IDNUMBER 200708150137
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Front
PAGE: A1
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH AND TONDA MACCHARLES
SOURCE: Toronto Star, with files from Sean Gordon
NOTE:INSIDE: MORE STORIES - A3, RECORD'S VIEW - A8
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 991

Afghan mission now MacKay's; Cabinet shuffle pushes O'Connor out of defence, newcomer Bernier moves into foreign affairs


Canada's divisive military mission in Afghanistan has a new messenger.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper ended Gordon O'Connor's troubled tenure as defence minister yesterday, replacing him with Peter MacKay, a more sure- footed communicator, as the future of Canada's role in Kandahar returns to the Commons for debate in the coming months.

O'Connor was the biggest loser as Harper shuffled his 32-member cabinet, giving new responsibilities to eight of his ministers and adding Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy.

With the announced retirement of Carol Skelton, it means cabinet will still have only seven women.

While he changed the face of his cabinet on sensitive files like Defence and Foreign Affairs, Harper signalled not much else would change about his government's overall agenda or operations.

Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Harper made clear that the priorities for his government would remain sovereignty, the economy, crime, the environment and Canada's role in the world.

"This government is not here to make sudden U-turns. Agendas are not going to appear out of the sky," Harper told reporters at his official residence at 24 Sussex Dr.

"We're here to continue our efforts to realize all the work that we've started . . . and add on a perspective that is long-term," he said.

But while improved communications was ostensibly one reason behind yesterday moves, none of the shuffled ministers were given a chance to speak -- Harper was the government's main spokesperson yesterday.

Harper paid tribute to O'Connor's 18-month tenure atop the defence department, praising the one-time general for overseeing a period of "historic" investment for the armed forces.

At the same time, he conceded that the Afghan mission, where 66 Canadian soldiers have already lost their lives, faces "challenges" and demoted O'Connor.

Instead, Harper handed the job of pitching the mission to a divided home front to MacKay, seen as able to handle the sensitive, substantive crises that arise on the fly -- unlike O'Connor -- as well as to up-and-comer Maxime Bernier of Beauce, Que.

Bernier, a political neophyte first elected in 2006, was yesterday named foreign affairs minister -- and given the task of selling the mission in Quebec, at a time when troops from that province are on the front lines in Kandahar.

MacKay, said one insider, is "a fix-it guy for a problem we're having right now" and has the experience of two visits with troops in Afghanistan.

Bernier, said another, will be "tightly scripted" and not allowed to upstage the prime minister on the international stage.

NDP Leader Jack Layton called the shuffle a "cosmetic change.

"Mr. MacKay holds exactly the same views on the war in Afghanistan. There's no change in substance here, there's no change in direction," he said.

O'Connor was shuffled to national revenue, to replace Skelton, who has said she won't run in the next federal election.

Jim Prentice, a trusted Harper lieutenant, was rewarded for his work in Indian Affairs and given the job in Industry.

Chuck Strahl replaces Prentice at Indian Affairs at a time when Canada's native community is still stinging from Harper's cancellation of the Liberal Kelowna Accord, which would have brought billions of dollars in new funding.

International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner swapped jobs with Heritage Minister Bev Oda -- a move that will boost Ottawa's profile during Quebec's 400th anniversary next year.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the highest-ranking Greater Toronto Area minister, remains in his job, defying suggestions that he would be shuffled because of missteps that had attracted political flak.

But it was clear too that the government, having made quick action on several election vows, such as cutting the GST and mailing childcare payments to parents, in anticipation of a snap election call, is now settling in for the long-haul, perhaps until 2009.

Harper himself said the changes "gives our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term."

Following Harper's remarks, senior PMO officials were at pains to emphasize the message of continuity, pointing out that only one person -- Skelton -- has been dropped from cabinet, and that none of the ministers who were shuffled had previously been moved.

Opposition leaders immediately called on Harper to lay the groundwork for a pullout of the 2,500 Canadian troops from Afghanistan.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the shuffle "will not restore Canadians' trust in his government."

"For the second time in less than two years, Mr. Harper has been forced to replace incompetent ministers," said Dion.

Dion, in a written release, said Canadians' trust "has been undermined in a number of key areas, including the economy, the environment and Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan."

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

O'Connor paid the price for a series of missteps in the sensitive portfolio, that served to stoke public questions surrounding Canada's military mission in Afghanistan. In one case, he was forced to apologize earlier this year for telling the Commons that the Red Cross would alert Ottawa about any abuse of prisoners held in Afghan custody.

Harper, who had resisted months of opposition calls demanding O'Connor's resignation, finally relented. He said it was time for the career soldier "to have some other experiences."

The prime minister was asked point-blank whether the government's communication program around Afghanistan had been a failure, especially in Quebec, where people are deeply divided about the merits of the mission.

"Quebecers generally appreciate and understand the importance of our international commitments," Harper said.

"They understand that it's a dangerous situation and the government wants to minimize the number of deaths," he said.

Although polls suggest Harper's agenda has thus far failed to make further inroads in Ontario, Environment Minister John Baird insisted the continued focus on "good government" would make a difference.

"I think good government is good politics," said Baird, and that means "you put people in the right place at the right time."

Pollster Frank Graves said effective handling of the Afghan issue is "crucial" to Harper's hopes of a majority government.

"It's the linchpin that will determine his success in the next election," said Graves, president of EKOS Research.

"I think the issue of Afghanistan and the broader issue of foreign policy and how that connects to our relationship with the United States, may well be the most important issue in determining who is successful and who is not in the next election."

And while he said the conflict -- and casualties -- have not yet caused irreparable harm to the Tories, they will soon pay a political price unless they do a better job of telling the story of Canada's development efforts in Afghanistan.

But Graves also said that Harper must now be willing to share more of the limelight with his ministers, something that didn't happen yesterday as the prime minister was the only one from his government to speak about the shuffle.

"Stephen Harper all the time as the face of government is wearing a bit thin. He has to diversify the face of his government," Graves said.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150132
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Front
PAGE: A3
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: CANADIAN PRESS / Maxime Bernier is sworn in asforeign affairs minister at Rideau Hall in Ottawa yesterday. ;
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: SEAN GORDON AND TONDA MACCHARLES
SOURCE: Toronto Star
NOTE:Ran with "HARPER'S NEW CABINET" which has been appended tothe end of this story
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 807

New man to sell Afghan mission; Rookie foreign affairs minister faces challenge of garnering support in his native Quebec


Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's new role may be to represent Canada on the world stage, but his most important mission will be to spread the word on Afghanistan in the country's most politically sensitive province.

There's little in Bernier's resume to suggest he would one day find himself running Canada's diplomatic apparatus. But the 44-year-old political newcomer, was seen as a solid performer during 18 months in the Industry portfolio, and despite his lack of foreign experience, is viewed as an able communicator who will muster support for Ottawa's Afghan involvement in his home province of Quebec.

The immaculately dressed Bernier, who worked as an insurance executive and economic consultant before running in the 2006 election, has developed a reputation as an urbane boulevardier in his 18 months on Parliament Hill, though a prominent Quebec Tory said his chief attributes are an ability to stick to the government's message and the fact he has Harper's ear.

"There are clearly political reasons for this, there are three players on the Afghanistan file, and now one of the most senior ones will be from Quebec, that's not an accident,'' said the source.

Part of the thinking, the official continued, was to put Bernier in a key role where he can credibly defend the Afghan mission without putting him in the delicate position of being a Quebec-born defence minister if and when the casualties mount from the Quebec City-based Royal 22nd Regiment.

But in the words of a government official, the appointment of Bernier also effectively means Harper "gets to be his own foreign affairs minister.''

"Bernier will be tightly scripted,'' a senior government source said. Bernier is seen as saying things on the fly and having too easy a relationship with media.

More importantly, Bernier will not be allowed to upstage Harper as Canada's voice on the international stage, and will be kept at the PM's side.

"Canadians want to see their prime minister up there,'' said the official.

Harper himself has said key among his government's ongoing priorities will be to strengthen Canada's role in the world, signalling he is not about to let go of the Foreign Affairs file.

The fact Bernier is not being put into an economic portfolio speaks to concerns in the Prime Minister's Office that his laissez-faire view of the government's role in the economy is not the right positioning.

The prime minister heard complaints from industry that Bernier was so focused on the deregulation of telecommunications that other files, such as the role of government in fostering more science and technology research and development, or developing long overdue copyright legislation, were falling by the wayside.

And a source within the Industry department said Bernier was often at loggerheads with the department bureaucracy "because he's an ideologue,'' -- a detail that would have caught the attention of Privy Council clerk Kevin Lynch, whose influence on Harper is said to be in the ascendancy.

Bernier didn't grant any interviews yesterday, contenting himself with a passing comment on the way into Rideau Hall that "it's the prime minister's day.''

After being sworn in, he said he was "very happy, very excited'' and told a media throng "we will have a chance to speak another time.''

Bernier was born in the Beauce region of eastern Quebec, studied business at the Universite de Montreal and followed that up with a law degree at the University of Ottawa.

He worked in several financial institutions, served a short stint as a policy adviser to former Parti Quebecois finance minister Bernard Landry -- who later succeeded Lucien Bouchard as premier.

In a 2006 interview with La Presse, Bernier described himself as a Quebec nationalist, but also a federalist. In terms of Quebec politics, he sits with Heritage Minister Josee Verner in the Tory wing that supports the right-of- centre, nationalist Action democratique du Quebec, which won opposition in the last Quebec election thanks in part to a hand from federal Tories like Bernier.

HARPER'S NEW CABINET

Prime Minister -- Stephen Harper.

Minister of Justice, Attorney General -- Robert Nicholson.

Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics -- David Emerson.

Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec -- Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

Minister of Veterans Affairs -- Gregory Thompson.

Leader of the Government in the Senate, Secretary of State for Seniors -- Marjory LeBreton.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development -- Monte Solberg.

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and non-Status Indians -- Chuck Strahl.

Minister of Natural Resources -- Gary Lunn.

Minister of Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency -- Peter MacKay.

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans -- Loyola Hearn.

Minister of Public Safety -- Stockwell Day.

President of Treasury Board -- Vic Toews.

President of the Queen's Privy Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Western Economic Diversification -- Rona Ambrose.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- Diane Finley.

Minister of National Revenue -- Gordon O'Connor.

Minister of International Co-operation -- Bev Oda.

Minister of Industry -- Jim Prentice.

Minister of the Environment -- John Baird.

Minister of Foreign Affairs -- Maxime Bernier.

Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities -- Lawrence Cannon.

Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario -- Tony Clement.

Minister of Finance -- Jim Flaherty.

Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Minister for Official Languages -- Josee Verner.

Minister of Public Works and Government Services -- Michael Fortier.

Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform -- Peter Van Loan.

Minister of Agriculture and Agrifood and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board -- Gerry Ritz.

Chief Government Whip and Secretary of State -- Jay Hill.

Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity -- Jason Kenney.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Secretary of State for Sport -- Helena Guergis.

Secretary of State for Agriculture -- Christian Paradis.

Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism -- Diane Ablonczy.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150131
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Front
PAGE: A4
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Pakistanis arrive at the mausoleumin Karachi for the founder of their country, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, to pay tribute to him. The country marked the 60th anniversary of its independence from British rule yesterday. ;
DATELINE: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
SOURCE: Associated Press
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 559

Pakistan marks 60 years free from Britain


Artillery guns boomed at daybreak in Pakistan's capital yesterday in a salute to mark the country's 60th anniversary of independence from British rule as the U.S.-allied president faced a political crisis and surging militant violence.

Military cadets held a changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder, in Karachi, the country's largest city. There were flag-raising ceremonies and 21-gun salutes in the four provincial capitals.

Gunfire during boisterous Independence Day celebrations left two women dead and 19 people injured, officials said.

In the capital, Islamabad, 31 artillery guns fired at the start of ceremonies to mark 60 years since some 10 million people moved across borders in one of history's largest mass migrations as the princely states, sewn together in 200 years of British rule, were split into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-majority India in 1947.

The subcontinent's partition saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the 20th century, violence that left between 200,000 and more than one million people dead.

In recent years, Pakistan and India have engaged in a series of negotiations aimed at normalizing relations and settling a bitter dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. The two nations have fought three wars since 1947 -- two over Kashmir.

The 60th anniversary is being marked on Wednesday in India.

Dildar Khan took time off from driving his three-wheeler motorcycle taxi festooned with Pakistani flags, flowers and blinking lights. He took his children to pray at Jinnah's mausoleum.

"We are going there to offer prayers and the children will enjoy,'' Khan said. "I am going to salute the founder of Pakistan.''

Khalid Jamil, who works at a book publishing company, said he had arranged a session for the recitation of the Qur'an, Islam's holy book, at his home in Karachi to ask God's blessings "for the martyrs of our freedom.''

Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who was born in the Indian capital of New Delhi, recalled painful memories of his family's move to Pakistan during partition.

"It was a train journey and my mother was very worried because . . . there were dead people who could be seen on platforms where the train would stop,'' Musharraf said in a television talk-show appearance late Monday.

ELECTIONS AHEAD

Independence celebrations fall as Pakistan heads toward presidential and legislative elections.

Musharraf, a close ally of the U.S. in its war against terrorism, is seeking another term as the military head of state, but faces the toughest challenge to his rule since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

Musharraf's bid earlier this year to remove the independent-minded Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry backfired, drawing street protests. The Supreme Court struck down Musharraf's move.

Musharraf also faces rising pressure from Washington to do more to fight al- Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and a wave of suicide bombings and other violence that have killed more than 380 people since early July.

In a statement marking the anniversary, the president urged Pakistanis to reject extremism at the coming elections.

"I urge all Pakistani citizens to get involved in the electoral process and become the instruments of enlightened moderation in their beloved country,'' Musharraf said.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told an anniversary gathering of hundreds of government officials, school children and others that Pakistan took pride in being the only Muslim country to have nuclear weapons.

"Our nuclear assets are symbols of our national honour and sovereignty,'' Aziz said.

"The nation has always displayed solidarity and unity for them. And we will never tolerate that anyone should look with a dirty eye at our nuclear assets.''

In an apparent reference to talk among U.S. officials about possible unilateral U.S. strikes against terrorists in Pakistan, Aziz said "we will never allow any foreign power to interfere in our frontiers.''

====


IDNUMBER 200708150110
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Opinion
PAGE: A8
SOURCE: THE RECORD
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 410

Harper rolls the dice


There are two reasons the federal Conservatives are no more popular today than when they were elected as Canada's minority government 19 months ago. First, having largely kept their five major campaign promises, such as reducing the goods and services tax, they are drifting rather aimlessly through political shallows towards the rocks. Even many Conservative supporters no longer know quite where they are being led, or why.

Second, when the Conservatives have encountered challenges that aren't part of their carefully concocted campaign script, challenges like the war in Afghanistan or climate change, they have struggled mightily and stumbled badly.

It was to deal with these unexpected challenges and as well to give his party a new direction that Prime Minister Stephen Harper made shrewd and significant changes to his cabinet yesterday. Under the circumstances, he had little choice but to roll the dice .

Harper knows that public ambivalence or downright opposition to the Afghan war could be the biggest wildcard in the next federal election and determine the fate of his minority government. He also knows that Gordon O'Connor has been a walking disaster as defence minister, at one time unaware of how Canadian soldiers were monitoring captured Afghan fighters, at another time publicly at odds with Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier.

Harper did the right thing to replace O'Connor with Peter MacKay who leaves his job as foreign affairs minister. Canadians should look to MacKay for a better explanation of what our troops and aid efforts are achieving in Afghanistan, as well as what our long-term role will be in that country -- if we have one.

Meanwhile, Harper had one minister to call on who had performed well above expectation in a difficult portfolio -- Jim Prentice in Indian Affairs. Given that Prentice can be credited for a series of new deals with aboriginal communities, some people will lament his departure. But as Industry Minister, it could fall to him to chart for Canada a new course of economic development that makes this country more skilled, competitive and prosperous. The move is a welcome one. This is the kind of leadership Canadians, particularly uncommitted voting Canadians, are looking for.

Even so, it's too early to know if Harper's cabinet gambit will work. At this point he has simply rearranged a few of the players on the board. The next moves will be critical.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150107
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Insight
PAGE: A9
COLUMN: THE NATION
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: JAMES TRAVERS
SOURCE: TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 637

PM's new cabinet sturdier, but still won't win majority


Deconstructing Stephen Harper's third cabinet is much like listening to the prime minister worry out loud about his government's perilous Afghanistan exposure, internal Conservative rivalries and, of course, the next election.

Each Harper move yesterday touches at least one of those concerns while together they frame a ruling party determined to be seen as still focused on its core priorities and still dreaming about a majority.

Neither rearranging a few ministers nor the prime minister's worn themes are likely to seriously challenge the conclusions of Canadians who still can't bring themselves to trust Conservatives with more power.

But Harper did succeed in using mostly the same material to build a cabinet sturdier than its predecessors and mercifully unencumbered by embarrassments.

This time there are no surprise appointments of the floor-crossing Vancouver Liberal David Emerson or the Montreal Senator Michael Fortier. This time no Rona Ambrose was humiliated to blur the prime minister's fingerprints on an environment policy judged hopelessly inadequate.

Rather than create new problems, the prime minister is grabbing his most troubling one by the throat. Gone from their posts are the 3Ds, the ministers responsible for defence, diplomacy and development who along with the prime minister let Afghanistan become the Conservatives cross.

Almost as revealing is where Harper is concentrating his strengths.

Able Jim Prentice goes to industry at a time when a jittery economy threatens jobs and Ontario's manufacturing base.

The inexperienced but now officially risen Quebec star Maxime Bernier becomes Foreign Minister, the government's senior francophone and another salesperson for an Afghanistan policy his province isn't buying.

And, finally, the prime minister has partly put aside old grudges to bring Diane Ablonczy closer to the inner circle as an underemployed junior minister.

Still, it was only the overdue removal of Gordon O'Connor from defence that set the Prime Minister's men and few women in motion.

After 19 months of miscues, misinformation and sometimes wild spending, the former general and arms lobbyist now has responsibilities reduced to better match to his ability as minister of national revenue.

O' Connor's demotion, coupled with Peter MacKay's move to defence from foreign affairs, and Josee Verner's shift from the maligned federal development agency the aid agency, is intended to alter the image of the polarizing Afghanistan mission.

Changing that negative public perception now depends heavily on MacKay.

Having mostly held the prime minister's coat at foreign affairs, MacKay must now prove he's up to the demanding, if less cerebral defence task by re- establishing clear civilian control over the military as well as the larger- than-life Rick Hillier while ending confusion over Canada's Kandahar exit strategy.

MacKay's rugger scrum charm will appeal to the troops many sharing his Atlantic Canada roots - and he's certain to coexist with the top general more peacefully.

But MacKay's loose grasp of the Afghanistan detainee controversy and an errant claim of sovereignty over the North Pole earlier this month are worrying omens.

Still, this shuffle has other layers. MacKay, Prentice and Bernier nurture leadership ambitions and Harper is mischievously giving each a testing new portfolio that will widen their experience and perhaps limit their futures.

More immediate than internal struggle is a federal election no more than two years away and clearly on the prime minister's mind. In resisting wholesale change Harper is minimizing risk while distancing his administration from Afghanistan's worst political dangers.

That doesn't mean policies already evolving away from combat and towards training will alter dramatically. It does confirm that the Prime Minister now understands that a war he needlessly made his own stands in the way of the majority he wants.

Still, not much more than that perception and a handful of cabinet portfolios changed yesterday. Harper's post-shuffle message was very much stay-the-course.

Clean government, law-and-order at home and a muscular military presence abroad are the prime minister's once and future priorities. Attractive as they are to core Conservative voters, they are the same priorities that led his party into opinion poll no man's land.

A relatively minor cabinet shuffle that leaves most key players in place won't provide the momentum the ruling party is missing.

Nor will a summer spent canvassing the bureaucracy produce a fall bonanza of bold, galvanizing ideas.

With the notable exception of the 3Ds, its business as usual today for a government that's hardly booming.

James Travers covers national issues.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150061
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge And Waterloo)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: C12
DATELINE: KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
SOURCE: Record news services
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 112

Newer tanks won't guarantee immunity from roadside bombs


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said yesterday.

Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

As Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had extolled the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection'' against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150062
PUBLICATION: Times & Transcript (Moncton)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News;News
PAGE: A1
BYLINE: Kate Wright Times & Transcript Staff
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Times & Transcript (Moncton)
WORD COUNT: 942

No job change for N.B. minister; Greg Thompson keeps Veterans' portfolio; Pundits say federal cabinet shuffle aimed at putting out fires, not rewarding strong performers


New Brunswick's lone cabinet minister did not receive an anticipated cabinet promotion yesterday when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a major overhaul of his cabinet.

Harper shuffled 10 positions in a move aimed at getting his minority Conservative government back on course after a rocky spring.

Greg Thompson, who acts as Minister of Veterans Affairs as well as New Brunswick's regional voice in Ottawa, was notably absent from the group of ministers who arrived at the Governor General's residence for yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Thompson's strong performance in his Veterans portfolio was thought to be an indicator of a move up the cabinet ladder.

But only one Atlantic Canadian minister received a plum new gig yesterday.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay became the country's new defence minister, replacing the embattled Gordon O'Connor, who moves to national revenue.

The other cabinet changes:

- Jim Prentice, who is considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian affairs for industry.

- Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, who has announced that she will not run in the next election, is out of cabinet

- Chuck Strahl moves to Indian Affairs from Agriculture.

- Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as Agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.

- Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister.

- Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at International Co-operation.

No cabinet is composed without care being taken to maintain linguistic, gender, and regional balance.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers, and five junior ministers. There are seven women and six francophones.

Newfoundland MP Loyola Hearn will remain in his post as Fisheries minister. New Brunswick's two other Tory MPs, Mike Allen and Rob Moore, remain without a seat in cabinet.

Tamara Small, a political science professor at Mount Allison University, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled a "very conservative" shuffle, moving only a small number of ministers.

Small said Harper was focused on "putting out fires" that former Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor created and was not interested in rewarding any of his strong performers.

He also didn't look to bolster any Atlantic MPs -- a move many pundits felt could be in the cards.

"Regional issues really didn't play a big role in this cabinet shuffle," she said. "We may have thought there would be more Maritimers moving into cabinet.

"(Thompson's) done a good job, he's not being demoted, but clearly he hasn't been moved to the high ranks."

Thompson chose not to comment on yesterday's shuffle.

Rumours earlier this week had O'Connor pegged for Veterans Affairs, leaving Thompson without a portfolio.

Many pundits thought Thompson may have been well-suited for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as Harper looks to rebuild his image in the East. MacKay retains that portfolio, along with Defence.

But some political scientists believe that keeping Thompson is his current file was a deliberate move to lend stability to military issues, given that both Defence and Foreign Affairs have new ministers today.

"If (Thompson) was to be moved, it would have been because someone else was getting his portfolio," said Small. "It looks like Harper has made as few moves as possible, moving five or six people in and out, It wasn't a dramatic shuffle.

"Harper was trying to deal with a few ministers and wanted to do it with as much stability as possible. Very few were rewarded with plum new jobs. He's making sure the people with the best speaking abilities are in line come election time."

Small said keeping Thompson in his current portfolio will be a good thing for the province as it will allow him to do further work for veterans without having to learn a new file.

The minister will still have a hand in drafting an Agent Orange compensation package for veterans at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, which is rumoured to be released this fall.

In Moncton yesterday, Liberal leader Stephane Dion said New Brunswick was not being fully represented at the cabinet table in the latest shuffle.

"I don't think you have a strong voice for New Brunswick in this cabinet anyway," he said.

Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe Liberal MP Brian Murphy said Thompson has not put enough work into regional files, such as the Petitcodiac River restoration project or Canadian Border Services Agency staffing issues at the Moncton Airport.

"He's been rather weak-voiced for this province," he said, noting cabinet changes continue to demonstrate the Prime Minister's complete ignorance of the issues in Atlantic Canada. "He doesn't really care for Atlantic Canada."

Rick Myers, a political science professor at St. Thomas University, said MacKay's new post may be better for the region, as defence is traditionally a file that spends major dollars in the Atlantic region.

Myers said the shuffle contained few surprises, although it is rare for a prime minister to shuffle his cabinet only 19 months into his mandate.

Harper said he organized the cabinet shuffle to broaden his ministers' base of experience and build on that experience to bring the Conservatives through the rest of their mandate. "We did what we said we were going to do and now it's time to keep moving forward," Harper said.

After 18 months in office, the government is considering ending the current session of Parliament and launching a new one in the fall with a new policy- setting throne speech and new priorities.

Government sources say they plan to move beyond the short-term, post- election priorities of their first year in office -- like reducing the GST, for instance -- to longer-term ones like modernizing the economy.

To do that, Harper has moved whom he considers his best performers to key roles while moving the accident-prone O'Connor far away from the Afghanistan file.

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired general appeared unaware of basic facts like who was monitoring the prisoners.

It was those kinds of miscues that dominated political debate and news headlines last spring as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

The Tories are now stuck at the same polling levels as the last election -- still in minority territory -- despite spending their first 18 months in seemingly constant campaign mode.

While the latest polls show them slightly ahead of the Liberals, they are exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006 -- at 36 per cent in popular support.

The Tories have run into trouble when Parliament is consumed with issues they haven't selected -- the most notable examples being Afghan detainees, climate change, and equalization battles with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

"We've learned one thing," said a Conservative insider.

"This government stinks at playing defence. They'll try to stick to what they're good at -- which is setting the agenda."

- With files from Cole Hobson, The Canadian Press

====


IDNUMBER 200708150052
PUBLICATION: Times & Transcript (Moncton)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News
PAGE: C1
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Times & Transcript (Moncton)
WORD COUNT: 415

MacKay's new job called a tough sell; PM counts on Nova Scotia MP to carry Afghan message to Canadians


In a sense, Peter MacKay's new job as defence minister will be the same one he had for 18 months as foreign affairs minister -- selling a hard- nosed Conservative view of the world to sometimes skeptical Canadians.

Now, however, his focus will be tighter. A large part of MacKay's task will be to persuade the public and a fractious parliamentary opposition that the military mission to Afghanistan is worth continuing, despite the casualties it entails.

Tory strategists hope the youthful, personable MacKay will do better at it than predecessor Gordon O'Connor, a retired brigadier general whose public demeanour was crusty at best. O'Connor was demoted to the national revenue portfolio Tuesday.

It could be a mistake, though, to believe that a warm smile and a few well- chosen words from MacKay will turn the trick.

"Neo-conservative governments always think the message is everything," says Henry Jacek, a political scientist at McMaster University who specializes in communication strategy.

"We saw that with Mike Harris in Ontario, we see that with the Republicans in the United States. ... They probably would be much better off worrying about the best policies, rather than the best communications."

That view was seconded by Norman Spector, a former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney and one-time ambassador to Israel, who took a keen interest in MacKay's baptism by fire in the foreign affairs portfolio during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon a year ago.

