Cabinet curiosity has Ottawa in its grip

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Tension rife over changing of the guard
More current ministers expected to go

SUSAN DELACOURT AND LES WHITTINGTON
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA �The nation's capital is in the throes of cabinet fever.

With a purge under way of current ministers, and a new cabinet swearing-in set to take place a week from tomorrow, the tension and rumours among federal Liberals are reaching a frenzied pitch. Neither Jean Chr�tien nor Paul Martin is in Ottawa as this week closes, but their cabinets � current and future � are the focus of speculation.

Only a couple of current ministers are sure bets for the Martin cabinet: Anne McLellan, the health minister, is expected to be handed the prestigious finance portfolio; and Ralph Goodale, today's public works minister, is rumoured to be pegged for a high-ranking, super-ministry � either industry and trade or, according to other sources' reports, a newly created national security department.

McLellan and Goodale are long-time Martin allies from the West and their appointment to prime cabinet jobs will give weight to Martin's promise to pay more attention to that region's needs. McLellan would also be the first female finance minister in Canadian history.

Beyond those two, all bets are off as the next prime minister and his transition team sift through the available 171 Liberal MPs to try to put together a front-bench team that says "change" to Canadians while at the same time being balanced and, above all, effective.

Martin has made it clear that he wants active, forceful ministers who can sell new ideas and programs to their colleagues in Parliament and to Canadians.

In his work on cabinet building, Martin has been more preoccupied with exits than entrances so far. Two senior Chr�tien ministers have announced they are leaving � yesterday, it was Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal, last week it was Finance Minister John Manley. It's expected that list will expand over the coming days. Persistent rumours have Industry Minister Allan Rock, government House leader Don Boudria, Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief and Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart set to announce their political retirement within days. None of these ministers or their spokespeople will confirm or deny the reports.

Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, who ran against Martin in the leadership race right to the bitter end, is in a battle to keep her own Hamilton riding, locking horns with Martin loyalist Tony Valeri, whose Stoney Creek riding disappeared in redistribution. It is said that Copps has not had talks with Martin yet, but she has said she wants to remain in cabinet.

Martin has been quietly meeting selected members of the current cabinet the past couple of weeks. Manley had his meeting last week, at which he was offered the position of ambassador to the United States. He said he would consider the offer, but it is now believed that he will turn down the post. But Martin won't learn officially of that decision for another week, while Manley recovers from eye surgery he underwent yesterday.

Dhaliwal, meanwhile, said Martin also talked to him about an unspecified post-political appointment, but he said he wasn't interested. Dhaliwal, at an emotional news conference yesterday, said he was leaving politics in the interests of his family and returning home to British Columbia. He denied that he was leaving before he was pushed. But like most of the current Chr�tien cabinet, it is believed that Martin is encouraging them to "review other options, " leaving the field clear for a couple of dozen newcomers that he wants to promote.

While no one knows for sure who is likely to make the leap to cabinet, there are dozens of well-regarded candidates, particularly from Liberal-dominated Ontario. At the top of the list are Judy Sgro (York West), who has championed more aid for cities, and John Godfrey (Don Valley West), who has distinguished himself on social issues. P>

Others from southern Ontario considered in the running are Valeri (Stoney Creek), Albina Guarnieri (Mississauga East), Stan Keyes (Hamilton West), Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence), Joe Fontana (London North Centre) and Dan McTeague (Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge). In the Ottawa area, David Pratt (Nepean-Carleton), the Commons defence committee chair, is seen as a strong candidate for defence minister

Paul Martin has made it clear that he wants active, forceful ministers in his cabinet In the running from Quebec are MPs Liza Frulla (Verdun-St. Henri-St. Paul-Pointe St. Charles), a former provincial cabinet minister, as well as Nick Discepola (Vaudreuil-Soulanges), Jacques Saada (Brossard-La Prairie), H�l�ne Scherrer (Louis-H�bert) and Georges Farrah (Bonaventure-Gasp�-�les-de-la-Madeleine-Pabok). From the Atlantic region, former Newfoundland minister John Efford (Bonavista-Trinity-Conception) is also considered a likely prospect, as is Geoff Regan (Halifax West).

Among the rest of Chr�tien's cabinet, another possible survivor is Maurizio Bevilacqua, the junior finance minister from Vaughan, whose ideas on freeing up Canada's "innovative" economy jibe with Martin's. Prospects also appear good for Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, a Quebecer seen by some as a leading candidate for foreign affairs minister. Vancouver MP Stephen Owen, currently the junior minister for western economic development, will also likely stay on the first string.

But Bill Graham, MP for Toronto Centre-Rosedale and currently foreign minister, is seen as a question mark for the next cabinet even though he was a well-known supporter of Martin's leadership aspirations. Defence Minister John McCallum is not expected to remain.

The diversity of the next cabinet was much on the minds of Liberals on the day Dhaliwal, the first Indo-Canadian to become a minister, announced he would be retiring from politics. At a news conference, Dhaliwal urged Martin to ensure that the next cabinet reflects Canada's diverse ethnic make-up.

"The political institutions should reflect the face of Canada and the diversity of this country," he said, stressing that it "is important to continue to build a more inclusive society." He said he hopes the new cabinet reflects that goal.

MP Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt) told reporters that, of the eight cabinet ministers likely from the GTA, at least four of them should be from ethnic backgrounds.

"There are four pillars in our society," he said. "There are the aboriginals � the people who were in this country � and the two founding nations and the fourth pillar is new Canadians. And we have to be inclusive and you have to put everybody at the table.

"And I think Mr. Martin is going to take that into account, be it in Toronto, be it in Montreal, be it in Vancouver. There's ethnic minorities throughout the country and they have to be invited to participate.

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