the temporary replacement for Duncan at Aboriginal Affairs, but a lot of people see Greg Rickford as the likely long-term replacement since Moore is already Heritage Minister. What they have in common is that they are both smooth talkers, unlike Duncan. From Harper's strategic point of view, this is important since he can no longer count on Aboriginal issues remaining a form of background noise that most voters and corporations (because of Aboriginal natural resource issues becoming increasingly prominent) don't pay any attention to. Harper therefore now needs someone in the job who is good at bafflegab. However, make no mistake, Harper will be calling all the shots, just as he did with Duncan.

So much for Harper appointing a heavy hitter.

The new Minister is Bernard Valcourt.

Right: "who?"

CBC's National  is running footage of Valcourt from his Mulroney years. I recognised him instantly. They also showed footage from his "drunk motorcycle accident" where he lost an eye and was forced to resign.

Homework for the new Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

excerpt:

As Prime Minister, Valcourt's one-time boss Brian Mulroney was sincerely interested in Aboriginal issues.

The former Progressive Conservative PM set up the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples headed by former Assembly of First Nations National Chief George Erasmus and Quebec Judge René Dussault.

The exhaustive Report of that Royal Commission contained proposals that were at once far-reaching and radical, and eminently practical.

The Report bears reading (or re-reading) by anyone interested in the centuries' long struggles of Canada's First Peoples.

excerpt:

Now, a Minister who was part of the Government that established the Royal Commission is charged with Aboriginal Affairs.

Bernard Valcourt should dust that Royal Commission Report off and read it very carefully.

Progressive Conservative MPs of Mulroney's time report that the former Prime Minister would often unashamedly lecture his caucus on Canada's responsibilities toward its First Peoples.

Valcourt was in the room back then. For part of that time he was even Associate Minister for Indian Affairs (as it was then called).

Can we hope that his experience taught him something?

Is there a chance his well-known reputation for toughness and tenacity will make Valcourt not so much an apologist for the government's policies toward First Nations as an advocate within the Government for Aboriginal rights and interests?

That may be a lot to hope for.

As a start, one hopes Valcourt and those advising him will do some serious homework. They should consider the Royal Commission Report, and, of more recent vintage, there are the Auditor General's Report of spring 2011 and the National Panel on First Nations' Education that reported just a little more than a year ago.

If this is a game of "what if", why stop at the Liberals? Perhaps we should all come to our senses and return the Whig party to its former and rightful glory.

No, I did understand it Ken.

I was commenting on presumed vote-splitting, and the logic, ethics, and political wisdom of that whole way of looking at it.

After all, if we were to frame the question looking at which party is in the ascendent, and more likely to form government, the answer might be different.

Personally, I think that in most cases people should vote for the party they truly support.

No. He is saying that I misunderstood you. But I didn't, really.

You want to win the election in a specific riding? I think the better part of it has to do with not having a platform that appeals to the people, not other parties bowing out so that you can be the only choice available.

The voters who have loyally supported either the Liberals or NDP will not willingly drink the "kool-aid" and commit suicide. The regular voters will decide riding by riding and then if the NDP and Liberals win more seats than the Conservatives they can form some sort of coalition or working arrangement.  Some of our best legislation has come from minority governments.