Then as now, says Spector, the real issue wasn't salesmanship but the decisions made at the top by MacKay's boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In the case of Afghanistan, Harper has doggedly insisted he's staying until the end of the current troop commitment in 2009. But he's also signalled he won't stay beyond then unless he has opposition backing.

"The most important factor is that you've got a minority government and a prime minister who has now said he's going to put the fate of the mission to Parliament," says Spector.

"He needs the support of at least one party for whatever we're going to do now."

That means the future of the Afghan deployment may depend on the partisan jockeying that characterizes all minority governments.

There are potential ways out of the bind for Harper. He could, for example, put more pressure on other NATO countries to assume a heavier combat load in Afghanistan, with Canadian soldiers spending more time on aid, development and training.

So far Harper has given little indication he's thinking along those lines. But wherever he eventually leads, MacKay's tenure at Foreign Affairs suggests he will follow.

In the Lebanon crisis, he faithfully echoed Harper's hardline, pro-Israeli stance, blaming the conflict on Hezbollah.

MacKay didn't waver when Israeli attacks took the lives of a half-dozen members of a Montreal family. He just buckled down to work on the evacuation of more than 20,000 Lebanese-Canadians from the war-torn country.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150065
PUBLICATION: The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News
PAGE: A7
BYLINE: MARTIN OUELLET The Canadian Press
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)
WORD COUNT: 208

German tanks won't help cut Canada's casualties, officer says


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said Tuesday.

Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates.

The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

As Canada's former defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

The roadside bombs have killed 22 of 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, the incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said Tuesday that IEDs tend to be used more by the Taliban to target other vehicles -- such as Canada's LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles -- instead of tanks.

Lafaut, who is replacing Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre as head of the team responsible for training the Afghan National Army, spoke to reporters at the Shiraz Camp near the multinational base at Kandahar Airfield.

Still, Lafaut said he believes the tanks will likely make a "difference" in the field because they project an image of strength.

====


PUBLICATION: Kingston Whig-Standard (ON)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News
PAGE: B4
SOURCE: CP
BYLINE: John Ward
PHOTO: The Canadian Press
DATELINE: Ottawa
ILLUSTRATION:As the new defence minister, Peter MacKay (left) will havethe task of persuading the public and a fractious parliamentary opposition that the military mission to Afghanistan is worth continuing, despite the casualties it entails.
WORD COUNT: 306

Long military career didn't help, expert says; MP shuffled to national revenue post


Gordon O'Connor was a target from the day he was sworn in as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first defence minister in February 2006.

O'Connor was demoted yesterday to become the new minister of national revenue, after months of attack from the opposition.

His background as a defence lobbyist; rumours of personality clashes with his senior soldier, Gen. Rick Hillier; mixed messages about Afghanistan; and his stiff, terse speaking style helped make him an easy mark for opposition snipers.

But the problems of O'Connor's tenure went beyond image, said David Bercuson, military historian and director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

The complaints about O'Connor's earlier career as a lobbyist for military complaints were "a red herring," he said.

"That was a chink the opposition went after."

The real problem was where the military file fit with Tory policy. Harper made a number of promises on the hustings, but Defence wasn't among his much-touted priorities.

"When the Conservatives got in, the message about what the military was supposed to be doing was not especially clear," Bercuson said.

There was a disconnect between what the government wanted the military to do and what it was willing to pay for, he said. The first Tory budget offered more money for the Canadian Forces, but the commitment was down the road, not up front.

"It wouldn't have mattered who was there, given this major gap between expectation and reality, between the defence budget and the requests that were made of the military."

Bercuson also suggested that Connor's 30-year military career - he retired as a brigadier general - may have hurt, rather than helped his relations with the military and the department.

"You wonder to what extent having a former general as a defence minister presented the temptation to continue to be a general in a position where you can't be a general.

"I don't know for a fact, but you wonder."

O'Connor's gaffes and his brusque efforts to explain himself didn't help matters.

He had to apologize to the Commons after he told MPs that the International Red Cross would monitor the condition of prisoners captured by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and turned over to Afghan authorities.

====


PUBLICATION: Kingston Whig-Standard (ON)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News
PAGE: B4
SOURCE: CP
BYLINE: Jim Brown
DATELINE: Ottawa
WORD COUNT: 389

Selling the Afghan mission; Tory strategists pin hopes on a younger defence minister


In a sense, Peter MacKay's new job as defence minister will be the same one he had for 18 months as foreign affairs minister - selling a hard-nosed Conservative view of the world to sometimes skeptical Canadians.

Now, however, his focus will be tighter. A large part of MacKay's task will be to persuade the public and a fractious parliamentary opposition that the military mission to Afghanistan is worth continuing, despite the casualties it entails.

Tory strategists hope the youthful, personable MacKay will do better at it than predecessor Gordon O'Connor, a retired brigadier general whose public demeanour was crusty at best. O'Connor was demoted to the national revenue portfolio yesterday.

It could be a mistake, though, to believe that a warm smile and a few well-chosen words from MacKay will turn the trick.

"Neo-conservative governments always think the message is everything," says Henry Jacek, a political scientist at McMaster University who specializes in communication strategy.

"We saw that with Mike Harris in Ontario, we see that with the Republicans in the United States. They probably would be much better off worrying about the best policies, rather than the best communications."

That view was seconded by Norman Spector, a former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney and one-time ambassador to Israel, who took a keen interest in MacKay's baptism by fire in the foreign affairs portfolio during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon a year ago.

Then as now, says Spector, the real issue wasn't salesmanship but the decisions made at the top by MacKay's boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In the case of Afghanistan, Harper has doggedly insisted he's staying until the end of the current troop commitment in 2009. But he's also signalled he won't stay beyond then unless he has opposition backing.

"The most important factor is that you've got a minority government and a prime minister who has now said he's going to put the fate of the mission to Parliament," says Spector.

"He needs the support of at least one party for whatever we're going to do now."

That means the future of the Afghan deployment may depend on the partisan jockeying that characterizes all minority governments.

There are potential ways out of the bind for Harper. He could, for example, put more pressure on other NATO countries to assume a heavier combat load in Afghanistan, with Canadian soldiers spending more time on aid, development and training.

So far Harper has given little indication he's thinking along those lines. But wherever he eventually leads, MacKay's tenure at Foreign Affairs suggests he will follow.

In the Lebanon crisis, he faithfully echoed Harper's hardline, pro-Israeli stance, blaming the conflict on Hezbollah and calling them "cold-blooded killers."

====


PUBLICATION: Kingston Whig-Standard (ON)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: National/World
PAGE: B1
SOURCE: CP
BYLINE: Alexander Panetta
PHOTO: The Canadian Press
DATELINE: Ottawa
ILLUSTRATION:O'connor; Peter MacKay (left), new Minister of NationalDefence and Gordon O'Connor, new Minister of National Revenue, chat prior to swearing-in ceremonies at Rideau Hall yesterday.
WORD COUNT: 1192

PM overhauls cabinet; Canada's embattled defence minister demoted to lesser role in revenue


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steeled his government for a potentially bruising debate on Afghanistan by shuffling a third of his cabinet and replacing his embattled defence minister.

The high-profile Peter MacKay has taken over at defence and political newcomer Maxime Bernier replaced MacKay at foreign affairs in two central moves from yesterday's 10-person shuffle.

Those changes give the government a francophone Quebecer at foreign affairs and a party stalwart at defence while soldiers from anti-war Quebec are stationed in Afghanistan through the end of the year.

That leaves Gordon O'Connor - the retired general who didn't speak French, was accident-prone in Parliament, and butted heads with military brass - in the lesser role of revenue minister.

The prime minister said his government will continue focusing on priorities it set out since the last election campaign and will not make any major "'U-turn" in policy.

One thing certainly didn't change yesterday: Harper's ministers were forbidden from speaking publicly as they often are while the prime minister fielded all questions from the media.

The early days of the Harper government were spent on headline-grabbing, easy-to-implement initiatives such as cutting the GST by a percentage point and handing $100-a-month cheques to young families.

He now suggests his government will look at longer-term policy challenges than it did over its first 18 months in office - although he elaborated very little on what specific projects he has in mind. "We did what we promised to do and now the time has come to move forward," Harper said outside his residence.

"This government is not here to make sudden U-turns. Our agenda is not going to appear out of the sky. We have clear priorities. We have every intention of moving those priorities forward, and bringing greater long-term perspective to those priorities."

He said his priorities are: defending Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic; keeping the economy strong and taxes low; tackling crime; protecting the environment; and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Critics dismissed the changes as window dressing.

"It's the third cabinet of this so-called 'New Government' - only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

He also said the new agriculture minister, Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz, should back away from ending the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly and hold a new referendum on marketing practices.

Other cabinet changes:

Jim Prentice, considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian Affairs for industry.

Carol Skelton, the revenue minister, announced earlier that she will not run in the next election and is out of cabinet.

Chuck Strahl moves to Indian Affairs from agriculture.

Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.

Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister, for tourism and small business.

Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at international co-operation.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers, and five junior ministers.

There are seven women and six francophones - although no senior cabinet roles are held by women.

Junior ministers - known as secretaries of state - are assigned to assist cabinet ministers but do not officially sit in cabinet.

The move to name a trusted adviser like Prentice to industry is an indication that economics will play a leading role in what some Conservatives are calling the second phase of their mandate.

After 18 months in office, the government is considering ending the current session of Parliament and launching a new one in the fall with a new policy-setting throne speech and new priorities.

Government sources say they plan to move beyond the post-election priorities of their first year in office to long-term ones like modernizing the economy, building national infrastructure, and strengthening Canadian unity.

To do that, Harper has moved whom he considers his best performers to key roles while moving the accident-prone O'Connor far from the Afghanistan file.

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired brigadier general appeared unaware of basic facts such as who was monitoring the prisoners.

Harper lauded his departing defence minister as a man who helped rebuild the Canadian Forces and who understood years ago the need to defend Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic.

But it was miscues like those on the detainee issue that dominated political debate and news headlines last spring as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

Moving MacKay, who's from Nova Scotia, to defence may help restore Tory support in the Atlantic region, where there are major military bases and stronger backing of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

The Conservatives have come under fire in Atlantic Canada for a new equalization formula that the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia have condemned as unfair.

The Tories are now stuck nationally at the same polling levels as the last election - still in minority territory - despite spending their first 18 months in seemingly constant campaign mode.

Over the last two years, even the federal budget became an electoral tool aimed at enticing the strategic demographic groups that Conservatives identified as key to a majority.

They reversed income-tax cuts for all workers and instead targeted suburban families with benefits such as child-care cheques and tax breaks for sports equipment.

While the latest polls show them slightly ahead of the Liberals, they are exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006 - at 36 per cent in popular support.

The Tories have run into trouble when Parliament is consumed with issues they haven't promoted. The most notable examples are Afghan detainees, climate change, and the equalization battles with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

The spring session began with Conservatives envisioning a snap election and a possible majority government - but ended with them desperate for the summer break.

An expected new throne speech in the fall could help them steer away from opposition-selected priorities back to issues they want to pursue.

"We've learned one thing," said a Conservative insider.

"This government stinks at playing defence. They'll try to stick to what they're good at - which is setting the agenda."

Senior bureaucrats were asked this summer to deliver a status report on key priorities for their department and that work is expected to form the backbone of the government's fall agenda.

Also key will be a document tabled by the Finance Department in November 2006 called Advantage Canada - a broad but vague blueprint for making the country competitive in the 21st century global economy.

It suggested lower taxes, eliminating Canada's net debt within a generation, de-regulating industry, reducing red tape, investing in education and skills development, and building better infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transit and ports.

Meet the new cabinet

The federal cabinet in order of precedence:

Prime Minister - Stephen Harper.

Minister of Justice; Attorney General of Canada - Robert Nicholson. Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics - David Emerson.

Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec - Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

Minister of Veterans Affairs - Gregory Thompson.

Leader of the Government in the Senate; Secretary of State for Seniors - Marjory LeBreton.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development - Monte Solberg. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and non-Status Indians - Chuck Strahl.

Minister of Natural Resources - Gary Lunn.

Minister of Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency - Peter MacKay.

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans - Loyola Hearn.

Minister of Public Safety - Stockwell Day.

President of Treasury Board - Vic Toews.

President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification - Rona Ambrose.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration - Diane Finley.

Minister of National Revenue - Gordon O'Connor.

Minister of International Co-operation - Bev Oda.

Minister of Industry - Jim Prentice.

Minister of the Environment - John Baird.

Minister of Foreign Affairs - Maxime Bernier.

Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities - Lawrence Cannon.

Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario - Tony Clement.

Minister of Finance - Jim Flaherty.

Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Minister for Official Languages - Josee Verner.

Minister of Public Works and Government Services - Michael Fortier. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform - Peter Van Loan.

Minister of Agriculture and Agrifood and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board - Gerry Ritz.

Chief Government Whip and Secretary of State - Jay Hill.

Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity - Jason Kenney.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Secretary of State for Sport - Helena Guergis.

Secretary of State for Agriculture - Christian Paradis.

Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism - Diane Ablonczy.

====


PUBLICATION: Kingston Whig-Standard (ON)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: Editorial page
PAGE: 4
COLUMN: Our View
WORD COUNT: 556

House-cleaning not enough


There's nothing like a good political house-cleaning, particularly if you're the Stephen Harper government. But it will take more than a cabinet shuffle - even with the right people in the right jobs - for the prime minister to regain the momentum he has lost in the last several months.

Yesterday, Harper shunted 10 people around among a group of 26 senior ministers and five juniors. Among the expected moves was the transfer of Gordon O'Connor from the defence portfolio to national revenue, and the shuttling of Peter McKay from the department of foreign affairs to the defence post. Maxime Bernier, still a relative political neophyte in federal politics, slid into foreign affairs.

There were minor tweaks too, such as a job flip between the minister of Canadian heritage and the one in charge of Canada's foreign aid. Indian Affairs lost Jim Prentice to Industry but gained Chuck Strahl.

The moves are perfectly fine; they're just not enough. They won't gain back the ground the prime minister has been losing. So what must happen for his luck to change?

First, Harper needs a few things that are beyond his control to go right here and there. Some tangible successes in Afghanistan, for instance. The autumn weather to be pleasantly seasonal, quelling our national obsession with climate change. The economy to stay strong. Some individual Canadian achievements in sports, literature or the arts, to make us all feel good about ourselves.

Second, and far more important, he needs to loosen the fetters the Prime Minister's Office has placed on all members of his government. That doesn't mean cabinet ministers galloping madly off in all directions; it simply means giving trusted, experienced people some broad direction and letting them move forward.

Here's an example of the problem: Even before yesterday's political moves, how many members of Stephen Harper's cabinet could you have named? Quick now, without googling, who was the justice minister? Who handled the health portfolio? Who was the finance minister? Who ran Treasury Board? Maybe you know those names, but lots of people probably don't, whereas under past federal governments, the folks who occupied such high-profile portfolios were generally well-known among moderately informed Canadians.

Instead, Harper has held the spotlight on himself, and most decisions have been made by his office and announced through it. His senior ministers have been little more than props.

For example, as foreign minister, Peter McKay showed little predilection for initiative. Compare that to foreign ministers of the past, such as Lester Pearson or Lloyd Axworthy, whose visions were not dependent on whether the prime minister nodded in their direction. There's no reason to think McKay will do anything to suddenly distinguish himself in the defence portfolio. (Granted, that will be an improvement over the unfortunate Gordon O'Connor, who was unable to avoid political landmines despite his vast military knowledge).

The prime minister can't micromanage the governing of Canada and expect to govern well. Details will get missed, signals of trouble ahead will go unread. That is the main reason Harper and his crew have not achieved clearer sailing so far, even with a weak opposition.

Let us get to know your cabinet ministers and colleagues, Mr. Prime Minister. We might find that we like them. We might discover they are smart people, too.

====


PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: World
PAGE: A6
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
WORD COUNT: 237

Canadian rifles must be adapted for physique of Afghan soldiers


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The relatively small stature of Afghan soldiers is one of the reasons for the delay in getting Canadian weapons into their hands, a Canadian military officer said Tuesday.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers, so you want a shorter butt stock on it," said Lt.-.Col. Wayne Eyre, the outgoing commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, which is responsible for training the Afghan National Army.

The modified C7 assault rifles will then be easier for Afghans to handle, said Eyre, who is being replaced by Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with ammunition and C7 rifles.

Lafaut said the transfer of weapons is a lengthy process because it involves different technology and is subject to several international agreements.

The delivery delay has slowed the preparation of Afghan recruits and stalled their planned takeover of combat operations against the Taliban.

The C7 is the standard issue rifle for Canadian troops. It is similar to the American M-16, one of the weapons commonly used by modern western armies.

Afghan soldiers have been waiting impatiently for the C7 rifles because their current weapons are often defective AK-47 rifles from the old Soviet era.

The C7 is more accurate and has a greater range than the AK-47, and will allow the Afghan army to be more efficient on the ground, a leading Afghan officer said recently.

Meanwhile, Afghan National Army Col. Abdul Basir said Tuesday he hopes to get a first batch of weapons by the end of the month so recruits can become familiar with them as soon as possible.

====


PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: World
PAGE: A6
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
WORD COUNT: 276

German tanks unlikely to slash IED threat


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said Tuesday.

Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

As Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, the incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said Tuesday that IEDs tend to be used more by the Taliban to target other vehicles - such as Canada's LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles - instead of tanks.

Statistics compiled by the Canadian American Strategic Review show that the last attack against a Leopard tank in Afghanistan took place on July 10 and injured two soldiers about 25 kilometres east of Kandahar.

IED attacks against ligher armoured vehicles, on the other hand, have happened far more often over recent months and resulted in higher, more serious casualties.

Still, Lafaut said he believes the tanks will likely make a "difference" in the field because they project an image of strength. "It's another weapon in our arsenal," Lafaut said. "It could give our soldiers more confidence and be a bit of a shock for enemy troops."

====


PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: Canada
PAGE: A3
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: John Ward
ILLUSTRATION:Prime Minister Stephen Harper walks past Peter MacKay, newminister of defence, Gordon O'Connor, new minister of national revenue and Bev Oda, new minister of international co-operation, as he arrives for swearing-in ceremonies at Rideau Hall on Tuesday in Ottawa. (Fred Chartrand / CP)
WORD COUNT: 476

Harper demotes a problem; O'Connor target of controversy throughout stint as defence minister


OTTAWA- Gordon O'Connor was a target from the day he was sworn in as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first defence minister in February 2006.

O'Connor was demoted Tuesday to become the new minister of national revenue, after months of attack from the opposition.

His background as a defence lobbyist; rumours of personality clashes with his senior soldier, Gen. Rick Hillier; mixed messages about Afghanistan; and his stiff, terse speaking style helped make him an easy mark for opposition snipers.

But the problems of O'Connor's tenure went beyond image, said David Bercuson, military historian and director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

The complaints about O'Connor's earlier career as a lobbyist for military complaints were "a red herring," he said.

"That was a chink the opposition went after."

The real problem was where the military file fit with Tory policy. Harper made a number of promises on the hustings, but Defence wasn't among his much-touted priorities.

"When the Conservatives got in, the message about what the military was supposed to be doing was not especially clear," Bercuson said.

There was a disconnect between what the government wanted the military to do and what it was willing to pay for, he said. The first Tory budget offered more money for the Canadian Forces, but the commitment was down the road, not up front.

"It wouldn't have mattered who was there, given this major gap between expectation and reality, between the defence budget and the requests that were made of the military."

Bercuson also suggested that O'Connor's 30-year military career - he retired as a brigadier general - may have hurt, rather than helped his relations with the military and the department.

"You wonder to what extent having a former general as a defence minister presented the temptation to continue to be a general in a position where you can't be a general.

"I don't know for a fact, but you wonder."

O'Connor's gaffes and his brusque efforts to explain himself didn't help matters.

He had to apologize to the Commons after he told MPs that the International Red Cross would monitor the condition of prisoners captured by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and turned over to Afghan authorities. The Red Cross only reports to the government holding the prisoners, not outside parties.

The minister also gave confusing accounts - which at times seemed to contradict both Harper and Hillier - of a deal struck with an Afghan human-rights group to monitor the detainees.

There was also a flip-flop over whether to allow televised coverage of the arrival of coffins home from Afghanistan.

O'Connor, 68, didn't help himself with his curt explanations.

He was no orator and as casualty figures from Afghanistan swelled and opposition to the war grew, he did little to explain the mission to Canadians, leaving much of that effort to Hillier.

"I just don't think Gordon O'Connor is a very articulate guy," said Bercuson. "That's just the way he is.

"When you've got to deliver a message about something as serious as a war, you've got to have somebody up there who knows how to speak and can sway a crowd."

O'Connor's departure may also have been hastened by the fact he was a unilingual defence minister at a time where the bulk of the frontline soldiers in Afghanistan are from Quebec.

Despite his sometimes troubled tenure, the Conference of Defence Associations praised him for "loyal and dedicated service."

"Minister O'Connor took great interest in promoting the well-being of Canada's armed forces," the group said in a statement."

====


PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: Front
PAGE: A1
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: Alexander Panetta
ILLUSTRATION:Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepares to comment in Ottawaon the cabinet shuffle announced Tuesday. (FrEd Chartand / CP)
WORD COUNT: 1031

PM says he has the team he wants


OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steeled his government for a potentially bruising debate on Afghanistan by shuffling a third of his cabinet and replacing his embattled defence minister.

The high-profile Peter MacKay has taken over at defence and political newcomer Maxime Bernier replaced MacKay at foreign affairs in two central moves from Tuesday's 10-person shuffle.

Those changes give the government a francophone Quebecer at foreign affairs and a party stalwart at defence while soldiers from antiwar Quebec are stationed in Afghanistan through the end of the year.

That leaves Gordon O'Connor - the retired general who didn't speak French, was accident-prone in Parliament and butted heads with military brass - in the lesser role of revenue minister.

The prime minister said his government will continue focusing on priorities it set out since the last election campaign and will not make any major "U-turn" in policy.

One thing didn't change Tuesday: Harper's ministers were forbidden from speaking publicly, as they often are, while the prime minister fielded all questions from the media.

The early days of the Harper government were spent on headline-grabbing, easy-to-implement initiatives such as cutting the GST by a percentage point and handing $100-a-month cheques to young families.

He now suggests his government will look at longer-term policy challenges than it did over its first 18 months in office, although he elaborated very little on what specific projects he has in mind. "We did what we promised to do and now the time has come to move forward," Harper said outside his residence.

"This government is not here to make sudden U-turns. Our agenda is not going to appear out of the sky. We have clear priorities. . . . We have every intention of moving those priorities forward and bringing greater long-term perspective to those priorities."

He said his priorities are: defending Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic, keeping the economy strong and taxes low, tackling crime, protecting the environment and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Critics dismissed the changes as window dressing.

"It's the third cabinet of this so-called 'New Government' - only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

He also said the new agriculture minister, Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz, should back away from ending the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly and hold a new referendum on marketing practices.

Other cabinet changes:- Jim Prentice, considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian affairs for industry.- Carol Skelton, the revenue minister, announced earlier that she will not run in the next election and is out of cabinet.- Chuck Strahl moves to Indian affairs from agriculture.- Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.- Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister, for tourism and small business.- Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at international co-operation.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers and five junior ministers.

There are seven women and six francophones, although no senior cabinet roles are held by women.

Junior ministers, known as secretaries of state, are assigned to assist cabinet ministers but do not officially sit in cabinet.

The move to name a trusted adviser like Prentice to industry is an indication that economics will play a leading role in what some Conservatives are calling the second phase of their mandate.

After 18 months in office, the government is considering ending the current session of Parliament and launching a new one in the fall with a new policy-setting throne speech and new priorities.

Government sources say they plan to move beyond the post-election priorities of their first year in office to long-term ones like modernizing the economy, building national infrastructure and strengthening Canadian unity.

To do that, Harper has moved the people he considers his best performers to key roles while moving the accident-prone O'Connor far from the Afghanistan file.

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired brigadier-general appeared unaware of basic facts such as who was monitoring the prisoners.

Harper lauded his departing defence minister as a man who helped rebuild the Canadian Forces and who understood years ago the need to defend Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic.

But it was miscues like those on the detainee issue that dominated political debate and news headlines last spring as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

The Tories are now stuck nationally at the same polling levels as the last election - still in minority territory - despite spending their first 18 months in seemingly constant campaign mode.

Over the last two years, even the federal budget became an electoral tool aimed at enticing the strategic demographic groups that Conservatives identified as key to a majority.

They reversed income tax cuts for all workers and instead targeted suburban families with benefits such as child-care cheques and tax breaks for sports equipment.

While the latest polls show them slightly ahead of the Liberals, they are exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006 - at 36 per cent in popular support.

The Tories have run into trouble when Parliament is consumed with issues they haven't promoted. The most notable examples are Afghan detainees, climate change and the equalization battles with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

The spring session began with Conservatives envisioning a snap election and a possible majority government - but ended with them desperate for the summer break.

An expected new throne speech in the fall could help them steer away from opposition-selected priorities back to issues they want to pursue.

"We've learned one thing," said a Conservative insider.

"This government stinks at playing defence. They'll try to stick to what they're good at - which is setting the agenda."

Senior bureaucrats were asked this summer to deliver a status report on key priorities for their department and that work is expected to form the backbone of the government's fall agenda.

Also key will be a document tabled by the Finance Department in November 2006 called Advantage Canada, a broad but vague blueprint for making the country competitive in the 21st-century global economy.

It suggested lower taxes, eliminating Canada's net debt within a generation, deregulating industry, reducing red tape, investing in education and skills development, and building better infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transit and ports.

Prentice will likely spearhead some of those initiatives along with a pair of colleagues who will remain in their existing roles: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon.

""It's the third cabinet of this so-called "New Government" - only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets." ""

====


PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: Front
PAGE: A1
BYLINE: Stephen Maher Ottawa Bureau
ILLUSTRATION:Peter MacKay arrives Tuesday at Rideau Hall for the cabinetshuffle that moved him into the high-pressure defence portfolio from foreign affairs. (Fred Chartrand / CP); Peter MacKay arrives Tuesday at Rideau Hall for the cabinet shuffle that moved him into the high-pressure defence portfolio from foreign affairs. (Fred Chartrand / CP)
WORD COUNT: 905

MacKay moves to defence; N.S. minister now point man on Afghanistan as flak-prone O'Connor shunted aside


OTTAWA - Peter MacKay went from the frying pan to the fire Tuesday, becoming defence minister after 18 months as foreign affairs minister.

The job is likely to be the most challenging role in federal cabinet in the months ahead as Canada continues its difficult mission in Afghanistan, which has already taken the lives of 66 Canadian soldiers - many of them Atlantic Canadians - and a diplomat.

Mr. MacKay's move was seen as a vote of confidence on the part of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has made the Afghan mission one of his government's most important priorities.

"This is the most sensitive portfolio in the government at the moment," political scientist Jim Bickerton of St. Francis Xavier University said after the shuffle. "It will be tough sledding over the next year."

In foreign affairs, Mr. MacKay has been a strong advocate for the Afghan mission, speaking from personal experience after his trips there to witness the work Canadian troops are doing.

Mr. MacKay is considered a strong communicator, with an easy telegenic presence, much more so than Gordon O'Connor, the gruff former military man and defence lobbyist who was demoted from defence to national revenue.

Mr. MacKay's family background - his mother Macha is a longtime peace activist - means he is more familiar with human rights issues than Mr. O'Connor, and he appeared more comfortable and effective than other cabinet ministers fielding questions about the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan.

A smiling Mr. MacKay, sporting a new, military-style haircut, sat next to a glum-looking Mr. O'Connor in Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday as they waited to be sworn in. Mr. MacKay did not speak to reporters after his swearing-in.

Some East Coast Tories were disappointed that Mr. MacKay did not end up as industry minister, as had been rumoured, because it would have allowed him to spend money in the region and given him more time to focus on his second role, as minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and his third, as regional political minister.

South Shore-St. Margarets MP Gerald Keddy said he would have been happy to see Mr. MacKay in industry but the prime minister needed him in defence.

"I think you have to put your strength where it's needed, and we have a very important role in defence," he said. "We're in a very active role in Afghanistan and I think the prime minister has showed real confidence in MacKay."

The Tories have been struggling in Atlantic Canada since the last federal budget, which critics say violates the Atlantic accord that protects Nova Scotia's offshore petroleum revenue from clawbacks.

One of the most vocal critics of the budget, former Tory and now Independent MP Bill Casey, said the shuffle was good news for the region, since it took industry and defence out of the hands of Ontario and Quebec ministers.

"By dividing up industry with Jim Prentice in Alberta and defence with Peter MacKay, I think is a good move for Atlantic Canada," he said.

"It will give us a much better chance for the billions of dollars in military contracts coming up, both in the sea and the air."

In defence, Mr. MacKay will be in charge of billions of dollars in spending. And although every government says procurement processes are immune from political influence, high-level Tories speculate Mr. MacKay might be in a position to steer work and money to businesses in Nova Scotia, in particular the Irving shipyard in Halifax, which is seeking part of $3.1 billion in frigate refit work.

Critics in other parties were quick to attack the shuffle, pointing out Mr. MacKay will continue to be a part-time ACOA minister, and pointing to gaffes he committed in foreign affairs.

"Hopefully, he'll be more effective in defence than foreign affairs, because he certainly contradicted himself and other ministers in foreign affairs," said Dartmouth MP Mike Savage, who was Mr. MacKay's Liberal ACOA critic.

Mr. Savage said Mr. MacKay would have to watch his temper and avoid "poorly judged statements."

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who hopes to defeat Mr. MacKay in Central Nova, said the move suggested Mr. Harper wishes Mr. MacKay ill.

"Coming on the heels of a year spent taking the heat for the government's shoddy treatment of Atlantic Canada, the move to the hot seat of defence must seem like cruel punishment indeed," she said in a statement.

Hard-hitting Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre, who was a scourge to Mr. O'Connor, was quick to attack Mr. MacKay, calling his move to defence a demotion from foreign affairs.

"MacKay and myself have had our share of confrontation in the past," Mr. Coderre said. "If he wasn't fit for foreign affairs, we'll see if he is fit for national defence."

Mr. Coderre said the move from foreign affairs shows Mr. MacKay's seat is in danger, and also that Mr. Harper no longer sees him as a rival.

"It means that Mr. Harper doesn't think that MacKay's a political player anymore," he said.

The move should be good for Mr. MacKay's career, said Mr. Bickerton. "I think it's an opportunity," he said. "In foreign affairs, you're always playing second fiddle to the prime minister. And I think defence, especially at this point in time, will give Mr. MacKay a higher profile and a stronger image. And he needs to repair that somewhat, given the heat he took in the whole offshore fiasco."

Mr. MacKay's move is likely good for the province, said MP Peter Stoffer, veterans affairs critic for the NDP.

"It's easy to be negative because of the Atlantic accord and what happened with Bill Casey, but I'm glad we still have a senior voice in the cabinet, so that the ear of Nova Scotia, at least on the surface, will be listened to."

Mr. Stoffer said he will seek a meeting with Mr. MacKay to discuss improvements to benefits available to Canadian Forces members.( 'Coming on the heels of a year spent taking the heat for the government's shoddy treatment of Atlantic Canada, the move to the hot seat of defence must seem like cruel punishment indeed.'

====


PUBLICATION: The Guardian (Charlottetown)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: World
PAGE: B8
SOURCE: CP
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
DATELINE: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan
WORD COUNT: 270

German tanks for Canadians won't cut casualties much in Afghanistan: officer


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said Tuesday. Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

As Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, the incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said Tuesday that IEDs tend to be used more by the Taliban to target other vehicles - such as Canada's LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles - instead of tanks.

Lafaut, who is replacing Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre as head of the team that is responsible for training the Afghan National Army, spoke to reporters at the Shiraz Camp near the multinational base at Kandahar Airfield.

Statistics compiled by the Canadian American Strategic Review show that the last attack against a Leopard tank in Afghanistan took place on July 10 and injured two soldiers about 25 kilometres east of Kandahar.

IED attacks against ligher armoured vehicles, on the other hand, have happened far more often over recent months and resulted in higher, more serious casualties.

====


PUBLICATION: The Guardian (Charlottetown)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: World
PAGE: B8
COLUMN: Around the globe
SOURCE: AP
DATELINE: CRAWFORD, Texas
ILLUSTRATION:Clinton
WORD COUNT: 185

Attack ad attacked


The White House on Tuesday assailed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton for criticizing President George W. Bush in her latest television ad, calling her statements "outrageous."

The 60-second spot, which began running Tuesday in Iowa, intercuts scenes of the candidate interacting with voters and talking about challenges facing working people.

"If you're a family that is struggling and you don't have health care, you are invisible to this president," the New York senator says in the ad. "If you're a single mom trying to find affordable child care so you can go to work, you're invisible too."

The ad also argued that U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are "invisible" to Bush.

White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino initially declined to comment, but then lambasted the spot and the senator.

"As to the merits of it, I think it's outrageous. This is a president who, first and foremost, has helped millions of seniors across the country have access to prescription drugs at a much lower cost," Perino said. "As to whether or not our troops are invisible to this president, I think that is absurd and that it is unconscionable that a member of Congress would say such a thing."

====


PUBLICATION: The Guardian (Charlottetown)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: Canada
PAGE: A8
SOURCE: CP
DATELINE: OTTAWA
ILLUSTRATION:Peter MacKay, left, new minister of National Defence andminister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Gordon O'Connor, new minister of National Revenue, chat prior to swearing-in ceremonies at Rideau Hall Tuesday in Ottawa. Canadian Press photo
WORD COUNT: 273

Tories hoping MacKay can carry war message; New defence minister must convince Canadians on Afghanistan


In a sense, Peter MacKay's new job as defence minister will be the same one he had for 18 months as foreign affairs minister - selling a hard-nosed Conservative view of the world to sometimes skeptical Canadians.

Now, however, his focus will be tighter. A large part of MacKay's task will be to persuade the public and a fractious parliamentary opposition that the military mission to Afghanistan is worth continuing, despite the casualties it entails.

Tory strategists hope the youthful, personable MacKay will do better at it than predecessor Gordon O'Connor, a retired brigadier general whose public demeanour was crusty at best. O'Connor was demoted to the national revenue portfolio Tuesday.

It could be a mistake, though, to believe that a warm smile and a few well-chosen words from MacKay will turn the trick.

"Neo-conservative governments always think the message is everything," says Henry Jacek, a political scientist at McMaster University who specializes in communication strategy.

"We saw that with Mike Harris in Ontario, we see that with the Republicans in the United States . . . They probably would be much better off worrying about the best policies, rather than the best communications."

That view was seconded by Norman Spector, a former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney and one-time ambassador to Israel, who took a keen interest in MacKay's baptism by fire in the foreign affairs portfolio during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon a year ago.

Then as now, says Spector, the real issue wasn't salesmanship but the decisions made at the top by MacKay's boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In the case of Afghanistan, Harper has doggedly insisted he's staying until the end of the current troop commitment in 2009. But he's also signalled he won't stay beyond then unless he has opposition backing.

====


PUBLICATION: The Guardian (Charlottetown)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: The Province/Canada
PAGE: A5
SOURCE: CP
DATELINE: OTTAWA
ILLUSTRATION:Maxime Bernier is sworn in as Foreign Affairs ministerTuesday as Prime Minister Stephen Harper looks on. Bernier was moved from Industry in a cabinet shuffle. Canadian Press photo
WORD COUNT: 397

PM shuffles 10 ministers in major cabinet overhaul; Gordon O'Connor demoted from Defence;; Peter MacKay moves to Defence from Foreign Affairs;; Maxime Bernier replaces MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a major overhaul of his cabinet Tuesday, shuffling 10 positions in a move aimed at getting his minority Conservative government back on course after a rocky spring.

Gordon O'Connor is perhaps the biggest casualty, being demoted from Defence to Revenue after months of criticism for his handling of the Afghanistan mission, especially the issue of detainees.

O'Connor is being replaced by high-profile minister Peter MacKay, who leaves Foreign Affairs.

Maxime Bernier, who entered federal politics less than two years ago, moves from Industry to replace MacKay at Foreign Affairs.

Harper said the new cabinet - his third in 18 months - "presents Canadians with a clear choice; a choice between strong leadership that is moving Canada forward or a weak opposition that would set families and taxpayers back."

He said his priorities will continue to be: defending Canada's sovereignty; keeping the economy strong and taxes low; tackling crime; protecting the environment; and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Despite demoting O'Connor, Harper praised the retired general.

"Minister O'Connor has also been the architect of the government's Canada First defence strategy and he's been way ahead of the curve in insisting there be important investments in protecting Canadian sovereignty," Harper said.

Critics dismissed the changes as window dressing.

"It's the third cabinet of this so-called 'New Government' only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

He also said the new Agriculture minister should back away from ending the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly and hold a new referendum on marketing practices.

The other cabinet changes:

- Jim Prentice, who is considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian Affairs for Industry.

- Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, who has announced that she will not run in the next election, is out of cabinet.

- Chuck Strahl moves to Indian Affairs from Agriculture.

- Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as Agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.

- Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister.

- Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at International Co-operation.

No cabinet is composed without care being taken to maintain linguistic, gender, and regional balance.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers, and five junior ministers. There are seven women and six francophones. Junior ministers - known as secretaries of state - are assigned to assist cabinet ministers but do not officially sit in cabinet.

The move to name a trusted adviser like Prentice to industry is an indication that economics will play a leading role in what Conservatives call the second phase of their mandate.

====


PUBLICATION: The Guardian (Charlottetown)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1
BYLINE: Jim Day
ILLUSTRATION:Coady
WORD COUNT: 329

Soldier won't let bombing deter him; Coady applies to RCMP two months after being bombed


An Island soldier injured two months ago in a bomb blast in Afghanistan is once again ready to put himself in harm's way - this time as an RCMP officer.

Cpl. Tyler Coady, 21, of Charlottetown hopes to soon begin a career with the country's top police force.

His first stage towards recruitment - a written test - is set for Aug. 23.

Coady hopes his injuries from a June 1 roadside bomb, most notably permanent hearing loss in his right ear, will not prevent him from getting on the force.

He was injured when a large improvised exploding device was detonated just in front of the heavily armoured

patrol vehicle he was driving. His quick action in slowing the RG-31 Nyala after spotting a suspicious-looking mound of dirt along the road likely prevented a direct hit that could have killed him and the other soldiers aboard the vehicle.

Coady suffered tissue damage, a partially torn ligament in his neck, tinnitus (continual noise in the ear) and constant headaches.

He said his overall condition has improved significantly since returning home to Charlottetown on Canada Day. However, he still gets headaches and is receiving physiotherapy once a week.

Coady was one of several P.E.I. Regiment reservists deployed to Afghanistan in February. Before putting his name forward to take part in the dangerous mission, he was working as a martial arts instructor, volunteering at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and taking courses at UPEI.

Now he is looking to make a career out of protecting people. He has had a long-time interest in becoming an RCMP officer.

"I guess it's like another job where you can serve the people and have a sense of accomplishment," he said.

If possible, while serving with the RCMP he would also like to remain a reservist to allow him the option to answer a future call to action.

Coady will be a guest of honour Saturday in Crapaud during a day of recognition for Island RCMP and military personnel who serve Canada at home and abroad.

"It's flattering. It's nice that they actually called me up and asked me if I wanted to come to it."

Coady has already been enjoying a fair bit of praise. Strangers who read in The Guardian of his heroics in Afghanistan, along with a photo of Coady displaying his battle scars, have been approaching him in the street to offer well wishes.

"I'd just like to thank everyone, if I could, for all their support," he said.

====


PUBLICATION: The Telegram (St. John's)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: International
PAGE: A11
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
DATELINE: Kandahar, Afghanistan
WORD COUNT: 278

Afghan soldiers need guns adjusted: officer


The relatively small stature of Afghan soldiers is one of the reasons for the delay in getting Canadian weapons into their hands, a military officer said Tuesday.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers, so you want a shorter butt stock on it," said Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre, the outgoing commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, which is responsible for training the Afghan National Army.

The modified C7 assault rifles will then be easier for Afghans to handle, said Eyre, who is being replaced by Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with ammunition and C7 rifles.

Lafaut said the transfer of weapons is a lengthy process because it involves different technology and is subject to several international agreements.

The delivery delay has slowed the preparation of Afghan recruits and stalled their planned takeover of combat operations against the Taliban.

The C7 is the standard issue rifle for Canadian troops. It is similar to the American M-16, one of the weapons commonly used by modern western armies.

Afghan soldiers have been waiting impatiently for the rifles because their weapons are often defective AK-47 rifles from the old Soviet era.

The C7 is more accurate and has a greater range than the AK-47, and will allow the Afghan army to be more efficient on the ground, a leading Afghan officer said recently.

Meanwhile, Afghan National Army Col. Abdul Basir said Tuesday he hopes to get a first batch of weapons by the end of the month so recruits can become familiar with them as soon as possible.

A Defence Department spokesman in Ottawa recently confirmed that supplies for the Afghan National Army are planned, but declined to specify a date when they will be delivered.

Lt.-Col. Sherinshaw Khobandi of the Afghan army said Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor should have replenished the arsenal, in part, during his last visit to Afghanistan in March.

====


PUBLICATION: The Telegram (St. John's)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: National/World
PAGE: A7
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
DATELINE: Kandahar, Afghanistan
WORD COUNT: 352

Tanks won't cut casualty much: officer


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said Tuesday. Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

As Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, the incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said Tuesday that IEDs tend to be used more by the Taliban to target other vehicles - such as Canada's LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles - instead of tanks.

Lafaut, who is replacing Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre as head of the team that is responsible for training the Afghan National Army, spoke to reporters at the Shiraz Camp near the multinational base at Kandahar Airfield.

Statistics compiled by the Canadian American Strategic Review show that the last attack against a Leopard tank in Afghanistan took place July 10 and injured two soldiers about 25 kilometres east of Kandahar.

IED attacks against lighter armoured vehicles, on the other hand, have happened far more often over recent months and resulted in higher, more serious casualties.

Still, Lafaut said he believes the tanks will likely make a "difference" in the field because they project an image of strength. "It's another weapon in our arsenal," Lafaut said. "It could give our soldiers more confidence and be a bit of a shock for enemy troops."

The first of the leased Leopard 2 tanks is expected in Afghanistan any day now. The Department of National Defence believes the entire convoy will be operational soon.

Over the longer term, Canada will purchase almost 100 Leopard 2 tanks from The Netherlands to replace all the Leopard 1 models.

====


PUBLICATION: The Telegram (St. John's)
DATE: 2007.08.15
SECTION: National/World
PAGE: A7
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
BYLINE: Alexander Panetta
DATELINE: Ottawa
ILLUSTRATION:Prime Minister Stephen Harper walks past (left to right)Peter MacKay, new minister of defence, Gordon O'Connor, new minister of national revenue and Bev Oda, new minister of international co-operation at the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall Tuesday. - Photo by The Canadian Press
WORD COUNT: 848

Harper makes defensive move in shuffle; MacKay takes over from O'Connor


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steeled his government for a potentially bruising debate on Afghanistan by shuffling a third of his cabinet and replacing his embattled defence minister.

The high-profile Peter MacKay has taken over at Defence and political newcomer Maxime Bernier replaced MacKay at Foreign Affairs in two central moves from Tuesday's 10-person shuffle.

Those changes give the government a francophone Quebecer at Foreign Affairs and a party stalwart at Defence while soldiers from anti-war Quebec are stationed in Afghanistan through the end of the year.

That leaves Gordon O'Connor - the retired general who didn't speak French, was accident-prone in Parliament, and butted heads with military brass - in the lesser role of revenue minister.

The prime minister said his government will continue focusing on priorities it set out since the last election campaign and will not make any major "'U-turn" in policy.

One thing certainly didn't change Tuesday: Harper's ministers were forbidden from speaking publicly as they often are while the prime minister fielded all questions from the media.

The early days of the Harper government were spent on headline-grabbing, easy-to-implement initiatives such as cutting the GST by a percentage point and handing $100-a-month cheques to young families.

He now suggests his government will look at longer-term policy challenges than it did over its first 18 months in office - although he elaborated very little on what specific projects he has in mind. "We did what we promised to do and now the time has come to move forward," Harper said outside his residence.

"This government is not here to make sudden U-turns. Our agenda is not going to appear out of the sky. We have clear priorities. ... We have every intention of moving those priorities forward, and bringing greater long-term perspective to those priorities."

He said his priorities are: defending Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic; keeping the economy strong and taxes low; tackling crime; protecting the environment; and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Critics dismissed the changes as window dressing.

"It's the third cabinet of this so-called 'New Government' - only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

He also said the new Agriculture minister, Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz, should back away from ending the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly and hold a new referendum on marketing practices.

Other cabinet changes:

Jim Prentice, considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian Affairs for Industry.

Carol Skelton, the Revenue minister, announced earlier that she will not run in the next election and is out of cabinet.

Chuck Strahl moves to Indian Affairs from Agriculture.

Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as Agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.

Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister, for tourism and small business.

Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at International Co-operation.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers, and five junior ministers.

There are seven women and six francophones - although no senior cabinet roles are held by women.

Junior ministers - known as secretaries of state - are assigned to assist cabinet ministers but do not officially sit in cabinet.

The move to name a trusted adviser like Prentice to Industry is an indication that economics will play a leading role in what some Conservatives are calling the second phase of their mandate.

After 18 months in office, the government is considering ending the current session of Parliament and launching a new one in the fall with a new policy-setting throne speech and new priorities.

Government sources say they plan to move beyond the post-election priorities of their first year in office to long-term ones like modernizing the economy, building national infrastructure, and strengthening Canadian unity.

To do that, Harper has moved whom he considers his best performers to key roles while moving the accident-prone O'Connor far from the Afghanistan file.

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired brigadier general appeared unaware of basic facts such as who was monitoring the prisoners.

Harper lauded his departing defence minister as a man who helped rebuild the Canadian Forces and who understood years ago the need to defend Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic.

But it was miscues like those on the detainee issue that dominated political debate and news headlines last spring as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

Moving MacKay, who's from Nova Scotia, to Defence may help restore Tory support in the Atlantic region, where there are major military bases and stronger backing of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

The Conservatives have come under fire in Atlantic Canada for a new equalization formula that the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia have condemned as unfair.

The Tories are now stuck nationally at the same polling levels as the last election - still in minority territory - despite spending their first 18 months in seemingly constant campaign mode.

During the last two years, even the federal budget became an electoral tool aimed at enticing the strategic demographic groups that Conservatives identified as key to a majority.

They reversed income-tax cuts for all workers and instead targeted suburban families with benefits such as child-care cheques and tax breaks for sports equipment.

While the latest polls show them slightly ahead of the Liberals, they are exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006 - at 36 per cent in popular support.

The Tories have run into trouble when Parliament is consumed with issues they haven't promoted.

The most notable examples are Afghan detainees, climate change, and the equalization battles with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

"We've learned one thing," said a Conservative insider.

"This government stinks at playing defence. They'll try to stick to what they're good at - which is setting the agenda."

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 337

White House calls Hillary Clinton's anti-Bush comments in ad 'outrageous'


CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) _ The White House on Tuesday assailed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton for criticizing President George W. Bush in her latest television ad, calling her statements ``outrageous.''

The 60-second spot, which began running Tuesday in Iowa, intercuts scenes of the candidate interacting with voters and talking about challenges facing many working people.

``If you're a family that is struggling and you don't have health care, you are invisible to this president,'' the New York senator says in the ad. ``If you're a single mom trying to find affordable child care so you can go to work, you're invisible too.''

The ad also argued that U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are ``invisible'' to Bush.

White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino initially declined to comment, but then lambasted the spot and the senator.

``As to the merits of it, I think it's outrageous. This is a president who, first and foremost, has helped millions of seniors across the country have access to prescription drugs at a much lower cost,'' Perino said.

``As to whether or not our troops are invisible to this president, I think that is absurd and that it is unconscionable that a member of Congress would say such a thing.''

Happy to be in a debate with the White House, the Clinton campaign quickly linked the official transcript of Perino's comments on its campaign website, www.hillaryhub.com, with the headline, ``White House Attacks Hillary's New Ad.''

Campaigning in Dubuque, Iowa, Clinton referred to the White House criticism.

``Apparently I've struck a nerve. The White House just attacked me a few minutes ago,'' Clinton said. ``Not only have I said it and am saying it, I will keep saying it because I happen to believe it.''

Calling herself an optimistic and modern progressive who would help the nation overcome economic disparities, Clinton said the U.S. can ``grow'' its economy amid global competition ``and do it in a way that benefits all Americans.''

Clinton said the Bush administration ``is working for Americans with incomes at the very top.''

``Americans work harder than anyone else in the world, yet we're not getting rewarded,'' she said. ``We're seeing a growing gap between the haves and have-nots that threatens the backbone of our country, the middle class that built our country.''

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: DEFENCE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 1020

Embattled O'Connor loses defence post in cabinet shuffle to MacKay


OTTAWA (CP) _ Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steeled his government for a potentially bruising debate on Afghanistan by shuffling a third of his cabinet and replacing his embattled defence minister.

The high-profile Peter MacKay has taken over at defence and political newcomer Maxime Bernier replaced MacKay at foreign affairs in two central moves from Tuesday's 10-person shuffle.

Those changes give the government a francophone Quebecer at foreign affairs and a party stalwart at defence while soldiers from anti-war Quebec are stationed in Afghanistan through the end of the year.

That leaves Gordon O'Connor _ the retired general who didn't speak French, was accident-prone in Parliament, and butted heads with military brass _ in the lesser role of revenue minister.

The prime minister said his government will continue focusing on priorities it set out since the last election campaign and will not make any major ``'U-turn'' in policy.

One thing certainly didn't change Tuesday: Harper's ministers were forbidden from speaking publicly as they often are while the prime minister fielded all questions from the media.

The early days of the Harper government were spent on headline-grabbing, easy-to-implement initiatives such as cutting the GST by a percentage point and handing $100-a-month cheques to young families.

He suggested his government will look at longer-term policy challenges than it has over its first 18 months in office _ although he elaborated little on what long-term projects he has in mind.

``We did what we promised to do and now the time has come to move forward,'' Harper said outside his residence.

``This government is not here to make sudden U-turns. Our agenda is not going to appear out of the sky. We have clear priorities. ... We have every intention of moving those priorities forward, and bringing greater long-term perspective to those priorities.''

He said his priorities are: defending Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic; keeping the economy strong and taxes low; tackling crime; protecting the environment; and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Critics dismissed the changes as window dressing.

``It's the third cabinet of this so-called `New Government' _ only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets,'' said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

He also said the new agriculture minister, Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz, should back away from ending the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly and hold a new referendum on marketing practices.

Other cabinet changes:

_ Jim Prentice, considered among Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, leaves Indian Affairs for industry.

_ Carol Skelton, the revenue minister, announced earlier that she will not run in the next election and is out of cabinet.

_ Chuck Strahl moves to Indian Affairs from agriculture.

_ Gerry Ritz is promoted from a junior minister to a full cabinet member as agriculture minister. He also becomes the Saskatchewan representative in cabinet with the loss of Skelton.

_ Diane Ablonczy enters cabinet as a junior minister, for tourism and small business.

_ Bev Oda, who was heavily criticized for her performance at Canadian Heritage, switches posts with Josee Verner at international co-operation.

The new cabinet, like the old one, includes Harper, 26 full ministers, and five junior ministers.

There are seven women and six francophones _ although no senior cabinet roles are held by women.

Junior ministers _ known as secretaries of state _ are assigned to assist cabinet ministers but do not officially sit in cabinet.

The move to name a trusted adviser like Prentice to industry is an indication that economics will play a leading role in what some Conservatives are calling the second phase of their mandate.

After 18 months in office, the government is considering ending the current session of Parliament and launching a new one in the fall with a new policy-setting throne speech and new priorities.

Government sources say they plan to move beyond the post-election priorities of their first year in office to long-term ones like modernizing the economy, building national infrastructure, and strengthening Canadian unity.

To do that, Harper has moved whom he considers his best performers to key roles while moving the accident-prone O'Connor far from the Afghanistan file.

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired brigadier general appeared unaware of basic facts such as who was monitoring the prisoners.

Harper lauded his departing defence minister as a man who helped rebuild the Canadian Forces and who understood years ago the need to defend Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic.

But it was miscues like those on the detainee issue that dominated political debate and news headlines last spring as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

Moving MacKay, who's from Nova Scotia, to defence may help restore Tory support in the Atlantic region, where there are major military bases and stronger backing of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

The Conservatives have come under fire in Atlantic Canada for a new equalization formula that the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia have condemned as unfair.

The Tories are now stuck nationally at the same polling levels as the last election _ still in minority territory _ despite spending their first 18 months in seemingly constant campaign mode.

Over the last two years, even the federal budget became an electoral tool aimed at enticing the strategic demographic groups that Conservatives identified as key to a majority.

They reversed income-tax cuts for all workers and instead targeted suburban families with benefits such as child-care cheques and tax breaks for sports equipment.

While the latest polls show them slightly ahead of the Liberals, they are exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006 _ at 36 per cent in popular support.

The Tories have run into trouble when Parliament is consumed with issues they haven't promoted. The most notable examples are Afghan detainees, climate change, and the equalization battles with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

The spring session began with Conservatives envisioning a snap election and a possible majority government _ but ended with them desperate for the summer break.

An expected new throne speech in the fall could help them steer away from opposition-selected priorities back to issues they want to pursue.

``We've learned one thing,'' said a Conservative insider.

``This government stinks at playing defence. They'll try to stick to what they're good at _ which is setting the agenda.''

Senior bureaucrats were asked this summer to deliver a status report on key priorities for their department and that work is expected to form the backbone of the government's fall agenda.

Also key will be a document tabled by the Finance Department in November 2006 called Advantage Canada _ a broad but vague blueprint for making the country competitive in the 21st century global economy.

It suggested lower taxes, eliminating Canada's net debt within a generation, de-regulating industry, reducing red tape, investing in education and skills development, and building better infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transit and ports.

Prentice will likely spearhead some of those initiatives along with a pair of colleagues who will remain in their existing roles: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon.

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 519

No new face-to-face talks planned yet after release of 2 Korean hostages


GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) _ Taliban leaders and South Korean officials were continuing negotiations by telephone over the fate of the remaining 19 hostages Tuesday, but no new face-to-face talks had been planned, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Two Korean women kidnapped by the Taliban in mid-July were freed Monday on a desert road outside Ghazni into Red Cross custody, the first significant breakthrough in the hostage drama. Two male Korean captives were executed by gunfire in late July.

The South Korean Embassy said the two women were transferred from the U.S. base at Ghazni to a safe place in ``our care,'' and that they were in good condition, awaiting a flight home ``very soon.''

Franz Rauchenstein, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross, said officials were ready to host more talks at the office of the Afghan Red Crescent in Ghazni, but that the two sides were talking by telephone for now. Two Taliban leaders and South Korean officials met at the office for direct talks Friday and Saturday.

``The parties are in talks (over the phone) by themselves,'' Rauchenstein said. ``We stand ready to play the role of neutral intermediary for the release of the next 19 hostages and we are urging the two parties to make it a short process in the interest of the hostages.''

Rauchenstein said he had no information about the next steps that will happen.

A South Korean Embassy official said its delegates in Ghazni are ``still maintaining negotiation channels'' with the Taliban leaders, but he declined to give further details of the ongoing negotiations.

He said the two women are in the care of South Koreans in Afghanistan, and authorities are now arranging flights to take them home.

``They got medical checks, and nothing serious happened,'' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of embassy policy. ``They are in good condition.''

Last week's talks apparently led to the release of the two women, who on Monday were driven to a U.S. base in Ghazni. The U.S. military refused to release any details about the women.

It was likely that the women were flown to the U.S. base at Bagram, where the South Korean military runs a hospital.

A spokesman for the hardline militants said they released the women as a show of goodwill because negotiations were going well. Qari Yousef Ahmadi also reiterated the militants' demand that Taliban prisoners be released in exchange for the remaining 19 hostages.

Ghazni Gov. Marajudin Pathan, who in the past has suggested the hostage standoff could be solved with a ransom payment, ruled out a prisoner swap.

ICRC officials waited for the Koreans on a stretch of desert road 10 kilometres south of the city of Ghazni. When a dark grey Toyota Corolla stopped, two women got out of the back seat and began crying at the sight of the waiting Red Cross SUVs.

Their release marked the first big break in a hostage drama that began July 19 when the group of 23 church volunteers were captured while travelling by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun instructed officials ``to make every effort to ensure that other captives are safely released soon.''

The South Korean Foreign Ministry identified the freed hostages as Kim Kyung-ja and Kim Ji-na. Previous media reports said they were 37 and 32 years old, respectively.

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE POLITICS
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 434

Iranian president `seriously doubts' Iran supplies weapons to Taliban


KABUL (AP) _ Iran's president said Tuesday he has ``serious doubts'' his country is supplying weapons to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, refuting allegations by some western officials that Iran is arming the militants.

Speaking during his first visit to Afghanistan, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Iran's eastern neighbour a ``brotherly nation'' whose stability is paramount for the region.

When asked if Iran is supplying weapons to the Taliban by a reporter from Voice of America, a U.S.-funded outlet, Ahmadinejad laughed and said the United States doesn't want Afghanistan and Iran to be friends.

``The same allegations are made in Iraq. They are saying that they discover some weapons,'' Ahmadinejad said at a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

``What is the reason why they are saying such things? Iran is a big country.''

``I have serious doubts about this issue.''

In response to Ahmadinejad's meeting with Karzai, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said it is important for Afghanistan and Iraq to have good relations with their neighbours.

The trip comes a week after President George W. Bush said during a news conference with Karzai last week in the United States that he thought Iran was playing a destabilizing role in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have stepped up attacks the last two years.

Perino said Bush stands behind the statements made by I.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates alleging Iranians are providing weapons to the Taliban.

``If the president of Iran believes that is not the case, well then, I don't know how to reconcile those two things,'' she said.

``We put our trust in our intelligence and what we're hearing from our security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.''

The U.S. military has also charged Iran is supplying weapons to Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq who are fighting against U.S. troops.

Some western and Persian Gulf governments have also alleged the government in Iran is secretly bolstering Taliban fighters. Among U.S. officials a prevalent view is Iran, while not an ally of the Taliban, is seizing any opportunity in both Iraq and Afghanistan to complicate U.S. stabilization efforts.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair wrote in a May edition of the Economist magazine it is ``clear'' the Taliban are receiving arms from ``elements of the Iranian regime.'' The top NATO commander in Afghanistan, U.S. army Gen. Dan McNeill, said in June: ``I don't doubt that somewhere the Iranians may have helped the Taliban.''

Officials from NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan have said they have no proof top Iranian leaders have engineered or approved of weapons being supplied to the Taliban.

Iran calls the accusation part of a broad anti-Iranian campaign and says it makes no sense that a Shiite-led government like itself would help the fundamentalist Sunni Muslim movement of the Taliban.

Karzai praised Iran's role in Afghanistan, while the two leaders presided over the signing of a number of bilateral agreements in a number of fields, including security, counter-narcotics and agriculture.

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: ADVISORIES
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 788

Embattled O'Connor loses defence post in cabinet shuffle


OTTAWA (CP) _ Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a major overhaul of his cabinet Tuesday, shuffling 10 positions in a move aimed at getting his minority Conservative government back on course after a rocky spring.

Gordon O'Connor is perhaps the biggest casualty, being demoted from defence to revenue after months of criticism for his handling of the Afghanistan mission, especially the issue of detainees.

O'Connor is being replaced by high-profile minister Peter MacKay, who leaves foreign affairs.

Maxime Bernier, who entered federal politics less than two years ago, moves from industry to replace MacKay at foreign.

Harper said the new cabinet _ his third in 18 months _ ``presents Canadians with a clear choice; a choice between strong leadership that is moving Canada forward or a weak opposition that would set families and taxpayers back.''

Mattel adds nearly one million toys in Canada to ever-expanding recalls

TORONTO (CP) _ Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. added nearly one million Chinese-made toys in Canada to an ever-expanding list of recalled toys in Canada and the United States on Tuesday, warning there could be more on the way.

About nine million toys are being recalled worldwide over concerns the toys contain magnets that could be swallowed by children or could have ``impermissible'' levels of lead in paint.

``Obviously we don't want to have recalls, but in acting responsibly, we won't hesitate to take action to correct issues to ensure the safety of our products and the safety of children,'' Robert A. Eckert, chairman and CEO of Mattel, said in a conference call from El Segundo, Ca.

``No system is perfect, we are continuing to test thousands of toys and, in fact, we may have additional issues.''

The recall in Canada affects approximately 890,000 magnetic toys, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures sold between 2002 and January 2007, that may release small, powerful magnets and be hazardous to children if swallowed.

The recall also includes 32,800 ``Sarge'' character die-cast vehicles from the ``CARS'' line, sold from May to August 2007, because of lead paint.

Family of Canadian actor found dead in L.A. will have to wait weeks for answers

TORONTO (CP) _ By all accounts, Jacob Adams was in good health and got along fabulously with the dogs he was hired to care for at the West Los Angeles home of actor Ving Rhames.

That made it all the more shocking for friends and family when they learned the Canadian screenwriter and aspiring actor had been found dead at the home on Aug. 3, his chest, arms and legs covered in blood and dog bites.

Now the Los Angeles coroner's office says it will take up to seven more weeks before toxicology results hopefully show what happened in the hours before his body was discovered by police.

Adams, 40, befriended the ``Mission: Impossible'' co-star on the Toronto set of the made-for-TV movie ``Kojak.'' The two hit it off and Adams was soon hired to look after Rhames's dogs at his family's home in Brentwood, Calif.

Seafood industry disputes claims that anti-sealing boycott hurts exports

FREDERICTON (CP) _ The latest claim of a mushrooming boycott of Canadian seafood in the United States is being dismissed as ``hogwash'' by Canadian fishermen and supporters of the annual East Coast seal hunt.

The Humane Society of the United States, a leading opponent of the seal hunt, said Tuesday the U.S.-led boycott of Canadian seafood is picking up steam with the addition of 100 new restaurant and grocery outlets, including a chain of steak houses co-owned by U.S. business mogul Ted Turner.

``We support the U.S. humane society's Canadian seafood boycott as it draws national and international attention to the senseless practice of commercial seal slaughter,'' George McKerrow, president of Ted's Montana Grill, said in an statement.

``We hope that other companies, restaurants and individual citizens will join the boycott to help bring an end to this cruel and unnecessary practice.''

Although the humane society now says it has over 2,600 restaurants, grocery stores, hotels and casinos signed on to the boycott, industry analysts insist it is not hurting Canadian seafood exports.

Rally for humane society officer prompts debate on 'archaic' animal abuse laws

TORONTO (CP) _ Animal-rights supporters are set to rally Wednesday in support of an animal abuse investigator who was suspended for allegedly handcuffing the owner of a suffering dog to the door of his own SUV.

Toronto Humane Society officer Tre Smith was suspended from active duty by the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after the unconventional rescue of Cyrus, a 50-kilogram Rottweiler.

The society received a report the dog was locked in a sweltering car. When he arrived at the scene, Smith said Cyrus was foaming at the mouth and appeared to be close to death.

He smashed a window of the car and began to resuscitate the dog, but Smith said he was soon confronted by the dog's owner, who was acting very aggressively.

``I was faced with a tough situation,'' Smith said.

``Does this dog die in my arms while I wait for the authorities? Or do I rush this dog to the humane society and get the medical attention he needs to save his life?''

Smith handcuffed Cyrus's owner to the car and left with the near-comatose dog. He was later told the man had been beaten by the crowd and was bleeding when police arrived.

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: POLITICS
PUBLICATION: bnw
WORD COUNT: 118

Harper poised to name Bernier as foreign affairs minister


OTTAWA - Maxime Bernier is set to become Canada's foreign affairs minister less than two years after entering federal politics.

He will get one of the biggest promotions when Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffles his cabinet today at 3:45 p.m. ET.

Bernier, the former head of the Montreal Economic Institute, first ran for the Tories and became industry minister last year.

The prime minister wants to place his top performers in key portfolios after a rough spring that saw the Conservatives lose control of the parliamentary agenda.

Gordon O'Connor, who in particular found himself flat-footed under opposition attack, will be shuffled out of the defence portfolio.

With Canadian troops in Afghanistan until at least 2009, Peter MacKay - the current minister of foreign affairs - is expected to replace O'Connor on the sensitive defence file.

(BN)

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: DEFENCE POLITICS
PUBLICATION: bnw
WORD COUNT: 106

Embattled O'Connor loses defence post in cabinet shuffle


OTTAWA - Stephen Harper has announced a major overhaul of his cabinet, shuffling nearly a dozen ministers in a move aimed at getting his Conservative government back on course after a rocky spring.

Gordon O'Connor is perhaps the biggest casualty, being demoted from defence to revenue after months of criticism for his handling of the Afghanistan mission, especially the issue of detainees.

O'Connor is being replaced by high-profile minister Peter MacKay, who leaves foreign affairs.

Among the other big changes: Maxime Bernier replaces MacKay at foreign and Jim Prentice moves to industry.

There are two new faces in cabinet: Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz and Alberta's Diane Ablonczy.

The only loss is Carol Skelton, who had already announced that she would not run for office again.

(BN)

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: DEFENCE INTERNATIONAL POLTICS
PUBLICATION: bnw
WORD COUNT: 143

Afghan-Cda-Rifles


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- It seems a delay in getting Canadian rifles into the hands of Afghan soliders is all a matter of altitude.

The commander of the Canadian unit charged with training the Afghan National Army says the relatively short stature of the soliders is a factor.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Eyre says the C-7 assault rifles need to be modified with a shorter butt stock to make then easier for the Afghans to handle.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with C-7s and ammunition but the Defence Department hasn't set a delivery date.

The delay has slowed the preparation of Afghan recruits and stalled their planned takeover of combat operations against the Taliban.

An Afghan colonel hopes to see the first batch by the end of the month so his troops can become familiar with them as soon as possible.

The C-7 is the standard-issue rifle for Canadian troops and similar to the American M-16.

The Afghans' current weapons are often defective AK-47s from the Soviet era.

(CP)

sw

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE
PUBLICATION: bnw
WORD COUNT: 124

Afghan-Kidnappings


GHAZNI, Afghanistan -- Telephone negotiations are continuing between Taliban leaders and South Korean officials over the fate of the 19 remaining hostages.

However, the International Committee of the Red Cross says no new face-to-face talks are planned.

Two Korean women kidnapped by the Taliban in mid-July were handed over to Red Cross officials yesterday on a desert road.

They were then driven to a U-S base in Ghazni, where American military officials refused to release any details on their condition.

It was the first significant breakthrough in the nearly month-old hostage drama.

Twenty-three South Koreans, members of a church aid group, was captured July 19th while travelling by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

Two male captives were executed by gunfire late last month.

A Taliban spokesman says the women were released as a show of goodwill, but reiterated the militants' demand that Taliban prisoners be released in exchange for the remaining 19 hostages.

(AP)

RxH

====


DATE: 2007.08.14
KEYWORDS: DEFENCE POLITICS
PUBLICATION: bnw
WORD COUNT: 96

Cabinet-Shuffle-Update (Harper statement, Dion)


OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he doubts Canada's mission in Afghanistan will change now that Peter MacKay is defence minister.

MacKay moved to the post today as part of a major cabinet shuffle.

Dion says the shuffle doesn't matter because Prime Minister Stephen Harper still closely controls his cabinet.

Harper shuffled 10 in his cabinet, including the addition of two new members.

Gordon O'Connor is perhaps the biggest casualty, losing the defence portfolio to MacKay.

But O'Connor is still in cabinet, as national revenue minister.

The prime minister says his new cabinet is a signal that his Conservative government is moving forward.

In a statement, Harper says his new inner circle will, quote, ``rise to the challenges that confront us.''

Harper is to hold a news conference later today (approximately 5:30 p.m. ET) to talk about the changes.

(BN)

TAP

====


IDNUMBER 200708150119
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: News
PAGE: A14
BYLINE: James Travers
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 711

Harper's message is stay the course


Deconstructing Stephen Harper's third cabinet is much like listening to the Prime Minister worry out loud about his government's perilous Afghanistan exposure, internal Conservative rivalries and, of course, the next election.

Each Harper move yesterday touches at least one of those concerns, while together they frame a ruling party determined to be seen as still focused on its core priorities and still dreaming about a majority.

Neither rearranging a few ministers nor the Prime Minister's worn themes is likely to seriously challenge the conclusions of Canadians who still can't bring themselves to trust Conservatives with more power. But Harper did succeed in using mostly the same material to build a cabinet sturdier than its predecessors and mercifully unencumbered by embarrassments.

This time there are no surprise appointments of the floor-crossing Vancouver Liberal David Emerson or Montreal Senator Michael Fortier. This time no Rona Ambrose was humiliated to blur the Prime Minister's fingerprints on an environment policy judged hopelessly inadequate.

Rather than create new problems, the Prime Minister is grabbing his most troubling one by the throat. Gone from their posts are the 3Ds: the ministers responsible for defence, diplomacy and development who, along with the Prime Minister, let Afghanistan become the Conservatives' cross.

Almost as revealing is where Harper is concentrating his strengths. Able Jim Prentice goes to industry at a time when a jittery economy threatens jobs and Ontario's manufacturing base. The inexperienced but now officially risen Quebec star Maxime Bernier becomes foreign minister, the government's senior francophone and another salesman for an Afghanistan policy his province isn't buying. And, finally, the Prime Minister has partly put aside old grudges to bring Diane Ablonczy closer to the inner circle as an underemployed junior minister.

Still, it was only the overdue removal of Gordon O'Connor from defence that set the Prime Minister's men and few women in motion. After 19 months of miscues, misinformation and sometimes wild spending, the former general and arms lobbyist now has responsibilities reduced to better match to his ability as minister of national revenue.

O'Connor's demotion, coupled with Peter MacKay's move to defence from foreign affairs, and Josee Verner's shift from the maligned federal development agency CIDA, is intended to alter the image of the polarizing Afghanistan mission.

Changing that negative public perception now depends heavily on MacKay. Having mostly held the Prime Minister's coat at foreign affairs, MacKay must now prove he's up to the demanding, if less cerebral defence task by re- establishing clear civilian control over the military as well as the larger- than-life Rick Hillier while ending confusion over Canada's Kandahar exit strategy.

MacKay's rugger scrum charm will appeal to the troops - many sharing his Atlantic Canada roots - and he's certain to co-exist with the top general more peacefully. But MacKay's loose grasp of the Afghanistan detainee controversy and an errant claim of sovereignty over the North Pole earlier this month are worrying omens.

Still, this shuffle has other layers. MacKay, Prentice and Bernier nurture leadership ambitions and Harper is mischievously giving each a testing new portfolio that will widen their experience and perhaps limit their futures.

More immediate than internal struggle is a federal election no more than two years away and clearly on the Prime Minister's mind. In resisting wholesale change Harper is minimizing risk while distancing his administration from Afghanistan's worst political dangers.

That doesn't mean policies already evolving away from combat and towards training will alter dramatically. It does confirm that the Prime Minister now understands that a war he needlessly made his own stands in the way of the majority he wants.

Still, not much more than that perception and a handful of cabinet portfolios changed yesterday. Harper's post-shuffle message was very much stay- the-course.

Clean government, law-and-order at home and a muscular military presence abroad are the Prime Minister's once and future priorities. Attractive as they are to core Conservative voters, they are the same priorities that led his party into opinion poll no-man's land.

A relatively minor cabinet shuffle that leaves most key players in place won't provide the momentum the ruling party is missing. Nor will a summer spent canvassing the bureaucracy produce a fall bonanza of bold, galvanizing ideas.

With the notable exception of the 3Ds, its business as usual today for a government that's hardly booming.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150116
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: News
PAGE: A14
ILLUSTRATION:Fred Chartrand cp Maxime Bernier is sworn in yesterday as the newminister of foreign affairs as Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaelle Jean look on during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. ;
BYLINE: Sean Gordon and Tonda MacCharles
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 499

Bernier's challenging task; Stephen Harper's new foreign affairs minister faces the tough job of selling Afghanistan in Quebec


Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's new role may be to represent Canada on the world stage, but his most important mission will be to spread the word on Afghanistan in the country's most politically sensitive province.

There's little in Bernier's resume to suggest he would one day find himself running Canada's diplomatic apparatus. But the 44-year-old political newcomer was seen as a solid performer during 18 months in the industry portfolio and, despite his lack of foreign experience, is viewed as an able communicator who will muster support for Ottawa's Afghan involvement in his home province of Quebec.

The immaculately dressed Bernier, who worked as an insurance executive and economic consultant before running in the 2006 election, has developed a reputation as an urbane boulevardier in his 18 months on Parliament Hill, though a prominent Quebec Conservative said his chief attributes are an ability to stick to the government's message and the fact he has Harper's ear.

"There are clearly political reasons for this; there are three players on the Afghanistan file, and now one of the most senior ones will be from Quebec. That's not an accident," said the source.

Part of the thinking, the official continued, was to put Bernier in a key role where he can credibly defend the Afghan mission without putting him in the delicate position of being a Quebec-born defence minister if and when the casualties mount from the Quebec City-based Royal 22nd Regiment (the Vandoos), which is in Kandahar now.

But in the words of a government official, the appointment of Bernier also effectively means Harper "gets to be his own foreign affairs minister."

"Bernier will be tightly scripted," said a senior government source of the minister, who is seen as saying things on the fly, and having too easy a relationship with media.

More importantly, Bernier will not be allowed to upstage Harper as Canada's voice on the international stage, and will be kept at the PM's side.

"Canadians want to see their prime minister up there," said the official.

Harper himself has said key among his government's ongoing priorities will be to strengthen Canada's role in the world, signalling he is not about to let go of the foreign affairs file.

The fact Bernier is not being put into an economic portfolio speaks to concerns in the PMO that his laissez-faire view of government's role in the economy is not the right positioning for the government.

The Prime Minister heard complaints that Bernier was so focused on the deregulation of telecommunications that other files, such as the role of government in fostering more science and technology research and development, or developing long overdue copyright legislation, were falling by the wayside.

And a source within the industry department said Bernier was often at loggerheads with the bureaucracy "because he's an ideologue," - a detail that would have caught the attention of Privy Council Clerk Kevin Lynch, whose influence on Harper is said to be in the ascendancy.

Bernier didn't grant any interviews yesterday, contenting himself with a passing comment on the way into Rideau Hall that "it's the Prime Minister's day. "

====


IDNUMBER 200708150111
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: News
PAGE: A01
ILLUSTRATION:Fred Chartrand CP Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives at RideauHall, where Peter MacKay, Gordon O'Connor and Bev Oda, in background, were sworn into new posts. ;
BYLINE: Bruce Campion-Smith and Tonda Maccharles
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 846

Canada's divisive military mission in Afghanistan has a new messenger.


Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday ended Gordon O'Connor's troubled tenure as defence minister, replacing him with Peter MacKay, a more sure-footed communicator as the future of Canada's role in Kandahar returns to the Commons for debate in the coming months.

O'Connor was the biggest loser as Harper shuffled his 32-member cabinet, giving new responsibilities to eight of his ministers and adding Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy. With the announced retirement of Carol Skelton, it means cabinet will still have only seven women.

While he changed the face of his cabinet on sensitive files like defence and foreign affairs, Harper signalled not much else would change about his government's overall agenda or operations.

Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Harper made clear that the priorities for his government would remain sovereignty, the economy, crime, the environment and Canada's role in the world.

"This government is not here to make sudden ... U-turns. Agendas are not going to appear out of the sky," Harper told reporters at his official residence at 24 Sussex Drive.

"We're here to continue our efforts to realize all the work that we've started ... and add on a perspective that is long-term."

But while improved communications was ostensibly one reason behind yesterday's moves, none of the shuffled ministers was given a chance to speak.

Harper paid tribute to O'Connor's 19-month tenure atop the defence department, praising the one-time general for overseeing a period of "historic" investment for the armed forces.

At the same time, he conceded that the Afghan mission, where 66 Canadian soldiers have already been killed, faces "challenges."

Harper handed the job of pitching the mission to a divided home front to MacKay - seen as able to handle the sensitive, substantive crises that arise on the fly, unlike O'Connor - and up-and-comer Maxime Bernier of Quebec.

Bernier, a political neophyte first elected in 2006, was named foreign affairs minister and given the task of selling the mission in Quebec at a time when troops from that province are on the frontlines in Kandahar.

O'Connor was shuffled to national revenue, to replace Skelton, who has said she won't run in the next federal election.

Jim Prentice, a trusted Harper lieutenant, was rewarded for his work in Indian affairs and given the job as minister of industry. Chuck Strahl replaces Prentice at Indian affairs at a time when Canada's native community is still stinging from Harper's cancellation of the Liberal Kelowna accord.

International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner swapped jobs with Heritage Minister Bev Oda, a move that will boost Ottawa's profile during Quebec's 400th anniversary next year, and on the arts and culture file.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the highest-ranking GTA minister, remains in his job, defying suggestions that he would be shuffled because of missteps.

But it was clear, too, that the government, having quickly carried out several election vows, such as cutting the GST and mailing child-care payments to parents, in anticipation of a snap election call, is now settling in for the long haul, perhaps until 2009.

Harper said the changes give "our ministers more varied experience (and build) the team for the longer term."

Following Harper's remarks, senior PMO officials were at pains to emphasize the message of continuity, pointing out that only one person - Skelton - has been dropped from cabinet, and that none of the ministers who were shuffled had previously been moved.

Opposition leaders immediately called on Harper to lay the groundwork for a pullout of the 2,500 Canadian troops from Afghanistan.

NDP Leader Jack Layton called the shuffle a "cosmetic change.

"Mr. MacKay holds exactly the same views on the war in Afghanistan. There's no change in substance here, there's no change in direction," he said.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the shuffle "will not restore Canadians' trust in his government."

"For the second time in less than two years, Mr. Harper has been forced to replace incompetent ministers," said Dion.

Dion, in a written release, said Canadians' trust "has been undermined in a number of key areas, including the economy, the environment and Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan."

He said Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

O'Connor paid the price for a series of missteps and fumbles in the sensitive portfolio. In one case, he was forced to apologize earlier this year for telling the Commons that the Red Cross would alert Ottawa about any abuse of prisoners held in Afghan custody.

Harper, who had resisted months of opposition calls demanding O'Connor's resignation, finally relented. He said it was time for the career soldier "to have some other experiences.

The Prime Minister was asked if the government's communication program around Afghanistan had been a failure, especially in Quebec, where people are deeply divided about the merits of the mission.

"Quebecers generally appreciate and understand the importance of our international commitments," Harper said. "They understand that it's a dangerous situation and the government wants to minimize the number of deaths.

"Thus we are working hard to focus to a greater extent on development."

And yet Harper named Oda to oversee that development work, despite her undistinguished record as heritage minister. Oda, a weak communicator who does not speak French, will be a junior player on a hot file.

Although polls suggest Harper's agenda has thus far failed to make further inroads in Ontario and major urban centres like Toronto, Environment Minister John Baird, the political minister for Ontario, insisted the continued focus on "good government" would make a difference.

"I think good government is good politics," said Baird, and that means "you put people in the right place at the right time."

Pollster Frank Graves said effective handling of the Afghan issue is "crucial" to Harper's hopes of a majority government.

"It's the linchpin that will determine his success in the next election," said Graves, president of EKOS Research.

With files from Sean Gordon

====


IDNUMBER 200708150077
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: World And Comment
PAGE: AA05
BYLINE: Martin Ouellet
SOURCE: CANADIAN PRESS
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 290

Short soldiers, long guns don't mix; Canadian military says C7 rifles must be modified before they can be sent to Afghan National Army


The relatively small stature of Afghan soldiers is one of the reasons for the delay in getting Canadian weapons into their hands, a Canadian military officer said yesterday.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers, so you want a shorter butt stock on it," said Lt.-.Col. Wayne Eyre, the outgoing commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, which is responsible for training the Afghan National Army.

The modified C7 assault rifles will then be easier for Afghans to handle, said Eyre, who is being replaced by Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with ammunition and C7 rifles.

Lafaut said the transfer of weapons is a lengthy process because it involves different technology and is subject to several international agreements.

The delivery delay has slowed the preparation of Afghan recruits and stalled their planned takeover of combat operations against the Taliban.

The C7, with an overall length of about 102 cm, is the standard issue rifle for Canadian troops. It is similar to the American M-16, commonly used by Western armies.

Afghan soldiers have been waiting impatiently for the C7 rifles because their current weapons are often defective AK-47 rifles from the old Soviet era.

The C7 is more accurate and has a greater range than the AK-47, and will allow the Afghan army to be more efficient on the ground, a leading Afghan officer said recently.

Meanwhile, Afghan National Army Col. Abdul Basir said yesterday he hopes to get a first batch of weapons by the end of the month so recruits can become familiar with them as soon as possible.

A Defence Department spokesperson in Ottawa recently confirmed that supplies for the Afghan National Army are planned, but declined to specify a date when they will be delivered.

Lt.-Col. Sherinshaw Khobandi of the Afghan army said then-Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor should have replenished the arsenal, at least in part, during his last visit to Afghanistan in March.

O'Connor was replaced by Peter MacKay as defence minister in yesterday's cabinet shuffle.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150073
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: World And Comment
PAGE: AA05
BYLINE: Amir Shah
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 396

Hostage talks continue; Iranian president says he has 'serious doubts' his country is arming the Taliban or Iraqi insurgents


Taliban leaders and South Korean officials continued negotiations by telephone over the fate of the remaining 19 hostages yesterday, but no new face- to-face talks were planned, the international Red Cross said.

Two Korean women kidnapped by the Taliban in mid-July were freed Monday on a desert road outside Ghazni into Red Cross custody, the first significant breakthrough in the hostage drama.

Two men among the Korean captives were executed by gunfire in late July.

The South Korean Embassy said the two women were transferred from the U.S. base at Ghazni to a safe place in "our care," and that they were in good condition, awaiting a flight home "very soon."

Franz Rauchenstein, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross, said officials were ready to host more talks at the office of the Afghan Red Crescent in Ghazni, but that the two sides were talking by telephone for now. Two Taliban leaders and South Korean officials met at the office for direct talks Friday and Saturday.

"The parties are in talks (over the phone) by themselves," Rauchenstein said.

"We stand ready to play the role of neutral intermediary for the release of the next 19 hostages and we are urging the two parties to make it a short process in the interest of the hostages."

Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the two Taliban negotiators are authorized by their leadership to change and reduce the list of prisoners they want freed in exchange for the remaining South Korean hostages.

A South Korean Embassy official said its delegates in Ghazni are "still maintaining negotiation channels" with the Taliban leaders, but he declined to give further details of the ongoing negotiations.

He said the two women are in the care of South Koreans in Afghanistan, and authorities are now arranging flights to take them home.

"They got medical checks, and nothing serious happened," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of embassy policy. "They are in good condition."

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his first-ever visit to Afghanistan, calling Iran's eastern neighbour a "brotherly nation" whose stability is paramount for the region.

Asked if Iran is supplying weapons to the Taliban by a reporter from Voice of America, a U.S.-funded outlet, Ahmedinejad laughed and said the United States doesn't want Afghanistan and Iran to be friends.

"The same allegations are made in Iraq. They are saying that they discover some weapons," Ahmedinejad said at a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. "What is the reason why they are saying such things? Iran is a big country. I have serious doubts about this issue."

====


IDNUMBER 200708150032
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: Editorial
PAGE: AA06
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 623

Harper's shuffle fails to impress


Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a cabinet shuffle dominated by the spectre of Afghanistan yesterday, trotting out better salesmen to sell skeptical Canadians on an unpopular war. It signals the beginning of the Conservative relaunch after 18 months of failing to connect with the voting public. It was also a less than dramatic moment.

The photogenic Peter MacKay moves to defence from foreign affairs, where he was no blazing comet, to put a more attractive spin on Canada's Afghan mission than did the stiff and accident-prone Gordon O'Connor who has been parcelled off to the revenue ministry. And taking over from MacKay at foreign affairs, the popular but largely untested Maxime Bernier can remind Quebecers why their Van Doos are fighting halfway around the world. The other major winner, Harper favourite Jim Prentice, inherits industry, where he should not be content to bask in his native Alberta's oil boom, but marshal support to help Ontario modernize its ailing manufacturing sector.

Beyond that, there was little in the shuffle to wow the public. This looks like a marginally more competent lineup, nothing more.

Whether Harper's ministers in this third cabinet will be any freer to shape the government agenda and to express their views remains to be seen. For better or worse, Harper has run this government out of his own office. The buck that stops with him never left his desk.

And to a troubling extent, Harper seems out of step with the public on a number of important issues. However superficially stronger the new cabinet's sales pitch may be, the Harper team is peddling goods that Canadians, especially women, urban dwellers and francophones, are reluctant to buy. Unless the Conservatives also shuffle their policies, yesterday's personnel changes may prove an exercise in futility.

Harper urgently needs to rethink Canada's role in Afghanistan, where we have shouldered more than our share of combat and where we have invested far more fighting the Taliban than rebuilding the country. Many Canadians also are looking askance at the Conservatives' decision to boost military spending to $20 billion a year, with $20 billion more for ships, aircraft and tanks, without issuing a coherent defence policy or materially boosting foreign aid.

On the national unity file Harper has unwisely affirmed that Quebecers "form a nation," which can only embolden separatists, and has vowed to curb Ottawa's "outrageous spending power" which has given us medicare and the prospect of national child care and pharmacare.

And while some 800,000 Canadian children live in poverty, the Harper government has failed to provide adequate support through the tax system for the working poor, and has not adequately funded affordable housing and daycare, or raised the federal minimum wage.

Under the Conservative green plan, which shrinks from imposing hard caps on industrial emissions, Canada will remain a laggard fighting global warming that threatens the planet. Our emissions in 2020 are likely to be higher than in 1990, instead of being sharply cut.

And Ottawa has yet to help cash-strapped cities, including Toronto, by giving them a penny of the six-cent goods and services tax, a measure worth $5 billion. Canada's mayors have pleaded for this help.

The Harper government's indifference to all these issues gives Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and New Democrat Leader Jack Layton plenty of room to put forward sharply focused, nation-building agendas of their own in the next election campaign.

If the Conservatives are stalled at 36 per cent in the polls, exactly where they were on election night, Jan. 23, 2006, barely ahead of the Liberals and with scant prospect of winning a majority, it is in part because their priorities are not the country's priorities.

Changing a few messengers isn't likely to help.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150024
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: News
PAGE: A13
BYLINE: Tracey Tyler
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 251

How Afghan war is fought: Lock and load, call the lawyer


CALGARY Behind virtually every Canadian soldier in Afghanistan is a lawyer.

From compensating civilians to advising soldiers on whether to open fire, legal advisers are an essential part of modern military operations and senior officers rarely make a move without them, said Brig. Gen. David Fraser, former commander of the multinational brigade.

"When I got up at 2 o'clock in the morning, my lawyer was up at 2 o'clock in the morning," he told members of the Canadian Bar Association yesterday.

"If I had an idea at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, I'd stick my head out of my office and say to my secretary, 'Get me Hammer' - my lawyer," he said, referring to international law adviser Bruce Wakeham.

Fraser, who headed operations in Afghanistan from February to November 2006, was speaking at the lawyers' convention about the legal side of waging war overseas.

The military operations are governed by complex web of international law and the issues run the gamut from whether soldiers can fire at a mosque to ensuring their wills are in order, he said.

During his watch, Fraser said, "before anyone fired a round anytime," soldiers would assess the collateral damage and discuss the situation with senior officers via radio hookup - with "a lawyer sitting in the operations room, providing legal advice right then and there."

Lawyers were also active at compensating the families of civilian casualties.

"The unfortunate part of this business is we still kill innocent people. .. . How we're different from the Taliban is the Taliban doesn't give a rat's ass," Fraser said.

He said usually, he'd sit in on the initial talks "when (families) yell and scream at you" and the lawyers would "do all the paperwork."

====


IDNUMBER 200708150048
PUBLICATION: The Leader-Post (Regina)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Viewpoints
PAGE: B10
SOURCE: The Vancouver Province
WORD COUNT: 128

Step up the fight


Pakistani leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf has made an important admission that could have a significant bearing on the safety of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Addressing delegates at a peace conference in Kabul, Musharraf conceded for the first time that Taliban insurgents "are supported from Pakistani soil."

Now that the Pakistani leader has admitted what he previously denied, that Pakistan's lawless Waziristan tribal area is a breeding ground for insurgents, his next step must be to impose control on the region.

It will not be easy for Musharaff, who is already facing serious domestic problems. But, by signalling a new willingness to co-operate with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he has made an important gesture.

Without Pakistan's commitment to helping to restore order in Afghanistan, the danger to NATO troops will remain acute.

- This editorial was originally published in the Vancouver Province.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150041
PUBLICATION: The Leader-Post (Regina)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: B7
COLUMN: Fine Tuning
BYLINE: Alex Strachan
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 546

Historical doc could shed light on future


The History Television documentary The Road to Partition is not to be confused with the Tom Hanks movie Road to Perdition. This cerebral, often thoughtful look at the 1947 division of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh is a serious break from the flightiness of reality-TV dance contests and Hollywood mythmaking, and its timing could not be more apt.

The timing isn't apt just because India was divided into three separate and unequal states 60 years ago this month. It's apt because the present turmoil in Iraq shows no sign of ending soon -- unless, as some foreign affairs analysts are now saying, Iraq adopts U.S. Senator Joe Biden's proposal to divide Iraq into three separate states, along Sunni, Shiite and Kurd lines.

History would advise caution. As an exhaustive BBC World news report earlier this week showed, and Canadian filmmaker Alan Mendelsohn underscores in The Road to Partition, the separation of India 60 years ago along religious lines seemed like a good idea at the time. India had just won independence from Britain, but discontent lurked beneath the early strains of euphoria and growing nationalism.

Muslims believed they would never achieve equality in a Hindu-dominated India, and it fell on the shoulders of three men -- Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first president of Pakistan -- to shape their nations' collective, and separate, futures.

Mendelsohn, a career writer and director of history documentaries, has said his filmmaking style is not revisionist. He doesn't pretend to be an authority, and he's uncomfortable making sweeping statements. With The Road to Partition, he wanted to fill in a knowledge gap of a period in history few know much about -- Richard Attenborough briefly touched on the controversial partition late in his 1982 Oscar-winning film Gandhi -- but which many historians believe to be the most significant event that occurred in South Asia in the 20th century. The quarreling over the 1947 partition continues to this day, in Kashmir.

The causal viewer could be forgiven for wondering why they should care about something that happened in India 60 years ago, but the truth is that an understanding of what happened then goes a long way toward understanding what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan today. The Road to Partition is well worth a look. History Television

- Three to see:

1. Would-be hoofer Neil Haskell, fresh off last week's jazz dance to the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" -- as choreographed by Mandy Moore! -- waltzes his way into tonight's two-night season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Try not to throw out your back on the couch if he wins. CTV, Fox

2. Amateur ghostbusters Evander Holyfield, Debra Wilson (of MADtv fame) and Julio Iglesias Jr. investigate the ghostly remains of a remote cult community in Celebrity Paranormal Project. Which begs the question: How long does 15 minutes of fame last in the afterlife, anyway? Just asking. Slice

3. Gentlemen, and manly ladies, start your engines. It's time for NASCAR in Primetime. I know, you're thinking: This is a joke, right? No joke. ABC

====


IDNUMBER 200708150033
PUBLICATION: The Leader-Post (Regina)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: B4
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service; With files from the Montreal Gazette
NOTE:Appointment of the federal cabinet.
WORD COUNT: 776

Harper shuffles cabinet looking for a winning hand on Afghanistan


OTTAWA -- Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted Tuesday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition parties demanded O'Connor's resignation over his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals, and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said, claiming Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

"These are cosmetic changes," he added. "They're not changing policies at all."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are currently being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall. The government and opposition parties are divided over the nature and mandate end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now. The Liberals say Canada should already have given notice to NATO allies that Canadian forces will not renew their mandate after February 2009. Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.

Dion said he was pleased that O'Connor was replaced but not pleased with Harper's mixed messages about the end of the military mission.

NDP leader Jack Layton said the shuffle was an admission "that the government was headed in the wrong direction in key policy areas, including the unpopular war in Afghanistan, attacks on the Canadian Wheat Board and bungling of the heritage and culture file."

Ottawa Citizen

====


IDNUMBER 200708150018
PUBLICATION: The Leader-Post (Regina)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A6
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Glen McGregor
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 433

Games boycott 'silly talk': strategist


OTTAWA -- Canada is unlikely to get behind a "silly" attempt to organize a boycott of the Beijing Olympics over human-rights concerns, says a senior Conservative strategist.

Former Conservative MP John Reynolds, who on Tuesday returned from a business trip to Beijing, says those lobbying for a boycott don't understand how far China has come in its transition from developing nation status. "It's the up-and-coming superpower of the world," he said "Is it perfect? No, but is Canada perfect or is the U.S. perfect?"

Some human-rights advocates are pushing for a boycott of the 2008 Games in protest of China's support from the government of Sudan in the Darfur crisis, the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners and other concerns.

Some U.S. lawmakers last week introduced legislation in Congress calling on a boycott of the Games and a British Conservative member of the European Parliament called on Britain to also pull out, saying: "the civilized world must seriously consider shunning China."

Last week, former Canadian MP David Kilgour was among a group of international representatives in Athens to kick-off a global torch relay in support of a boycott.

Kilgour last year co-wrote a report alleging the Chinese government harvests organs from Falun Gong practitioners for resale to wealthy foreigners. The Chinese government dismissed much of the report as propaganda and rumour spread by the Falun Gong, which it considers a cult.

In calling for a boycott, Kilgour evoked the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as one that, in hindsight, all governments should have pulled out from.

China has called attempts to organize a boycott of next summer's Games a "politicization" that violates the spirit of the Olympic movement.

Reynolds, who ran the 2006 Conservative election campaign after retiring from the House of Commons, said those calling for a boycott should look closer to home.

"We have problems in our own homeland. We can't solve the treaties with our First Nations people," he said. "People who do those sorts of things should look at their own backyard. Look at the homeless people in Vancouver and try and do something about that."

Reynolds was in China to attend to business interests. He is involved in a forest company and a clothing manufacturer in Pudong, a suburb of Shanghai.

Under a Progressive Conservative government, Canada participated in a U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Soviets retaliated by sitting out the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

There are typically calls for boycotts at virtually every Olympic Games, but Canadian athletes have attended every one after Moscow.

Canada's diplomatic relations with China have chilled since the Conservatives came to power in 2006, but Reynolds says Chinese trade officials tell him the relationship is healthy today.

He called the boycott "silly talk" from "people who don't know any better."

The federal government has expressed no indication it would consider keeping Canada's athletes home.

Ottawa Citizen

====


SOURCETAG 0708150267
PUBLICATION: The Winnipeg Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: 10
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former Brig.-Gen. Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150261
PUBLICATION: The Winnipeg Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 6
ILLUSTRATION:11 photos 1. photo by Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Stephen Harper discusses the changes he made to his cabinet yesterday, saying it reflects the government's commitment to the Afghan mission.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 517

PM builds his defence O'Connor loses key cabinet post to MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bumped a problem-plagued minister and rewarded a rising Conservative star in a bid to kick-start his stalled minority government with a fresh start this fall.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button defence file, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue department. His replacement is seasoned politician Peter MacKay, whose former job as foreign affairs minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP with just two years of political experience under his belt, will serve as Canada's face on the world stage and will do double duty as minister in charge of la francophonie.

Jim Prentice, touted as one of Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, moves from Indian Affairs to Industry, while Carol Skelton, who is not seeking re-election, was relegated to the backbenches.

TOP PRIORITIES

Harper made clear the overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden "U-turns."

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said.

"This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, MP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, by praising him for capably steering his department during a "historic period" of federal investments. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a forward-thinking strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North.

"Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities -- protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

MOVING UP, DOWN

He promoted Gerry Ritz from his junior post to a full-fledged agriculture minister, moving Chuck Strahl over to Indian Affairs.

Bev Oda, considered an under-performer in the Heritage ministry, swapped spots with Josee Verner to become the new CIDA minister and Diane Ablonczy took a junior minister's post.

Harper said the appointment of two strong ministers in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan.

"Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world. We know there are challenges there, but at the same time the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said.

"I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work."

But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission that is mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard.

"The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the cover-ups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed."

Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so." KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150260
PUBLICATION: The Winnipeg Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 6
BYLINE: ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 164

Overhaul missed mark, say leaders


Political critics and observers greeted yesterday's cabinet shuffle with a disappointed yawn.

Hoping for more dramatic moves than simply adding one name, dropping another and switching seats for eight others, Opposition party leaders declared the new cabinet the same as the old one.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion poked fun at the self-styled "New Government" presenting its third variation of a cabinet.

"In fact, it's a government that's getting old pretty fast," he said.

Other members of cabinet, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, should have been booted from their current seat based on past performance, said Dion.

"It's only an attempt to find better communicators to communicate bad policy," said Dion.

LITTLE CHANGE

NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed that Canadians looking for a fundamental change in government direction were left disappointed.

Replacing former defence minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay suggests little change in Canada's Afghanistan policy, he said.

"Frankly, this mission is the wrong mission for Canada," said Layton.

"Mr. O'Connor didn't get that. I don't know if Mr. MacKay does."

Speaking for the Central Nova riding where she's aiming to personally unseat MacKay in the next election, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Environment Minister John Baird should have been shuffled along with Flaherty and the others for his disappointing performance.

"Given Mr. Harper's style of governing, shuffling cabinet ministers is not going to substantially change the government," said May. KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150529
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 22
ILLUSTRATION:1. photo of GEORGE W. BUSH Visiting Sunday 2. photo of STEPHEN HARPER Summit host 3. photo of FELIPE CALDERON Mexico prez
BYLINE: TOM GODFREY, SUN MEDIA
WORD COUNT: 205

RCMP 'ready to face' summit protests


The RCMP say they're ready to tackle homegrown and cross-border protesters at a Quebec summit for North American leaders on Monday and Tuesday.

Protesters and peace groups in Toronto said yesterday they're expecting dozens of U.S. colleagues to attend a protest on Sunday against the visit of President George W. Bush to the North American leaders' summit.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will host Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in the third meeting of its kind in Montebello, Que.

RCMP Cpl. Sylvain L'Heureux said officers have been brought there from other cities to help with security concerns.

"We are ready to face any eventuality," L'Heureux said from Quebec yesterday. "Our action is dictated by their action."

Dozens of GTA Mounties are leaving their regular jobs this week to travel to Quebec to conduct security at the two-day conference.

L'Heureux said the Mounties and Surete du Quebec forces have been assigned to protect the dignitaries and two areas have been allocated for demonstrators.

Protestors have dogged Bush at different summits worldwide because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Members of the Canada Border Services Agency said they'll be vigilant at border crossings for U.S. protesters who may cause problems in Canada.

Toronto members of four community groups yesterday said they were outraged by Bush's visit to Canada.

Zafar Bangash, of the Muslim Unity Group, said Bush should be arrested on entry to Canada for alleged war crimes due to the battle in Iraq.

Sid Lacombe, of the Canadian Peace Alliance, said 10 buses will be taking Toronto-area protesters to Ottawa for the demonstration.

"We don't want George Bush in our country," Lacombe said. "We will be laying out the unwelcome mat for him." KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150522
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: 18
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former Brig.-Gen. Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150494
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 4
ILLUSTRATION:11 photos 1. photo by Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Stephen Harper discusses the changes he made to his cabinet yesterday, saying it reflects the government's commitment to the Afghan mission.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 517

PM builds his defence O'Connor loses key cabinet post to MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bumped a problem-plagued minister and rewarded a rising Conservative star in a bid to kick-start his stalled minority government with a fresh start this fall.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button defence file, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue department. His replacement is seasoned politician Peter MacKay, whose former job as foreign affairs minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP with just two years of political experience under his belt, will serve as Canada's face on the world stage and will do double duty as minister in charge of la francophonie.

Jim Prentice, touted as one of Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, moves from Indian Affairs to Industry, while Carol Skelton, who is not seeking re-election, was relegated to the backbenches.

TOP PRIORITIES

Harper made clear the overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden "U-turns."

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said.

"This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, MP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, by praising him for capably steering his department during a "historic period" of federal investments. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a forward-thinking strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North.

"Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities -- protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

MOVING UP, DOWN

He promoted Gerry Ritz from his junior post to a full-fledged agriculture minister, moving Chuck Strahl over to Indian Affairs.

Bev Oda, considered an under-performer in the Heritage ministry, swapped spots with Josee Verner to become the new CIDA minister and Diane Ablonczy took a junior minister's post.

Harper said the appointment of two strong ministers in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan.

"Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world. We know there are challenges there, but at the same time the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said.

"I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work."

But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission that is mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard.

"The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the cover-ups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed."

Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so." KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150493
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 4
BYLINE: ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 164

Overhaul missed mark, say leaders


Political critics and observers greeted yesterday's cabinet shuffle with a disappointed yawn.

Hoping for more dramatic moves than simply adding one name, dropping another and switching seats for eight others, Opposition party leaders declared the new cabinet the same as the old one.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion poked fun at the self-styled "New Government" presenting its third variation of a cabinet.

"In fact, it's a government that's getting old pretty fast," he said.

Other members of cabinet, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, should have been booted from their current seat based on past performance, said Dion.

"It's only an attempt to find better communicators to communicate bad policy," said Dion.

LITTLE CHANGE

NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed that Canadians looking for a fundamental change in government direction were left disappointed.

Replacing former defence minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay suggests little change in Canada's Afghanistan policy, he said.

"Frankly, this mission is the wrong mission for Canada," said Layton.

"Mr. O'Connor didn't get that. I don't know if Mr. MacKay does."

Speaking for the Central Nova riding where she's aiming to personally unseat MacKay in the next election, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Environment Minister John Baird should have been shuffled along with Flaherty and the others for his disappointing performance.

"Given Mr. Harper's style of governing, shuffling cabinet ministers is not going to substantially change the government," said May. KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708140358
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: 2007.08.14
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 7
ILLUSTRATION:1. photo by CP Prime Minister Stephen Harper reveals his new cabinet line-up at a swearing in ceremony today at Rideau Hall. 2. photo of GORDON O'CONNOR Losing defence? 3. graphics
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
DATELINE: OTTAWA
WORD COUNT: 515

Stalled PM shifts gears Harper shuffles cabinet as SES-Sun Media survey shows majority government remains beyond his grasp


A majority government remains out of reach for the federal Conservatives, a new poll shows as Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepares to revamp his cabinet and build momentum before the next election.

The exclusive SES-Sun Media survey shows the Tories' popularity crept up four percentage points to 36% in the last quarter, but they are still virtually neck-in-neck with the Liberals, who are stalled at 33%. The NDP sank four points to 13%, while the Greens slipped to single-digit status at 8% and the Bloc Quebecois rose just one point to 10%.

SES president Nik Nanos said since the numbers appear stuck for the Conservatives, the timing is likely right for Harper to rejig his cabinet and map out new priorities for the fall. But the static scores show Harper might also be wise to delegate more front-line authority to his ministers to avoid wearing every unpopular issue like the war in Afghanistan.

"If I was looking at these numbers I would be saying it's important for Stephen Harper to shift gears and start focusing on the team," he said. "To elevate, from a public profile point of view, some of his senior cabinet ministers -- because right now he has no buffer between himself and these issues."

On the leadership front, the poll shows Harper has slipped marginally as Canadians' top pick for PM. About 31% of those polled think he'd make the best leader, down slightly from 33% three months ago. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion climbed to 23% from 15%, while Jack Layton dropped one point to 18%.

With an eye to gaining ground to majority territory, Harper is expected to shift under-performers and promote political prowess when he overhauls his inner circle today. Senior government officials remained tight-lipped on who's going where, but all eyes are on embattled Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor. Embroiled in controversies over Afghan detainees and paying for funerals for fallen soldiers, O'Connor is the favourite for a major move.

But one Tory insider believes the shuffle, which could affect a dozen or more ministers, is as much a chance to reward star performers as it is an opportunity to fix a perceived "problem."

Junior ministers, including secretaries of state Jason Kenney and Helena Guergis, could be in line for greater roles. Revenue Minister Carol Skelton of Saskatchewan will likely be dropped from cabinet after announcing she won't seek re-election, but Harper is not expected to bring in new blood from the back benches to fill the spot.

The cabinet-making routine must achieve regional and gender balance, but another senior government source said Harper aims to raise the profile of ministers with strong communication skills. If O'Connor is pulled from the key defence file, possible replacements are Jason Kenney, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

With law and order a top priority in the fall, Rob Nicholson could move out of Justice. Treasury Board President Vic Toews has also been rumoured to take up the public safety file when the new line-up is sworn in at a Rideau Hall ceremony this afternoon.

The SES-Sun Media telephone poll of 1,001 Canadians was conducted from July 28 to Aug. 4. KEYWORDS=FEDERAL GOVERNMENT; CANADA; SURVEY

====


SOURCETAG 0708150760
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: 14
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former Brig.-Gen. Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150743
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 4
BYLINE: ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 167

Overhaul missed mark, say leaders


Political critics and observers greeted yesterday's cabinet shuffle with a disappointed yawn.

Hoping for more dramatic moves than simply adding one name, dropping another and switching seats for eight others, Opposition party leaders declared the new cabinet the same as the old one.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion poked fun at the self-styled "New Government" presenting its third variation of a cabinet.

"In fact, it's a government that's getting old pretty fast," he said.

Other members of cabinet, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, should have been booted from their current seat based on past performance, said Dion.

"It's only an attempt to find better communicators to communicate bad policy," said Dion.

LITTLE CHANGE

NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed that Canadians looking for a fundamental change in government direction were left disappointed.

Replacing former defence minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay suggests little change in Canada's Afghanistan policy, he said.

"Frankly, this mission is the wrong mission for Canada," said Layton.

"Mr. O'Connor didn't get that. I don't know if Mr. MacKay does."

Speaking for the Central Nova riding where she's aiming to personally unseat MacKay in the next election, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Environment Minister John Baird should have been shuffled along with Flaherty and the others for his disappointing performance.

"Given Mr. Harper's style of governing, shuffling cabinet ministers is not going to substantially change the government," said May. KEYWORDS=OTTAWA AND REGION; NATIONAL

====


SOURCETAG 0708150742
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 4
ILLUSTRATION:11 photos 1. photo by Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Stephen Harper discusses the changes he made to his cabinet yesterday, saying it reflects the government's commitment to the Afghan mission.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 512

PM builds his defence O'Connor loses key cabinet post to MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bumped a problem-plagued minister and rewarded a rising Conservative star in a bid to kick-start his stalled minority government with a fresh start this fall.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button defence file, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue department. His replacement is seasoned politician Peter MacKay, whose former job as foreign affairs minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP with just two years of political experience under his belt, will serve as Canada's face on the world stage and will do double duty as minister in charge of la francophonie.

Jim Prentice, touted as one of Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, moves from Indian Affairs to Industry, while Carol Skelton, who is not seeking re-election, was relegated to the backbenches.

TOP PRIORITIES

Harper made clear the overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden "U-turns."

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said.

"This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, MP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, by praising him for capably steering his department during a "historic period" of federal investments. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a forward-thinking strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North.

"Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities -- protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

MOVING UP, DOWN

He promoted Gerry Ritz from his junior post to a full-fledged agriculture minister, moving Chuck Strahl over to Indian Affairs.

Bev Oda, considered an under-performer in the Heritage ministry, swapped spots with Josee Verner to become the new CIDA minister and Diane Ablonczy took a junior minister's post.

Harper said the appointment of two strong ministers in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan.

"Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world. We know there are challenges there, but at the same time the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said.

"I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work."

But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission that is mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard.

"The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the cover-ups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed."

Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so."

====


SOURCETAG 0708150414
PUBLICATION: The London Free Press
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: A7
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former brigadier-general Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people, who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150404
PUBLICATION: The London Free Press
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A5
BYLINE: SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES
DATELINE: KANDAHAR
COLUMN: World Digest
WORD COUNT: 92

Value of tanks questioned


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said yesterday. Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful. KEYWORDS=WORLD

====


SOURCETAG 0708150394
PUBLICATION: The London Free Press
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1
ILLUSTRATION:1. photo of STEPHEN HARPER 2. photo of RICK HILLIER Chief of Defence Staff says he's happy with Peter MacKay as the new defence minister.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
DATELINE: OTTAWA
WORD COUNT: 636

Harper makes major cabinet changes


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bumped a problem-plagued minister and rewarded a rising Conservative star in a bid to kick-start his stalled minority government with a new look this fall.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button Defence file, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue Department.

His replacement is seasoned politician Peter MacKay, whose former job as foreign minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP with just two years of political experience under his belt, will serve as Canada's face on the world stage.

Jim Prentice, touted as one of Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, moves from Indian Affairs to Industry, while Carol Skelton, who is not seeking re-election, was relegated to the backbenches.

Harper made clear the overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden "U-turns."

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make, but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said. "This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified. These are the priorities that are important for Canada now and for the long term and we intend to stay on course."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, praising him for capably steering his department during a "historic period" of federal investments. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a forward-thinking strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North. "Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences." While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities -- protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad. He promoted Gerry Ritz from his junior post to a full-fledged Agriculture Minister, moving Chuck Strahl over to Indian Affairs. Bev Oda, considered an under-performer in the Heritage ministry, swapped spots with Josee Verner to become the new CIDA minister and Diane Ablonczy took a junior minister's post. Harper said the appointment of two strong ministers in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan. "Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world. We know there are challenges there, but at the same time the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said. "I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work." But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission that is mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard. "The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the coverups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed." Gen. Rick Hillier, the Chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony. Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so." KEYWORDS=NATIONAL

====


SOURCETAG 0708150857
PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 33
BYLINE: CP
DATELINE: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan
WORD COUNT: 214

Canada leasing German tanks


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said yesterday.

Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates.

The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, the incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said that IEDs tend to be used more by the Taliban to target other vehicles - such as Canada's LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles -instead of tanks.

Lafaut, who is replacing Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre as head of the team responsible for training the Afghan National Army, spoke to reporters at the Shiraz Camp near the multinational base at Kandahar Airfield.

Statistics compiled by the Canadian American Strategic Review show that the last attack against a Leopard tank in Afghanistan took place on July 10 and injured two soldiers about 25 kilometres east of Kandahar.

IED attacks against lighter armoured vehicles have happened far more often over recent months and resulted in higher, more serious casualties.

The first of the leased Leopard 2 tanks is expected in Afghanistan any day now. istan.

The overall cost of the tank-renewal program is about $650 million. KEYWORDS=WORLD

====


SOURCETAG 0708150856
PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 33
BYLINE: CP
DATELINE: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan
WORD COUNT: 128

Smaller rifles for smaller soldiers


The relatively small stature of Afghan soldiers is one of the reasons for the delay in getting Canadian weapons into their hands, a Canadian military officer said yesterday.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers, so you want a shorter butt stock on it," said Lt.-.Col. Wayne Eyre, the outgoing commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, which is responsible for training the Afghan National Army.

The modified C7 assault rifles will then be easier for Afghans to handle, said Eyre, who is being replaced by Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with ammunition and C7 rifles. The Afghans are currently equipped with old Soviet-era weapons.

Lafaut said the transfer of weapons is a lengthy process because it involves different technology and is subject to several international agreements. KEYWORDS=WORLD

====


SOURCETAG 0708150830
PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: 10
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former Brig.-Gen. Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150824
PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 7
ILLUSTRATION:photo by Sean Kilpatrick, Sun Prime Minister Stephen Harper discusses the changes he made to his cabinet yesterday, saying it reflects the government's commitment to the Afghan mission.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 517

PM builds his defence O'Connor loses key cabinet post to MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bumped a problem-plagued minister and rewarded a rising Conservative star in a bid to kick-start his stalled minority government with a fresh start this fall.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button defence file, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue department. His replacement is seasoned politician Peter MacKay, whose former job as foreign affairs minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP with just two years of political experience under his belt, will serve as Canada's face on the world stage and will do double duty as minister in charge of la francophonie.

Jim Prentice, touted as one of Harper's most trusted and competent ministers, moves from Indian Affairs to Industry, while Carol Skelton, who is not seeking re-election, was relegated to the backbenches.

TOP PRIORITIES

Harper made clear the overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden "U-turns."

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said.

"This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, MP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, by praising him for capably steering his department during a "historic period" of federal investments. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a forward-thinking strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North.

"Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities -- protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

MOVING UP, DOWN

He promoted Gerry Ritz from his junior post to a full-fledged agriculture minister, moving Chuck Strahl over to Indian Affairs.

Bev Oda, considered an under-performer in the Heritage ministry, swapped spots with Josee Verner to become the new CIDA minister and Diane Ablonczy took a junior minister's post.

Harper said the appointment of two strong ministers in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan.

"Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world. We know there are challenges there, but at the same time the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said.

"I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work."

But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission that is mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard.

"The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the cover-ups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed."

Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so." KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150823
PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 7
BYLINE: ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 164

Overhaul missed mark, say leaders


Political critics and observers greeted yesterday's cabinet shuffle with a disappointed yawn.

Hoping for more dramatic moves than simply adding one name, dropping another and switching seats for eight others, Opposition party leaders declared the new cabinet the same as the old one.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion poked fun at the self-styled "New Government" presenting its third variation of a cabinet.

"In fact, it's a government that's getting old pretty fast," he said.

Other members of cabinet, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, should have been booted from their current seat based on past performance, said Dion.

"It's only an attempt to find better communicators to communicate bad policy," said Dion.

LITTLE CHANGE

NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed that Canadians looking for a fundamental change in government direction were left disappointed.

Replacing former defence minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay suggests little change in Canada's Afghanistan policy, he said.

"Frankly, this mission is the wrong mission for Canada," said Layton.

"Mr. O'Connor didn't get that. I don't know if Mr. MacKay does."

Speaking for the Central Nova riding where she's aiming to personally unseat MacKay in the next election, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Environment Minister John Baird should have been shuffled along with Flaherty and the others for his disappointing performance.

"Given Mr. Harper's style of governing, shuffling cabinet ministers is not going to substantially change the government," said May. KEYWORDS=CANADA

====


SOURCETAG 0708150682
PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 26
ILLUSTRATION:11 photos 1. photo by Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Stephen Harper discusses the changes he made to his cabinet yesterday, saying it reflects the government's commitment to the Afghan mission.
BYLINE: KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
DATELINE: OTTAWA
WORD COUNT: 469

PM builds his defence O'Connor loses key cabinet post to MacKay


Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed star MP Peter MacKay the defence file in a bid to steel his cabinet for a tough debate on Afghanistan.

In a major cabinet shakeup yesterday, Harper dumped Gordon O'Connor from the hot-button portfolio, putting him in charge of the low-profile National Revenue department.

His replacement is seasoned politician MacKay, whose former job as Foreign Minister will now be occupied by Maxime Bernier.

Harper made clear the massive overhaul of his inner circle should not be seen as a sign his government intends to shift gears or make sudden 'U-turns.'

"This shuffle enables a couple of changes I had to make but in general what it does is give our ministers more varied experience, builds the team for the longer term, and enables us to make some of those changes while maintaining the continuity of the government," he said.

"This government will continue to move forward on the priorities we have identified. These are the priorities that are important for Canada now and for the long term and we intend to stay on course."

Harper tried to publicly soften the blow for O'Connor, praising him for capably steering his department during a historic period of federal spending. He also gave the embattled minister the nod for developing a strategy to assert Canada's sovereignty in the North.

"Minister O'Connor has accomplished a great deal. At the same time, Minister O'Connor has spent his entire public service, which is almost 40 years, in one area, and that is National Defence," Harper said. "I think it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While shuffling the deck of the 26-member cabinet, Harper said the Conservative government will continue to focus on core priorities --protecting Arctic sovereignty, lowering taxes, tackling crime and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

Harper said the appointments of MacKay and Bernier in the critical defence and foreign affairs posts underscores his government's commitment to Afghanistan.

Bernier, a former economic analyst, previously held the Industry portfolio.

"Obviously, the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world," Harper said.

"We know there are challenges there, but at the same time, the United Nations wants us there, we made a commitment to our allies and a commitment to the Afghan people," he said.

"I believe we are making progress and this government strongly supports our men and women in uniform who are undertaking that difficult and dangerous work."

But critics insist Harper is trying to sell a flawed military mission mired in controversy simply by changing of the guard.

"The problem is that the replacement minister MacKay was involved in the coverups and the failure to manage the Afghanistan mission," said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

Dion dismissed MacKay's appointment as window dressing.

"He is replacing a minister who failed with another minister who failed," he said, adding Bernier and MacKay should immediately tell NATO the Canadian mission in Kandahar will end on schedule in February 2009.

Gen. Rick Hillier, the Chief of the Defence Staff who was rumoured to butt heads with O'Connor in past, was beaming after yesterday's swearing-in ceremony.

Asked if he's happy with the choice of his new defence minister, Hillier responded: "Very much so."

O'Connor became a liability for the government during the Afghan detainee controversy last spring when the retired general appeared unaware of basic facts such as who was monitoring prisoners.

O'Connor's miscues dominated political debate and grabbed headlines as the government lost control of the parliamentary agenda.

Moving MacKay, who is from Nova Scotia, may help restore Tory support in the region. KEYWORDS=NATIONAL

====


SOURCETAG 0708150681
PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 26
BYLINE: ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU
WORD COUNT: 164

Overhaul missed mark, say leaders


Political critics and observers greeted yesterday's cabinet shuffle with a disappointed yawn.

Hoping for more dramatic moves than simply adding one name, dropping another and switching seats for eight others, Opposition party leaders declared the new cabinet the same as the old one.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion poked fun at the self-styled "New Government" presenting its third variation of a cabinet.

"In fact, it's a government that's getting old pretty fast," he said.

Other members of cabinet, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, should have been booted from their current seat based on past performance, said Dion.

"It's only an attempt to find better communicators to communicate bad policy," said Dion.

LITTLE CHANGE

NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed that Canadians looking for a fundamental change in government direction were left disappointed.

Replacing former defence minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay suggests little change in Canada's Afghanistan policy, he said.

"Frankly, this mission is the wrong mission for Canada," said Layton.

"Mr. O'Connor didn't get that. I don't know if Mr. MacKay does."

Speaking for the Central Nova riding where she's aiming to personally unseat MacKay in the next election, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Environment Minister John Baird should have been shuffled along with Flaherty and the others for his disappointing performance.

"Given Mr. Harper's style of governing, shuffling cabinet ministers is not going to substantially change the government," said May. KEYWORDS=NATIONAL

====


SOURCETAG 0708150663
PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 16
BYLINE: CP
DATELINE: KANDAHAR
WORD COUNT: 194

New tanks won't reduce threat of bombs


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said yesterday.

Canada is about to lease 20 Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned, for use in hot climates. The Leopard 2 model is also more powerful.

Canada's former defence minister, Gordon O'Connor, had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

The deadly roadside bombs have killed 22 of the 26 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan over the past six months.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan, said yesterday IEDs tend to be used more to target other vehicles -- such as the LAV3, Nyala and Bison armoured vehicles -- instead of tanks.

Statistics compiled by the Canadian American Strategic Review show the last attack against a Leopard tank in Afghanistan happened July 10 and injured two soldiers.

IED attacks against lighter armoured vehicles have happened far more often and resulted in higher, more serious casualties. KEYWORDS=WORLD

====


SOURCETAG 0708150657
PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: 14
BYLINE: LICIA CORBELLA
COLUMN: Editorial
WORD COUNT: 280

Cabinet shuffle a winner


Every cabinet shuffle is described in terms of winners and losers.

This politician lost prestige, this one gained.

But what of the country? Is the country better off because of yesterday's federal cabinet changes?

Depends who you ask.

Some aboriginal leaders are extremely disappointed to see lawyer Jim Prentice moved out of Indian Affairs.

Prentice, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted advisers, is considered the most knowledgeable and sympathetic Indian Affairs minister to hold that post in decades.

His move to the higher profile and more powerful industry portfolio is an indication that Harper intends to focus heavily on economic issues in the next session of Parliament, so it's clearly a win for Prentice but a setback for aboriginals.

Bringing Calgary lawyer Diane Ablonczy into cabinet, even in the junior role of secretary of state for small business and tourism, is both good for the west and the government since this is a person who should be listened to.

It's recognized the main reason for the shuffle had to do with former Brig.-Gen. Gordon O'Connor's inability as minister of defence to articulate in a palatable way why Canada's role in Afghanistan is so important not just for our safety but for the well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered through three decades of war and oppressive Taliban rule.

But as Harper pointed out, O'Connor accomplished a lot in just 18 months, acquiring much needed equipment quickly and establishing our sovereignty in the north "well ahead of the curve." This indicates he may have been bad at communicating, but good at the job. That's politics!

Moving Peter MacKay out of foreign affairs into defence was smooth as was moving suave Quebecer Maxime Bernier out of industry into the largely diplomatic role of foreign affairs, boosting the government's profile in Quebec.

Harper insisted that these changes don't represent a "U-turn" for the government; rather it's an opportunity to broaden his ministers' base of experience.

All in all, this appears to be a shuffle that's a win for this government and therefore the country.

====


SOURCETAG 0708150639
PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 5
BYLINE: SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
WORD COUNT: 320

Pro-troop decals removed Calgary garbage trucks pulled into the garage to have yellow ribbon stickers scraped off


Yellow ribbon decals were removed from a handful of garbage trucks as some city employees continue to defy council's decision that shot down a plan to adorn civic vehicles with the patriotic decorations.

A foreman for Calgary's waste and recycling services sent about a dozen trucks to the garage yesterday to have the offending decals -- proclaiming Support Our Troops -- scraped off the bumpers, leaving one worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, questioning why the city would step in to prevent him from showing support for soldiers in harm's way.

"We're driving down laneways picking up everybody's garbage and I'm sure there's a few people out there with family and friends in Afghanistan and this is just a good shot in the arm," said the employee, who said he was upset when he heard the yellow ribbons were to be removed.

"This really bothers me -- what's the harm in putting a sticker on a truck?"

The worker said the stickers were picked up at union headquarters last week and placed on the vehicles but when they were noticed, a foreman ordered the trucks into the maintenance yard to scrape them off with tools and solvent.

He added he's not sure if they will defy the order and place new stickers.

Rick Valdarchi, manager of collection services, said the foreman was simply following council's policy.

"This is a sensitive issue but at the end of the day we were given direction by council and the policy is decals will not be displayed on fleet units," he said.

"The foreman was correct to remove them -- I'm not sure (our employees) were aware what the policy was."

Valdarchi said the workers won't be disciplined in this case and he wouldn't speculate on what action would be taken should there be further defiance.

Dozens of city vehicles, including police cars, buses and ambulances, showed up at a "yellow ribbon checkstop" earlier this month at the Calgary Police Association headquarters, contrary to last month's council decision.

Ald. Ric McIver, who pushed to have the entire civic fleet emblazoned with yellow ribbons, said he was disappointed the stickers were removed.

"This is a shame -- it's a poor decision by whoever made it," he said. "I appreciate the staff did this to say they support the men and women who are putting themselves in harm's way. KEYWORDS=ALBERTA

====


IDNUMBER 200708150042
PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial
PAGE: A15
COLUMN: Barbara Yaffe
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES; POLITICAL PARTIES; OPPOSITION; POLITICIANS;POLITICS; RESULTS
BYLINE: Barbara Yaffe
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun
WORD COUNT: 630

Cabinet shuffle unlikely to change govenment's image


Stephen Harper recognizes the obvious: he needs to reinvent a governing team that is failing either to inspire or excite voters.

The problem is largely of his own making. As a well-recognized control freak, he's hogging the spotlight and is, well, a bit of a stiff. No charisma. Incapable of executing a kibitz. Thin skinned. And has a terrible rapport with the media.

So there Harper was on Tuesday introducing cabinet changes that potentially could bolster Conservative popularity -- that is, if the PM also changes his own behaviour.

Past experience shows cabinet rejigging alone never suffices to change the course of popularity trends. To date, Conservatives have not been able to nudge polling numbers to a point that would carry them beyond minority government standing.

Harper must drop the attitude and allow his ministers, especially the outgoing and capable ones, to do more of the talking.

He also needs to find a way to better pitch the Afghan military mission to the public, and reach out to women voters who have consistently given him the cold shoulder when the curtain is drawn in the polling booth.

The PM did himself no favours on the gender side Tuesday, with the new cabinet featuring just five females, instead of the six it had before. None of the five are in major portfolios or are particularly adept communicators. Indeed, one -- Senator Marjorie LeBreton -- doesn't even sit in the Commons.

Saskatchewan's Carol Skelton, who had served notice that she wouldn't be running in the next election, left the Revenue portfolio, a junior ministry, open for a demoted Gordon O'Connor.

After a truly dismal performance, O'Connor finally got booted from defence. But notably, Harper, who doesn't ever like getting it wrong or admitting error, refused to ditch him entirely.

While talented Alberta MP Diane Ablonczy was promoted, to become secretary of state for tourism and small business, that isn't a full cabinet position.

Harper clearly cannot find women in Conservative ranks in whom he has confidence. The two highest profile changes in cabinet involved Peter MacKay who became Defence Minister and Maxime Bernier who became Foreign Affairs Minister.

MacKay's new job makes sense; so many military bases are located in his home region of Atlantic Canada. And MacKay has shown himself to be a good communicator. He's bound to do a better job than O'Connor in stickhandling the Afghanistan file.

Because so much of that responsibility requires bringing Quebecers onside, now that the Vandoos have joined the mission, it's anticipated that Bernier will share responsibilities in that province with MacKay who continues working on his French.

The Bernier appointment, reflecting a promotion from his Industry post, is a bit of a mystery given that Bernier -- forever touted by Ottawa-watchers as a handsome guy and a great dresser -- is not perceived to have accomplished all that much in his former department.

Other interesting moves put Jim Prentice into Industry and former Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl, an affable and informal chap who has never knowingly offended anyone in any way, into the always-sensitive Indian Affairs portfolio.

Wisely, Harper did not try to mend what was not broken. He kept solidly performing ministers like Jim Flaherty in Finance, John Baird in Environment, Monte Solberg in Human Resources and Stockwell Day in Public Security, right where they were.

The cabinet shuffle should be seen as part of a broader strategy on the prime minister's part to inject political energy into his government at a time when it's looking as though -- with the exception of exerting Canada's northern sovereignty -- it's running out of ideas.

The famous five priorities with which the Harperites launched their governing stint in early 2006 have exhausted themselves.

Harper, instead of having the Parliament resume as planned on Sept. 17, may well decide to prorogue the House and launch a whole new session of Parliament in October, replete with a Throne Speech setting forward a fresh set of objectives.

With no near-term election in sight, the PM will want to use the next year or so in his mahogany-panelled office injecting some badly-needed oomph into the Conservatives' governing program.

byaffe@png.canwest.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150041
PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial
PAGE: A15
COLUMN: Jonathan Manthorpe
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Amit Dave, Reuters / Girls show their faces paintedwith the symbols of the Pakistani (left) and Indian flags at a college in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Tuesday. ;
KEYWORDS: 0
BYLINE: Jonathan Manthorpe
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun
WORD COUNT: 739

Pakistan's challenges remain; India's neighbour suffers by comparison but not as much as is often suggested


One of the grander myths of modern Asia is that 60 years after independence and partition India is a huge success and Pakistan is an abject failure.

In terms of how ordinary people live their daily lives in both countries, this just is not true.

The United Nations Human Development index, which gathers and compares a basket of economic and quality-of-life indicators, ranks India as the 126th out of 177 countries and Pakistan 134th.

Neither is there much to choose between the two countries in other indicators. Average life expectancy in Pakistan is 63.4 years while it's 63.6 years in India.

Per capita domestic product -- sometimes expressed as average annual income -- is $3,139 US in India and $2,225 in Pakistan.

But India, with 1.1 billion people, has the world's largest population living in poverty. An Indian state-run agency said last week that 77 per cent of the country's people live on about 25 cents US a day, well below the UN's poverty level of $1 US a day. Indian children are, on average, more malnourished than children in Africa.

Since economic reform was begun in 1991 by the then finance minister, now the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, the Indian economy has blossomed. Annual economic growth in India is about nine per cent but Pakistan is not far behind that.

Yet it is self-evident that as both countries celebrate this week their independence from Britain that an aura of optimism, dynamism and progress hangs over India while Pakistan seems never to have achieved lift-off.

India glories in being the world's largest democracy and a multicultural secular state that reveres, though does not always achieve, the British imperial gifts of political, administrative and judicial competence.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is under the military rule of President Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in 1999. Indeed, Pakistan has had military rulers for more than half the time since independence and what democratically elected governments there have been have always appeared unstable and subject to the whim of the military.

Not that even Musharraf seems secure in power. The ungoverned and ungovernable mountainous western reaches of the country have become a haven for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters operating in neighbouring Afghanistan.

This has brought pressure from the United States, with whom Musharraf has allied himself. But that very alliance has made him a target of Islamic radicals both in the wild border region, and also in the heart of his capital Islamabad.

Meanwhile the political parties and the judiciary are pressing for a return to democracy and civilian rule.

At the time of partition and independence Pakistan and India faced choices about their styles of nationhood and politics. India, despite its massive and sometimes radical Hindu majority, chose to be a secular democracy.

This path was firmly laid out by the first leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, who in his 17 years as prime minister instilled the culture of democracy.

His victory was that when he died the political succession passed without a hitch and though he spawned a political dynasty through his daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi, that appears to have been swept away by the gusts of economic reform.

Pakistan's founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah, on the other hand, created a country that defined itself by the Muslim religion of its people.

Jinnah said he wanted Pakistan to be a Muslim democracy, but religion always seemed to trump democracy and the country's semi-feudal ruling classes continue to outvote the will of the people. When, for example, the secular Congress Party won elections in North West Frontier Province, he dismissed the government and installed a Muslim League administration.

He was equally cavalier with what was then called East Pakistan, that predominantly Muslim province on the far side of India that in 1971 successfully rebelled against Pakistani rule and is now Bangladesh. One of Bangladesh's many unhappinesses was when Jinnah ordered the territory's Bengali speaking people to use Urdu, the language of Pakistan.

The intense rivalry between India and Pakistan stems from the moment of birth of both countries.

Partition set off one of the greatest migrations in human history as 13 million people sought homes across the new border. At the same time there was a horrific bloodletting when up to a million people were killed in religious vendettas.

Passions have not cooled over the years and Pakistan and India have fought three wars, most theoretically over the disputed territory of Kashmir, though in reality over more visceral antagonisms.

The latest fighting in 1999 came close to blossoming into something much worse. Both countries have acquired nuclear weapons in recent years.

The prospect of nuclear war has forced Islamabad and New Delhi to recognize relations must be improved and both have taken firm steps in that direction, but mutual suspicion remains very much alive for the moment.

Sun International Affairs Columnist

jmanthorpe@png.canwest.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150009
PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A4
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Jean Levac, CanWest News Service files / Chuck Strahl(left) will handle Indian affairs and northern development while Peter MacKay (centre) will replace Gordon O'Connor as defence minister in the new Harper cabinet. ;
KEYWORDS: POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT; CANADA
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
NOTE:Appointment of the Federal Cabinet.
WORD COUNT: 672

MacKay named to defence; Prime Minister moves to combat the controversy over Afghanistan


OTTAWA -- Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted Tuesday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition leaders declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

WHO'S WHO IN CABINET

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Rob Nicholson remains justice minister and attorney general of Canada.

David Emerson remains international trade minister, minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.

Jean-Pierre Blackburn remains labour minister and minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the regions of Quebec.

Greg Thompson remains veterans affairs minister.

Marjory LeBreton remains leader of the government in the Senate and secretary of state (seniors).

Monte Solberg remains human resources and social development minister.

Chuck Strahl from agriculture and agri-food minister and minister for the Canadian Wheat Board to Indian affairs.

Gary Lunn remains natural resources minister.

Peter MacKay from foreign affairs minister and minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to national defence and minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Loyola Hearn remains fisheries and oceans minister.

Stockwell Day remains public safety minister.

Carol Skelton from national revenue minister to the backbenches. She is retiring.

Vic Toews remains president of the Treasury Board.

Rona Ambrose remains president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister of Western Economic Diversification.

Diane Finley remains citizenship and immigration minister.

Gordon O'Connor from defence minister to revenue.

Bev Oda from Canadian heritage and status of women minister to international co-operation.

Jim Prentice from Indian affairs and northern development and federal interlocutor for Metis and non-status Indians to Industry

John Baird remains environment minister.

Maxime Bernier from industry minister to foreign affairs

Lawrence Cannon remains transport, infrastructure and communities minister.

Tony Clement remains health minister and minister for the federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

Jim Flaherty remains finance minister.

Josee Verner from international co-operation and minister for la Francophonie and official languages to heritage

Michael Fortier remains public works and government services minister.

Peter Van Loan remains government House leader and minister for democratic reform.

Jay Hill remains secretary of state.

Jason Kenney remains secretary of state (multiculturalism and Canadian identity).

Gerry Ritz from secretary of state (small business and tourism) to agriculture minister

Helena Guergis remains secretary of state (foreign affairs and international trade).

Christian Paradis remains secretary of state (agriculture).

Diane Ablonczy becomes secretary of state (small business and tourism)

CanWest News Service

====


IDNUMBER 200708150050
PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Ideas
PAGE: A19
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Nathaniel Fick / Afghanistan is still marred by thewreckage of past conflicts, as shown here in Kabul. ;
KEYWORDS: 0
BYLINE: Nathaniel Fick
SOURCE: Special to The Washington Post
WORD COUNT: 1294

Bullets alone won't defeat the Taliban; Heavy-handed tactics play into the hands of insurgents, ex-Marine says. But winning over the Afghan people will undermine insurgents' support


On a highway north of Kabul last month, an American soldier aimed a machine gun at my car from the turret of his armoured Humvee. In the split second for which our eyes locked, I had a revelation: To a man with a weapon, everything looks like a threat.

I had served in Afghanistan in 2001-02 and in Iraq in 2003, but this was my first time on the other end of an American machine gun. It's not something I'll forget. It's not the sort of thing ordinary Afghans forget, either, and it reminded me that heavy-handed military tactics can alienate the people we're trying to help while playing into the hands of the people we're trying to defeat.

Welcome to the paradoxical world of counterinsurgency warfare -- the kind of war you win by not shooting.

The objective in fighting insurgents is not to kill every enemy fighter -- you simply can't -- but to persuade the population to abandon the insurgents' cause. The laws of these campaigns seem

topsy-turvy by conventional military standards: Money is more decisive than bullets; protecting our own forces undermines the U.S. mission; heavy firepower is counterproductive; and winning battles guarantees nothing.

My unnerving encounter on the highway was particularly ironic since I was there, at the invitation of the U.S. Army, to help teach these very principles at the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Academy -- a tiny collection of huts and tents on Kabul's dusty southern outskirts. Since May, motley classes of several dozen Afghan army and police officers, NATO officers, American officers and civilians have been learning and living side by side for a week at a time.

The academy does more than teach the theory and tactics of fighting the Taliban insurgents who are trying to unseat President Hamid Karzai and claw their way back to power. It is also a rare forum for military officers, civilian aid workers, academics and diplomats -- from Afghanistan and all 37 countries in NATO's International Security Assistance Force -- to unite in trying to bring good governance, prosperity and security to Afghanistan. Classes revolve around four so-called paradoxes of counterinsurgency. Unless we learn all four well, we'll continue to win battles in Afghanistan while losing the war.

The first tenet is that the best weapons don't shoot. Counterinsurgents must excel at finding creative, non-military solutions to military problems.

Consider, for example, the question of roads. When UN teams begin building new roads in volatile provinces such as Zabul and Kandahar, insurgents inevitably attack the workers. But as the projects progress and villagers begin to see the benefits of having paved access to markets and health care, the Taliban attacks become less frequent. New highways extend the reach of the Karzai administration into previously inaccessible areas, making a continuous Afghan police presence possible and helping lower the overall level of violence.

Said another way: Reconstruction funds can shape the battlefield as surely as bombs. But such methods are still not used widely enough in Afghanistan. This month, the United States will begin disbursing $10 billion in aid. But only 20 per cent of it is for reconstruction projects and initiatives to foster good governance; the rest is for security spending.

The second pillar of the academy's curriculum relates to the first: The more you protect your forces, the less safe you may be. To be effective, troops, diplomats and aid workers need to get out among the people. But nearly every American I saw in Kabul was hidden behind high walls.

Afghanistan isn't Iraq. Tourists travel through much of the country in relative safety, glass office towers are sprouting up in Kabul, and Coca-Cola recently opened a bottling plant. I drove through the capital in a Toyota, wearing civilian clothes and stopping to shop in bazaars, eat in restaurants and visit businesses. In two weeks, I saw more of Kabul than most military officers do in a year.

This isolation also infects our diplomatic community. After a State Department official gave a presentation at the academy, he and I climbed a nearby hill. He was only nine days from the end of his 12-month tour, and our walk was the first time he'd ever been allowed to get out and explore the city.

Of course, mingling with people means exposing ourselves to attacks, and commanders have an obligation to safeguard their troops. But they have a greater responsibility to accomplish their mission. When we retreat behind concrete barriers, it becomes impossible to understand the society we claim to defend.

The third paradox hammered home at the academy is that the more force you use, the less effective you may be. Civilian casualties in Afghanistan are notoriously difficult to tally, but 300 to 500 noncombatants have been killed already this year, mostly in U.S. and coalition air strikes. Killing civilians, even in error, is not only a serious moral transgression but also a lethal strategic misstep. Wayward U.S. strikes have seriously undermined the very legitimacy of the Karzai government and made all too many Afghans resent coalition forces. If Afghans lose patience with the coalition presence, those forces will be run out of the country.

One of my many gratifying moments at the academy came at the start of a class on targeting. I told the students to list the top three targets they would aim for if they were leading forces in Zabul, a Taliban stronghold. When I asked a U.S. officer to share his list, he rattled off the names of three senior Taliban leaders to be captured or killed. I asked an Afghan officer the same question. "First we must target the local councils to see how we can best help them," he replied. "Then we must target the local mullahs to find out their needs and let them know we respect their authority." Exactly. In counterinsurgency warfare, targeting is more about whom you bring in than whom you take out.

The academy's final lesson is that tactical success in a vacuum guarantees nothing. The U.S. military could win every battle and still lose the war. That's largely because our primary enemies in Afghanistan still have a sanctuary in neighbouring Pakistan. Rather than make a suicidal stand against the allied forces invading Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, many Taliban and al-Qaida fighters melted away to create a parallel "Talibanistan" in the lawless tribal areas of western Pakistan. The Taliban leadership now operates openly from Quetta, a Pakistani border city that's long been a hotbed of Islamic militancy.

On the last afternoon of the course, I asked my students to define victory in Afghanistan. We'd talked about this earlier in the week, and most of their answers had focused on militarily defeating the Taliban or killing Osama bin Laden. Now, the Afghan officers took the lead in a spirited discussion with their U.S. and NATO classmates.

Finally the group agreed on a unanimous result, which neatly expresses the prize we're striving for: "Victory is achieved when the people of Afghan-

istan consent to the legitimacy of their government and stop actively and passively supporting the insurgency."

Winning that consent will require doing some difficult and uncomfortable things: de-escalating military force, boosting the capacities of the Karzai government, accelerating reconstruction, and getting real with Pakistan. It won't be easy.

But the alternative, which I glimpsed while staring down the barrel of that machine gun, is our nation going zero for two in its first wars of the new century.

Nathaniel Fick, a former captain in the U.S. Marines, is a fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

====


IDNUMBER 200708150040
PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Opinion
PAGE: A18
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Ottawa Citizen; CanWest News Service / New Defence Minister Peter MacKay talks with former defence minister Gordon O'Connor on Tuesday. ;
KEYWORDS: PRIME MINISTERS; POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT;CANADA
SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal
WORD COUNT: 640

Harper reinforces cabinet


When a prime minister shuffles his cabinet, excited observers invariably assume the main goal is political. Well, Version 3.0 of Team Harper -- the second reprogramming in a year -- clearly contradicts this rather trivializing notion.

If political impact was the objective, an announcement late in the day in the middle of August isn't the way a savvy politician like Stephen Harper would have gone about it. If political fallout was on his mind, the Calgary leader of a precarious minority government probably would not have further boosted the already eye-catching dominance of Calgary and Southern Alberta in the province's ministerial delegation.

One is left with a single, inescapable conclusion. Stephen Harper's focus this week was simply where Canadians would want it to be -- on his vision of doing a better job of running the country. Dull as it may seem, that's where our collective attention ought to be today as well.

First, the prime minister has dispatched the clearly overmatched, prickly and somewhat hapless defence minister, the former brigadier Gordon O'Connor, to the calm backwaters of National Revenue.

He is replaced by Peter MacKay, a former Harper leadership rival who has proved a loyal, agreeable deputy in foreign affairs. In the closest thing to a time of war that Canada has endured since the 1950s -- a time when the prime minister is inevitably and rightly calling the shots himself -- those are the qualities defence demands.

As a messenger both to Canadians and the world on Canadian military policy during the Afghanistan mission, MacKay will doubtless be an obvious and considerable improvement.

His replacement at foreign affairs, Montrealer Maxime Bernier, is equally unobjectionable. Having moderated his more extreme libertarian impulses, the outgoing industry minister proved competent, hardworking and well-liked in his first portfolio. And giving a francophone Quebecer the job of articulating Canadian foreign policy may help reduce the distance between francophone and anglophone perspectives on vital issues such as Afghanistan.

The transfer of Calgary's Jim Prentice from Indian and Northern Affairs to the vacated Industry portfolio is surely the other major story of Tuesday's shuffle --

although Canadians may have to wait a bit for the explanatory details, perhaps until the new Parliamentary session and throne speech the government is apparently contemplating.

In one sense, Prentice's reassignment is a considerable shame, coming as it does before he could fulful his obvious promise in a difficult and urgent portfolio. It speaks volumes about his success on aboriginal affairs that the Calgarian has received little but praise from native leaders during his tenure, despite Harper's controversial decision to set aside Paul Martin's well-received Kelowna accord.

But if the government plans a major initiative on industry policy, perhaps with an eye on Ontario's and Quebec's struggling manufacturing sectors, it's difficult to say what appointment would send a clearer, more reassuring signal of its determination on the file.

And finally, having referred to Calgary's increased prominence at the outset of this comment, let's single Diane Ablonczy's appointment out from the balance of Harper's cabinet moves. Her appointment as minister of state for small business and tourism is a gain for Alberta as a whole. In terms of cabinet diversity, she is a replacement for Carol Skelton, the former revenue minister from Saskatchewan who has said she will not seek re-election.

Doubtless, some Edmontonians will unhappy about the stark contrast made by central and northern

Alberta's lone and low-profile minister Rona Ambrose on the one hand, and the south's Harper, Prentice, Ablonzcy, Jason Kenney (all of Calgary) and Monte Solberg (MP for Medicine Hat) on the other.

We can at least remind ourselves (although nostalgia isn't a satisfying consolation in the long run) that Calgary clout in Ottawa is a relatively recent phenomenon. For long years, national visibility with powerful deputy prime ministers Anne McLellan and Don Mazankowski was a northern affair.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150029
PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A9
ILLUSTRATION:Colour Photo: Reuters / Children in Peshawar light candlesto mark the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's independence on Tuesday. ;
KEYWORDS: FOREIGN RELATIONS; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; TERRITORIAL ISSUES;TERRORISM; ARMAMENTS; PRESIDENTS
DATELINE: RAWALPINDI, Pakistan
SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
WORD COUNT: 455

Pakistan's independence marked by celebrations, protests


RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - On the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's independence, the people at the largest gathering in the country did not set off fireworks or celebrate. Instead, they demanded the ouster of the country's embattled president, Pervez Musharraf.

More than 60,000 people came out Tuesday evening to hear anti-government speeches at a park in Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad, according to organizers. The roads leading to the park were choked for miles. So many people showed up, they sat outside the park, lining the streets and listening to loudspeakers. At times, it was difficult to move.

"This shows people's discontent," said Shahid Zulfiqar Ali, secretary general of the Justice Movement, or Tehrik-e-Insaaf, as he looked out over the audience. "The time has come for a change. The crisis being projected in the world is that there is a problem in Pakistan. No. The only problem in Pakistan is that Musharraf does not want to go."

Musharraf, also his country's army chief, faces his biggest political crisis since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999. With elections approaching, opposition political parties want him to remove his army uniform and ensure that the vote is free and fair. The U.S. wants him to do more against Islamic militants and the Taliban, as well as hold free and fair elections. Islamic militants continue to launch suicide attacks nationwide and ambushes in the border areas, as well as stage attacks across the border in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Many Pakistanis say that Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, has been his own worst enemy. His decision in March to suspend the country's chief justice, later overturned by the courts, led to nationwide protests and renewed political opposition. A raid on a militant mosque in July led to bloodshed and even more criticism.

Musharraf, who did not directly address the nation Tuesday but spoke at a TV round-table discussion Monday night, appealed to Pakistanis to reject extremism in coming elections.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, thousands of Pakistanis celebrated independence from British rule, shooting off firecrackers and firing guns. Green-and-white Pakistani flags flew from car windows and motorcycles.

At the government's Independence Day event, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told officials and diplomats that Pakistan respects neighbouring countries and wants peace. He also said Pakistan's military could defend the country's troubled borders, likely referring to the recent statements by U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who said that, as president, he would authorize the hunting down of terrorists in Pakistan if the nation failed to act on good intelligence.

"We will never, never allow any foreign power to interfere in our frontiers," Aziz said.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150018
PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A5
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Ottawa Citizen, CanWest News Service / Peter MacKay,left, and Gordon O'Connor arrive at the swearing-in ceremony for a Conservative cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday. MacKay takes over the Defence portfolio from O'Connor, who was demoted to the Revenue post. ; Photo: Ottawa Citizen ; CanWest News Service / Maxime Bernier, right, arrives with an unidentified companion at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday. The Quebec MP moves from Industry to Foreign Affairs. ;
KEYWORDS: POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT; CANADA
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: Ottawa Citizen; CanWest News Service; With files from theMontreal Gazette
NOTE:Appointment of the federal cabinet.
WORD COUNT: 763

Cabinet shuffled as Tories gird for battle over Afghanistan; Top gun Peter MacKay moved to defence from foreign affairs


OTTAWA - Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted Tuesday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition parties demanded O'Connor's resignation over his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals, and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, claiming Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

"These are cosmetic changes," he added. "They're not changing policies at all."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are currently being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall.

The government and opposition parties are divided over the nature and mandate end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now. The Liberals say Canada should already have given notice to NATO allies that Canadian forces will not renew their mandate after February 2009. Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.

Dion said he was pleased that O'Connor was replaced, but not pleased with Harper's mixed messages about the end of the military mission.

"He has also spent 10 times more on the combat side than the humanitarian side, and has engaged in a divisive with-us-or-against-us campaign that brands any critic of the mission as a Taliban supporter," Dion said. "Pulling Mr. O'Connor from that portfolio does not change all that."

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270210
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A12
BYLINE: ALEX DOBROTA
SECTION: International News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: CAMP SHIRAZ, AFGHANISTAN
WORDS: 290
WORD COUNT: 278

WEAPONS Canadians shortening rifles to fit Afghan soldiers


ALEX DOBROTA CAMP SHIRAZ, AFGHANISTAN A shipment of modern rifles destined for the ill-equipped Afghan National Army is being delayed in part by the shorter size of its soldiers, suggested the Canadian officer in charge of training them.

Designed for the taller Canadian troops, the butts of the C-7 assault rifles must first be shortened to fit the height of the Afghan troops, said Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Eyre, the commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers," he said. "So you want a shorter butt stock on it." Other bureaucratic considerations that regulate the international transfer of arms are also hampering the shipment eagerly awaited by the ANA, Col. Eyre said.

Last week, Lt.-Col. Sherinshaw Kohbandi, commander of the ANA's 2nd Kandak, or battalion, said former defence minister Gordon O'Connor had personally promised to equip Afghan soldiers with C-7 rifles earlier this year.

The weapons would give Afghan soldiers an upper hand over Taliban fighters, by providing them with an upgrade to the Soviet-era AK-47 rifle, a weapon in widespread use across the region.

Colonel Abdul Basir, the commander of a Kandahar brigade, which includes several kandaks , said he expects the new weapons to arrive by the end of next month, when a new kandak will begin training.

About one kandak , or fewer than 500 soldiers, is now ready for battle in Kandahar province.

But Col. Eyre - and Lt.-Col. Stephane Lafaut, who is set to take the helm of the OMLT today - refused to commit to a fixed timetable on the delivery of the C-7s. "They're going through a process in Ottawa with technology transfer," Col. Eyre said. "They're going through the bureaucracy."

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada; Afghanistan

SUBJECT TERM:weapons; guns; foreign aid; defence

ORGANIZATION NAME: Armed Forces; Taliban

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270209
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A12
BYLINE: ALEX DOBROTA
SECTION: International News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: CAMP SHIRAZ, AFGHANISTAN
WORDS: 411
WORD COUNT: 385

THE AFGHAN MISSION New tanks expected to produce 'shock effect' But German-made equipment won't do much to stop IEDs, high-ranking Canadian officer says


ALEX DOBROTA CAMP SHIRAZ, AFGHANISTAN The impending arrival of modern tanks for Canadian troops in Afghanistan will do little to reduce casualties from roadside bombings, the Taliban's deadliest tactic yet, a high-ranking Canadian officer said.

Instead, the German-made Leopard 2 tanks will serve as a morale booster for Canadian troops, while intimidating the Taliban ranks, Lieutenant-Colonel Stephane Lafaut said.

"The shock effect, even without using its weaponry, is incredible," said Col. Lafaut, who takes charge today of the unit that trains Afghan National Army soldiers. "It can give our soldiers more confidence.

. . . It can undermine their [the Taliban] morale." Politicians in Ottawa have suggested tanks could be a solution to reduce the threat of IEDs and mines. In fact, when then-defence-minister Gordon O'Connor announced in the spring that Canada would purchase 100 Leopard 2 tanks from the Netherlands, he based the government's decision partly on the heightened protection the new tanks offer their crew members.

Those tanks are scheduled to enter service in December, 2008, a few months before the end of Canada's current commitment to Afghanistan.

"We needed equipment that will offer our troops the protection they need," Mr. O'Connor said in April. "The new Leopard 2 tanks . . . offer more protection against explosive devices and land mines." But yesterday, Col. Lafaut brought some nuance to that statement.

"It's not what they're made for," he said when asked whether the new tanks could reduce IED casualties.

Earlier this year, Germany agreed to lease 20 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Canada. The first of these tanks was officially delivered to Canada earlier this month and is expected in Kandahar shortly.

The new tank will have a marked firepower advantage over the Leopard C2, an improved version of the 30-year-old Leopard 1 tanks, currently used in Afghanistan by a squadron with Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse.

Meanwhile, a shipment of modern rifles destined for the ill-equipped Afghan National Army is being delayed in part by the shorter size of its soldiers, suggested the Canadian officer in charge of training them.

Designed for the taller Canadian troops, the butts of the C-7 assault rifles must first be shortened to fit the height of the Afghan troops, said Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Eyre, the commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team.

"Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers," he said. "So you want a shorter butt stock on it."

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada; Afghanistan

SUBJECT TERM:foreign policy; defence; armaments; tanks; security; strife

ORGANIZATION NAME: Armed Forces; Taliban

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270202
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A5
BYLINE: CAMPBELL CLARK
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: Ottawa ONT
WORDS: 677
WORD COUNT: 661

THE CABINET SHUFFLE: ANALYSIS PM's strategic moves limit potential for internal bitterness


CAMPBELL CLARK With reports from Daniel LeBlanc and Alan Freeman OTTAWA Stephen Harper's decision yesterday to move his government to a new footing went only so far: He was unwilling to force ministers out of cabinet, leaving all the players but one - the retiring Carol Skelton - inside his ministry.

That both limits the number of bitter exiles and the number of disappointed backbenchers passed over. It also allows him to argue it's the same cabinet, and the government is not flailing. At a news conference, Mr. Harper said he was using the same team in different roles to broaden their experiences.

In January, the previous shuffle was all about moving then-environment minister Rona Ambrose, so that Mr. Harper could paint his government as having shifted course on the issue. But Ms. Ambrose, in a limited shuffle, was only shifted one row back, to Intergovernmental Affairs.

In the quest for majority government, the Conservatives have decided they want to recapture the initiative they had when they took power, insisting they had five, and only five, priorities.

Developing a coherent economic agenda is a big part of that for the next year, Conservative insiders acknowledge, and dropping his most trusted minister, Jim Prentice, into Industry is Mr. Harper's attempt to place the agenda in the right hands.

But before they can take the initiative, the Conservatives know they have to fix some problems knocking them off stride.

The government's once-impermeable commitment to fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan has given way to Mr. Harper's assertion that the mission cannot be extended without (improbable) opposition support.

Gordon O'Connor tried recently to signal a shift in strategy from Canadian combat operations to building up the Afghan National Army's own ability to fight the insurgency. But it was muddied, not only by contradiction from Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier, but by the fact that Mr. O'Connor had made previous contradictory statements.

In his new role, Peter MacKay's job will be to play down the flare-ups of the Afghanistan issues in Canada while reiterating the government's argument that Canada's role in Kandahar is first and foremost focused on developmental aid rather than on fighting a war.

Defence is also seen as a good fit for the senior minister for Atlantic Canada, a region with several large military bases, but where support for the Tories has been shaken.

Maxime Bernier, as Foreign Affairs Minister, has a role, too, in the realignment of the Afghanistan message. As a rising Quebec minister, his move is clearly intended to give him a central role in justifying the mission in Quebec, an electorally valuable province that is cool to the combat role. Currently, the Vandoos, whose home is Quebec, are fighting in Kandahar.

Mr. Bernier is a strongly ideological, laissez-faire capitalist, so moving him out of Industry at a time of public concern about the takeover of major Canadian companies like Alcan might help the government play down fears that the country's economy is being "hollowed out." Which is where Mr. Prentice moves in.

Unemployment is low and growth has been strong, but a high dollar, a soft manufacturing sector and this week's liquidity crunch in financial markets all raise worries.

One Conservative insider noted that the government has to be seen to be active, not reactive, on the economy now - if it turns bad, they can point to action they have taken, and if it stays strong, they can take credit.

Mr. Prentice, the "chief operating officer" of government who heads cabinet committees and fixes problems behind the scenes, is promoted from Indian Affairs but sticks close to home in Industry, choreographing a key policy thrust.

The others are, for the most part, dominoes that fell. Chuck Strahl will be a likable face in the potentially contentious Indian Affairs portfolio. His replacement at Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, will move up from a junior post and give the government a new face in Saskatchewan, where Tory support has eroded over resource revenues and a battle over the Canadian Wheat Board.

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada

SUBJECT TERM:government; political

PERSONAL NAME: Stephen Harper

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet; Conservative Party of Canada

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270150
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A16
BYLINE:
SECTION: Editorial
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE:
WORDS: 720
WORD COUNT: 720

CABINET SHUFFLE O'Connor goes, the rest follows


The demotion of Gordon O'Connor belonged in the last cabinet shuffle, eight months ago, rather than yesterday's. As defence minister, Mr. O'Connor so mishandled the controversy surrounding Canada's treatment of Afghan detainees that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was subsequently reluctant to allow him to answer questions about his own ministry in the House of Commons. His penchant for apparently off-the-cuff and ill-informed remarks meant he was repeatedly contradicted in public by Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff. And his background as a defence lobbyist called into question his ability to objectively perform his job from the day he was appointed.

Unfortunately, Mr. Harper's refusal to admit a mistake, which meant keeping Mr. O'Connor on the job for so long, caused considerable damage to public support for the mission in Afghanistan. It now falls to Peter MacKay, shifted from Foreign Affairs to Defence, to restore faith in it. Mr. MacKay, a far more gifted politician than Mr. O'Connor, will no doubt perform better in the Commons and in front of reporters. But this is more than a question of optics.

Behind the scenes, he must assert control over his department. As much of an asset to the Canadian military as Gen. Hillier may be, he cannot be allowed to effectively run the Defence Department, as often appeared to be the case under Mr. O'Connor.

The rest of the cabinet shuffle was largely a chain reaction to Mr. O'Connor's demotion, and to some extent an effort to distract from it. But it nevertheless has significant implications, giving some indication of where Mr. Harper's priorities lie.

In Foreign Affairs, it has long been clear that Mr. Harper prefers to run the show. That was not always easy with Mr. MacKay, a strong personality with a healthy ambitious streak, in charge of the ministry.

The Prime Minister should have freer rein over it with the more laissez-faire Maxime Bernier in place, allowing Mr. Harper to speak for the government on everything from Canadian-U.S. relations to the Middle East.

By appointing Josee Verner to replace the underperforming Bev Oda as Heritage Minister, Mr. Harper has again shown his commitment to forging an electoral breakthrough for his party in Quebec. Since Ms. Verner hardly shone in her more junior role as minister of international co-operation (the department to which Ms. Oda has now been assigned), her appointment suggests the government is primarily concerned with having a politician from the Quebec City area in place to shepherd through plans for the city's 400th-anniversary celebrations next year.

Most intriguing is the shift of Jim Prentice from Indian Affairs to Industry. Mr. Prentice's new portfolio has received scant attention from this government, but it is hard to imagine Mr. Harper would move one of his most trusted ministers there simply to be a placeholder.

This raises two possibilities. Perhaps Mr. Prentice's move is a welcome sign that the Conservatives are set to make a priority of productivity and competitiveness - something that was not the case under Mr. Bernier, who ran the department for the past year and a half with a dogmatic faith in the free market. More ominously, it may indicate the government has recognized the ability of Industry to generate spending announcements in vote-rich regions of the country, and wants one of its stronger performers in place to do so.

Unfortunately, Mr. Prentice's new role pulls him away from Indian Affairs, a potentially explosive portfolio that he handled deftly.

But then, ministers of his calibre are in short supply, which also helps explain why one change didn't happen yesterday. It had been widely rumoured that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, whose department has stumbled in its handling of income trusts, equalization reforms and its new "green car" strategy, would be shuffled. But the reality is that Mr. Harper did not have another sufficiently experienced and capable minister who could step into Mr. Flaherty's place.

Even so, the new cabinet is stronger than the old one - if only for the demotion of Mr. O'Connor and the appointment of long-overlooked Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy to a junior portfolio. The question now is what Mr. Harper plans to do with it.

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada

SUBJECT TERM:government; political; defence; members

PERSONAL NAME: Gordon O'Connor; Peter MacKay; Stephen Harper; Josee Verner; Jim Prentice

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet; Conservative Party of Canada

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270140
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A5 (ILLUS)
BYLINE:
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE:
WORDS: 643
WORD COUNT: 747

THE CABINET SHUFFLE Harper's blueprint What the PM hopes the shuffle will achieve:


THE AFGHANISTAN MISSION Peter MacKay Defence Minister: His role: To lower the rhetoric about Canada's ambitions there, handling a hostile Commons opposition, and keep Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier's rhetoric consistent with the minister's public policy.

Maxime Bernier Foreign Affairs His role: Mr. Bernier needs to explain to Quebeckers the Afghanistan mission, an especially sensitive role with soldiers from Valcartier, Que. currently on the frontlines. Mr. Bernier will have to discuss with his NATO partners a way to define what Canada's mission looks like in the future while also persuading NATO partners to bring fresh troops in to help Canada.

Kevin Lynch Clerk of the Privy Council He may be unelected but Kevin Lynch has the ear of the Prime Minister at twice-daily tete-a-tetes. Going well beyond his job as the country's top bureaucrat, his challenge is to make sure the foreign and defence ministries are in sync with his boss's (Mr. Harper's) priorities.

THE ECONOMY Jim Prentice Industry Minister His role: Defend big business and spearhead a strategy that will make Canada competitive, even as the Canadian dollar remains high and foreign buyers are gobbling up high-profile Canadian companies.

He will also have to handle deregulation in the telecommunications industry, competition among broadcasters for space on the airwaves, and spur innovation in environmental technology. His challenge is to get to know industry leaders beyond the oil patch.

Jim Flaherty Finance Minister His role: Keep the country's books on a sustainable track, despite rising pressure from the Conservative caucus to spend and cut taxes before an election. He will also continue to take flak over his decision to tax income trusts, and is expected to formulate legislation this fall that will change the way Canadian corporations are taxed on their overseas endeavours. Endless squabbling over equalization also falls under his control. His challenge is to reach out to Bay Street, where corporate leaders are feeling abandoned by a government focused on populist economics.

BROAD THRUST A key document tabled by the Finance Department in November, 2006, and called Advantage Canada is considered a broad but vague blueprint for making the country competitive in the 21st-century global economy.

It suggested lower taxes, eliminating Canada's net debt within a generation, deregulating industry, reducing red tape, investing in education and skills development, and building better infrastructure, including roads, bridges, public transit and ports. Mr. Prentice will likely spearhead some of those initiatives along with Mr. Flaherty and Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon.

WINNING A MAJORITY Jim Prentice de facto deputy prime minister.

As the Prime Minister's minister of everything, Mr. Prentice is the political minister for Alberta, chairman of the powerful operations committee, and a member on two other cabinet committees. He has considerable sway over government direction, and the ear of Stephen Harper. His task is to keep Alberta's support intact while using his industry portfolio to reach out to struggling economies in Ontario, Quebec and Altantic Canada - places where the Conservatives are vote-poor.

Peter MacKay Defence Minister This new portfolio for the Nova Scotia MP fits with the sizable military presence in Atlantic Canada, where he is regional minister, allowing him to tend more to local political issues in a region where Tory support has plummeted.

Maxime Bernier Foreign Affairs The road to a majority likely goes through Quebec for the Conservative Party, and Mr. Bernier needs to put a friendly face on the government in the province. A smooth talker in French, he has to show that Quebec continues to have influence in Ottawa, and that Quebeckers are heard on issues such as Afghanistan where Quebec troops are currently serving. A good showing in any of the three by-elections to be held on Sept. 17 in the province would provide much needed momentum.

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada

SUBJECT TERM:government; political; policy; members; list

PERSONAL NAME: Stephen Harper

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet; Conservative Party of Canada

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270127
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A12
BYLINE: KIRK MAKIN
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: Calgary AB
WORDS: 292
WORD COUNT: 286

Lawyers critical to Afghanistan, convention hears


KIRK MAKIN CALGARY They haggle with Afghan families to compensate the deaths of innocent relatives, they vet military plans to assess their legality, and they ensure that every soldier's will is properly witnessed.

They are lawyers - vital cogs and unsung heroes of the Afghan military effort, without whom very little could take place, a top Canadian military figure told a Canadian Bar Association convention yesterday.

"The lawyer is an indisputable part of the military operation in Afghanistan," said Brigadier-General David Fraser, commander of the multinational Afghanistan Task Force in 2006. "I've been in a lot of operations, but I never needed lawyers more than I did there.

"When I get up at 2 a.m., my lawyers get up at 2 a.m.," he said.

"They are involved in all our meetings. . . . They provide advice, even if it is not what the commander wants to hear. And it takes real moral courage for a lawyer to stand up and say: 'Boss, I don't know about this.' " Brig.-Gen. Fraser said that the "stable" of lawyers who worked under him generally specialized in either international law, Canadian law, Afghan law or United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Some of the most critical advice they provided involved whether a sensitive target - such as a mosque that is being used by insurgents - can be considered a "valid military target," he said.

One of the most stressful inevitabilities of warfare is that innocent lives are sometimes taken or that possessions are destroyed in an effort to root out insurgents, he said.

"Here is where we are different from the Taliban," Brig.-Gen Fraser said. "The Taliban doesn't give a rat's ass. . . . But we have to do something for the families to right a wrong."

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Afghanistan; Canada

SUBJECT TERM:conventions; legal profession; defence; strife; statements

PERSONAL NAME: David Fraser

ORGANIZATION NAME: Armed Forces; Canadian Bar Association

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270097
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A4
BYLINE: LAWRENCE MARTIN
SECTION: Column
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE:
WORDS: 740
WORD COUNT: 690

THE CABINET SHUFFLE: PETER MACKAY'S NEW JOB Public-relations battle begins with defending war


LAWRENCE MARTIN If Stephen Harper's last cabinet shuffle in January was all about the trouble spot of environment, yesterday's was about the trouble spot of war. In the last makeover, John Baird was the player to whom Mr. Harper turned. This time, it is Peter MacKay.

The young Nova Scotian, a long-time political rival of the Prime Minister, is the surprise big winner in this shuffle. Mr. Baird has made some progress at Environment. Mr. MacKay is charged with doing so at the Defence ministry. To him from failing hands - those of Gordon O'Connor - is thrown the torch.

It would be difficult, given the O'Connor record, not to hold it higher. If there is a cabinet position Mr. MacKay is well suited for, this is likely the one. He is fast on his feet, has a youthful, soldierly passion, and, having served in the Foreign Affairs portfolio, knows the Afghanistan file.

With the cabinet changes announced yesterday, heading a government somewhat stalled at mid-term, Mr. Harper has improved his cabinet's communications skills. Moving into the Foreign Affairs job, continuing his meteoric rise, is freshman MP Maxime Bernier. Like many greenhorns who have been put in this position, he may not know Mozambique from a calypso band. But he is a charismatic performer who has captured the fancy of the national press gallery.

His move from the Industry portfolio, combined with that of fellow Quebecker Josee Verner to the Heritage post, raises the profile of Quebec in the government, a political goal of the PM. Ms. Verner will also be an improvement over Bev Oda on the public relations front. As in the case of Mr. MacKay, she will not have a tough act to follow.

Mr. Harper did not combine his cabinet changes with any changes to his own personal ministry - the Prime Minister's Office. The problems with the style of the government, one that has not been able to move the polls in any appreciable way, start there.

But in addressing in particular the problem at Defence, Mr. Harper has helped his cause. MacKay-Bernier could make a potentially powerful one-two pitch. Having Mr. Bernier in Foreign Affairs will increase the government's prospects of selling the war mission in Quebec, the most reluctant province.

No big policy changes should be read into the new appointments.

While the government is formulating a new agenda for the fall, the ministers taking over the new spots are not known to differ in any serious way from the PMO line.

Mr. MacKay, who had many difficulties in the early going in Foreign Affairs, has won Mr. Harper's confidence by being a solid team player on such matters as the controversy over the Atlantic Accord.

His position as the government's Atlantic strongman is fortified.

Jim Prentice, who moves from Indian Affairs to the Industry portfolio, remains the kingpin in the West, and Mr. Bernier has eclipsed others as the voice of Quebec. From this trio, the eventual successor to Mr. Harper will likely emerge.

The shuffle will leave many disappointed. Young party stars, such as British Columbia's James Moore, were again left off the list.

Although, in a wise move, Diane Ablonczy was promoted to a secretary of state position, women made no numerical gains at the cabinet table. Restlessness from wounded egos on the backbenches is a problem every prime minister faces. Mr. Harper will start to face his.

Because of two significant problems created on Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's watch - the reversal of positions on income trusts and the change of takes on the equalization formula and the Atlantic Accord - some expected a change there. But Mr. Flaherty was following the Harper line on both issues, and to move him would have revealed too many cracks in the stability of the government.

Stability is a point the PM chose to emphasize at a press conference.

"We are not here to make sudden virages or U-turns," he said. "We intend to stay on course." There was no admission from him that, in making a second significant shuffle in the space of seven months, a rarity for a prime minister, anything had gone off course.

But you don't give the boot to the ministers in charge of the two most pressing issues of the time, first environment and, this time, defence, if everything is on course.

lmartin@globeandmail.com

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada

SUBJECT TERM:government; political; defence

PERSONAL NAME: Peter MacKay; Stephen Harper; Gordon O'Connor

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270081
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A13 (MAP)
BYLINE: SONYA FATAH
SECTION: International News
SOURCE: SPCL
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: AMRITSAR, INDIA
WORDS: 1240
WORD COUNT: 1146

PAKISTAN: 60th ANNIVERSARY Patchwork connections stretch across the divide Six decades after the British partitioned Pakistan from India, families broken by the border struggle to stay in touch


SONYA FATAH Special to The Globe and Mail AMRITSAR, INDIA For a long time after 1947, Karkar Singh's mother and aunt sent news to each other through lovingly penned letters. Their homes were hardly 40 kilometres apart by road, but it would be four months, each time, before either received a response by mail. They kept writing, filling each other in on family news for 20 years, until the bonds began to weaken, the connection harder to sustain. Eventually, the letters stopped coming.

Mr. Singh's mother lived in the village of Majhupura on the western edge of Indian Punjab, about 10 kilometres from the Pakistan border.

His aunt and her husband, Karnal Singh, lived 30 kilometres inside what is Pakistan today.

Until 1947, when Pakistan was born, they lived close enough to visit regularly. But Karnal Singh, who worked as a driver at the Bata Shoe Factory, was reluctant to leave his job, his home and his land when the borders were drawn, cutting him off from his family on the other side.

The British exit from India, leaving behind two states - Hindu-dominated India and a Muslim Pakistan - sparked a mass migration of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan, and Muslims from India, separating thousands of families.

As the two countries celebrate 60 years of independence, some of these long-standing ties endure, despite the odds, to keep India and Pakistan connected.

Mr. Singh, 60, made three arduous journeys to Delhi before securing a visa to visit his aunt and cousins in Pakistan. Eventually, with the purpose of visiting Sikh religious sites, he booked a train to Pakistan.

"I didn't feel any differences between us," he says of the reunion with his relatives 12 years ago. "Our language is the same; our feelings for each other were very strong." The only difference, he said, was of diet. In Muslim-dominated Pakistan, his cousins eat meat. But that, Mr. Singh says, wasn't a problem. "They cooked separately for me." While it has been more than 30 years since the countries last went to war, deep hostilities and suspicions linger. Since India's then-prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, made peace overtures to Pakistan in 2000, a sometimes-rocky progression has been made toward relaxing the draconian laws that prevent person-to-person interaction.

While there has been an increase in trade and traffic and a greater exchange of ideas, most has happened at a government level or among the upper class. For those of modest means, reaching out has been more difficult.

Gardeep Singh, 55, of Todi Bind, five kilometres from the border, has travelled to Pakistan to visit his maternal uncle, who, like him, is a farmer.

Born in India after partition, he has made every effort to maintain ties with his family on the other side.

"We're all Punjabis. They are one of us. Even though my mother and my uncle passed away two years ago, my heart wants to keep the ties. There is no difference between us," he says.

His brother, Vasan Singh, 60, has not been to Pakistan. "It's too much of a hassle," he says, citing the cost and burden of travelling to Delhi for a visa.

Theoretically, people could maintain contact through phone communication, which has become much more accessible in recent years. But calling Pakistan is not always a good idea.

Mr. Singh says police interrogated his nephew when he called family members in Pakistan after returning from a visit five years ago.

"We don't call because we don't want to be harassed." Some say the reason for police supervision is linked to the significant illegal border trade that takes place. Indian liquor passes into Pakistani hands in exchange for heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Almost everyone in the border area knows someone who has been involved in the smuggling trade. India's border security force has cracked down, but the black-market trade continues, people say, in part thanks to corrupt officials.

People here say their relatives in Pakistan struggle to get visas to visit.

"Our relatives from Pakistan just don't get visas to visit Punjab," says Pacho Kaur, 60, whose brother lives on the other side. "They've never been here, they've never met our families. We don't know why." Ms. Kaur's brother lives in Lahore, where he drives a horse-drawn carriage. She has visited him many times, but can only apply for a visa every 15 months.

"It feels like I'm in the Punjab when I'm there. It feels the same," she said, echoing the feelings of almost everyone else with family across the border. "All his children showed me so much love, my heart stayed there with them." After 60 years, a patchwork of letters, photographs and occasional visits has kept a generation of separated families connected. But in these villages - distant from the innovations of the Internet and e-mail - it's hard to imagine how much longer the connections can hold.

"We're poor, we have no connections, so we can't get across and we can't get visas," says Kartar Singh, who lives in a small concrete house with baked mud floors and earns 3,000 rupees ($80 Canadian) a month working in a fabric printing factory. "The rich bend all the rules and make it, but we, with our families across the border, are left struggling to connect the past and the present." His son, Divender Singh, 25, doesn't know if that bond is tangible.

"We don't know our cousins. We don't recognize their faces. When we can't meet them or talk to them, they are, more or less, dead." United they began 1940: India's Muslim League endorses the idea of a separate Muslim nation.

Early 1947: Britain says it will leave India no later than June, 1948.

Aug. 13, 1947: Sir Cyril Radcliffe submits his partition map, demarcating the hastily drawn border between India and Pakistan that in some places cut villages, and even individual houses, in two along what became known as the Radcliffe Line. Sir Cyril's justification was that no matter what he did, people would suffer. The division was done in secret, and no Indians were allowed to review it, since disputes likely would have arisen and delayed the partition.

Aug. 15, 1947: At the stroke of midnight, the country of Pakistan comes into being as an independent, largely Muslim state with East and West provinces separated by more than 1,500 km of Indian land.

At the same time, India gains its independence as a secular Hindu nation.

1947-48: Many Muslims and Hindus find themselves on the "wrong side" of the border, and as a result, an estimated 14.5 million people cross to the other side. Hundreds of thousands of other people die in widespread communal bloodshed.

1949: The Awami League is established to campaign for East Pakistan's autonomy from West Pakistan.

1970: The Awami League, under Sheikh Mujib, wins an overwhelming election victory in East Pakistan. The government in West Pakistan refuses to recognize the election results, leading to rioting.

1971: Sheikh Mujib is arrested and taken to West Pakistan. In exile, Awami League leaders proclaim East Pakistan independent on March 26, leading to a civil war. About 10 million people flee to India as troops from West Pakistan are defeated with Indian assistance.

The new country is called Bangladesh.

Sources: BBC, Reuters, Wikipedia

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Pakistan; India

SUBJECT TERM:anniversaries; political; history; chronology

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270078
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A5
BYLINE: DANIEL LEBLANC
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: Ottawa ONT
WORDS: 449
WORD COUNT: 440

THE CABINET SHUFFLE: QUEBEC Bernier to sell Afghan mission in French


DANIEL LEBLANC OTTAWA Maxime Bernier's entree into the world of global diplomacy is a key part of Conservative efforts to improve their standing in Quebec, with the minister's smooth communication style in French seen as essential to selling the controversial Afghan mission.

A strong proponent of right-wing economic policies, Mr. Bernier is leaving a familiar world at Industry Canada and entering the Department of Foreign Affairs with a largely blank slate on international matters.

The newly promoted minister's biggest challenge will be related to Canada's military and humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. To succeed, he has two things to do: sell the mission to a skeptical Quebec, and use his international role as a lever to help forge a pan-Canadian consensus on the long-term role of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.

The matter is tricky because Ottawa is looking to extend the military mission, and the government will need Parliament's approval to do so.

"Whether or not [the mission] will be extended in a new form past 2009 is a decision that will need the support of other political parties," a senior government official said of Mr. Bernier's consensus-building challenge.

The MP, who joined the federal scene only last year, is facing a number of uphill battles. He has to quickly learn about the government's top international priorities, ranging from Arctic sovereignty to free trade in the Americas. His spoken English skills are still lacking, and he has little experience in global security and diplomatic issues. But he also brings the status of an up-and-coming minister to the file, with the backing of the Prime Minister.

Mr. Bernier is not the Quebec lieutenant in the government - that position is held by Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon - but he has acted as the main French-language spokesman on a number of issues, such as the budget and recent Conservative attack ads.

Conservative strategists are now hoping that the government will better communicate its Afghan policy. "It's a file on which the government simply has to communicate at its best," Conservative strategist Philippe Gervais said.

The Conservatives currently hold 10 of Quebec's 75 seats. There are three by-election campaigns under way, and a victory in any of the ridings on Sept. 17 would be a boost.

Josee Verner, former minister of international co-operation, was also given a higher profile job in yesterday's shuffle, promoted to Canadian Heritage. She will oversee a new program to distribute $30-million in cash to festivals, which is a big issue in her home province. She is replacing Bev Oda, who had difficulties in Quebec because of her lack of French.

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada; Quebec,

SUBJECT TERM:government; political; foreign policy

PERSONAL NAME: Maxime Bernier

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet; Conservative Party of Canada

====


PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
IDN: 072270025
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A1 (ILLUS)
BYLINE: CAMPBELL CLARK AND JANE TABER
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: Ottawa ONT
WORDS: 815
WORD COUNT: 770

HARPER'S CABINET SHAKEUP: MacKAY STEPS INTO O'CONNOR'S SHOES Shuffle marks shift in Afghan approach


CAMPBELL CLARK AND JANE TABER With reports from Daniel Leblanc and Alan Freeman OTTAWA Prime Minister Stephen Harper fined-tuned his message on Canada's role in Afghanistan yesterday to prepare for a contentious debate, shuffling the duo of ministers managing the issue in the midst of a combat mission.

In a major cabinet makeover, Mr. Harper dropped one member, added a junior minister and switched the posts of eight others, including many top-tier portfolios such as Defence and Foreign Affairs. And he created a new economic policy strongman at the Industry Department by sending trusted lieutenant Jim Prentice there.

Mr. Harper stressed that the revamp signalled continuity because the members of his cabinet remained largely unchanged. "We are not here to have major about-faces, U-turns, agendas that fall from the sky. We are here to continue our efforts and finish our work, to reinforce our objectives and add a longer-term perspective," he said.

But in addition to the size of the shuffle, which touched one-third of cabinet, there was a shift in the tone of the government's approach to Afghanistan, and a signal that the Conservatives will try to emphasize economic issues.

To begin with, Mr. Harper moved Gordon O'Connor, blamed for a brittle and contradictory message on the Afghan mission, out of Defence to the low-profile National Revenue post.

Nova Scotian Peter MacKay, younger and better known, moved from Foreign Affairs to take his place. That opened room for Quebecker Maxime Bernier to go from Industry to Foreign Affairs.

It's a role where a key task is communicating the government position on Afghanistan to a politically key province that has been cool to the combat role.

Mr. O'Connor, the first to leave Rideau Hall, whisked past reporters with his eyes on his car, while Mr. MacKay smiled and waved, and said,: "It's everyone's day." Mr. Harper said that Afghanistan remains Canada's most important military and foreign-affairs commitment, and stressed that Canadian troops are there under a United Nations mandate to help impoverished people.

Gone was talk of defeating the Taliban. Mr. Harper stressed Canada's role in helping Afghans fight their own battles, and argued that Quebeckers will support it.

"They understand it's a dangerous situation. Obviously, the government wants to reduce the casualties. We have worked to increase the role of development [aid] in this mission for a year," Mr. Harper said.

"We are working to train the Afghan forces and help them control their own security. I think that is the way to go." Mr. Harper, who extended Canada's mission in the dangerous Kandahar region to 2009, has said he will not extend it again without opposition support. He faces a potentially rough battle if he puts it to a vote in the Commons next spring.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said Mr. MacKay's appointment would make little difference on policy. "Now we have Mr. MacKay, who has also defended the war in Afghanistan very strongly, so we're clearly not seeing any change in direction," he said.

Mr. Harper dropped only one minister, Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, who had said she will not seek re-election. He promoted junior minister Gerry Ritz to Agriculture to make him the Saskatchewan minister in her place. And he made Calgary backbench veteran Diane Ablonczy a junior minister for tourism.

Another minister considered a weak communicator, Ontarian Bev Oda, moved from Canadian Heritage to International Co-operation in a swap with Quebecker Josee Verner. B.C.'s Chuck Strahl replaced Mr. Prentice in Indian Affairs.

Mr. Harper repeatedly insisted that he was not reacting to political trends and passing events, but making long-term plans.

The Opposition Liberals called it a third try for a flailing government.

"It's the third cabinet of this so-called 'new government,' only they have to try to correct the mistakes of the two former cabinets," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said.

Mr. Prentice, who headed cabinet committees despite a relatively low-profile portfolio, was handed a key portion of the government's fall agenda - economic productivity -which it will probably outline in a Throne Speech.

Although the government didn't move Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Mr. Prentice is expected to be a second economic policy power, with a major role in dealing with infrastructure, deregulation and foreign investment.

Mr. Harper met individually over several days with his cabinet ministers, handing them a point-form letter outlining what he expects them to achieve for the fall and beyond, one source said.

The source added that Mr. Harper is most popular when he sets out a new agenda.

"They [the government] feel it has succeeded and established in the minds of Canadians that they are a governing party . . . they have preserved their support from the election and want to build on that," the source said. "They are putting together an agenda to win them a majority."

ADDED SEARCH TERMS:

GEOGRAPHIC NAME: Canada; Afghanistan

SUBJECT TERM:government; political; foreign policy; defence; statements; members

PERSONAL NAME: Stephen Harper; Gordon O'Connor; Peter McKay

ORGANIZATION NAME: Cabinet; Conservative Party of Canada

====


IDNUMBER 200708150118
PUBLICATION: Times Colonist (Victoria)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Arts
PAGE: E11
COLUMN: Fine Tuning
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Reuters / Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first primeminister, and Mahatma Gandhi, right, were key figures in winning independence for the country in 1947. The partition of Pakistan and India at the same time created enduring political turmoil. ;
BYLINE: Alex Strachan
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 507

Partition of India and Pakistan provides cautionary tale


The History Television documentary Road to Partition is not to be confused with the Tom Hanks movie Road to Perdition.

This cerebral, often thoughtful look at the 1947 division of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh is a serious break from the flightiness of reality-TV dance contests and Hollywood mythmaking, and its timing could not be more apt.

The timing isn't apt just because India was divided into three separate and unequal states 60 years ago this month. It's apt because the present turmoil in Iraq shows no sign of ending soon -- unless, as some foreign-affairs analysts are now saying, Iraq adopts U.S. Senator Joe Biden's proposal to divide Iraq into three separate states, along Sunni, Shiite and Kurd lines.

History would advise caution.

As an exhaustive BBC World news report earlier this week showed, and Canadian filmmaker Alan Mendelsohn underscores in The Road to Partition, the separation of India 60 years ago along religious lines seemed like a good idea at the time.

India had just won independence from Britain, but discontent lurked beneath the early strains of euphoria and growing nationalism.

Muslims believed they would never achieve equality in a Hindu-dominated India, and it fell on the shoulders of three men -- Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first president of Pakistan -- to shape their nations' collective, and separate, futures.

Mendelsohn, a career writer and director of history documentaries, has said his filmmaking style is not revisionist. He doesn't pretend to be an authority, and he's uncomfortable making sweeping statements.

With The Road to Partition, he wanted to fill in a knowledge gap of a period in history few know much about -- Richard Attenborough briefly touched on the controversial partition late in his 1982 Oscar-winning film Gandhi -- but which many historians believe to be the most significant event that occurred in South Asia in the 20th century.

The quarrelling over the 1947 partition continues to this day, in Kashmir.

The causal viewer could be forgiven for wondering why they should care about something that happened in India 60 years ago, but the truth is that an understanding of what happened then goes a long way toward understanding what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan today. The Road to Partition is well worth a look. 9 p.m., History Television

THREE TO SEE

1. Would-be hoofer Neil Haskell, fresh off last week's jazz dance to the Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) -- as choreographed by Mandy Moore! -- waltzes his way into tonight's two-night season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Try not to throw out your back on the couch if he wins. 8 p.m., CTV, Fox

2. Amateur ghostbusters Evander Holyfield, Debra Wilson (of MADtv fame) and Julio Iglesias Jr. investigate the ghostly remains of a remote cult community in Celebrity Paranormal Project. Which begs the question: How long does 15 minutes of fame last in the afterlife, anyway? Just asking. 7 p.m., Slice

3. Gentlemen, and manly ladies, start your engines. It's time for NASCAR in Primetime. I know, you're thinking: This is a joke, right? No joke. 10 p.m., ABC

====


IDNUMBER 200708150033
PUBLICATION: Times Colonist (Victoria)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Early
SECTION: News
PAGE: A8
COLUMN: World Briefing
DATELINE: CRAWFORD, Texas
SOURCE: Agence France-Presse
WORD COUNT: 91

U.S. stands by Iran weapons charge


CRAWFORD, Texas - The White House yesterday gave a wary welcome to Afghan-Iranian talks but stood by U.S. charges that Iranian weapons are being supplied to Taliban insurgents targeting the government in Kabul.

President George W. Bush "stands by" allegations by U.S. forces and NATO troops regarding such arms flows into Iraq and Afghanistan, spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Her comments came after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, making his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office, rejected the charge during a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150007
PUBLICATION: Times Colonist (Victoria)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A3
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Jean Levac, CanWest News Service / From left: ChuckStrahl, Peter MacKay, Gordon O'Connor, Bev Oda, Jim Prentice and Maxime Bernier participate in yesterday's swearing-in ceremony. ;
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service; With a file from Cindy E. Harnett
WORD COUNT: 784

Cabinet shuffled as PM girds for battle over Afghanistan; MacKay assumes defence portfolio; Lunn stays put at natural resources


OTTAWA -- Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted yesterday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to Foreign Affairs. Josée Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to Heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Gary MP Gary Lunn, representing Saanich-Gulf Islands since 1997, remains natural resources minister. "I'm not sure if people were expecting a mass shuffle," Lunn said. "I think this Parliament will serve Canadians very, very well."

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to International Co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian Affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl.

Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of missteps related to Afghanistan.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, adding that Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

Green Leader Elizabeth May dismissed the announcement as "another image-building exercise that ultimately signifies nothing."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said the shuffle was an admission "that the government was headed in the wrong direction in key policy areas, including the unpopular war in Afghanistan."

- - -

FEDERAL CABINET AT A GLANCE

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

- Rob Nicholson remains justice minister and attorney general of Canada.

- David Emerson remains international trade minister, minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.

- Jean-Pierre Blackburn remains labour minister and minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the regions of Quebec.

- Greg Thompson remains veterans affairs minister.

- Marjory LeBreton remains leader of the government in the Senate and secretary of state (seniors).

- Monte Solberg remains human resources and social development minister.

- Chuck Strahl from agriculture and agri-food minister and minister for the Canadian Wheat Board to Indian affairs.

- Gary Lunn remains natural resources minister.

- Peter MacKay from foreign affairs minister and minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to national defence and minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

- Loyola Hearn remains fisheries and oceans minister.

- Stockwell Day remains public safety minister.

- Carol Skelton from national revenue minister to the backbenches. She is retiring.

- Vic Toews remains president of the Treasury Board.

- Rona Ambrose remains president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister of Western Economic Diversification.

- Diane Finley remains citizenship and immigration minister.

- Gordon O'Connor from defence minister to revenue.

- Bev Oda from Canadian heritage and status of women minister to international co-operation.

- Jim Prentice from Indian affairs and northern development and federal interlocutor for Metis and non-status Indians to Industry.

- John Baird remains environment minister.

- Maxime Bernier from industry minister to foreign affairs.

- Lawrence Cannon remains transport, infrastructure and communities minister.

- Tony Clement remains health minister and minister for the federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

- Jim Flaherty remains finance minister.

- Josée Verner from international co-operation and minister for la Francophonie and official languages to heritage.

- Michael Fortier remains public works and government services minister.

- Peter Van Loan remains government House leader and minister for democratic reform.

- Jay Hill remains secretary of state.

- Jason Kenney remains secretary of state (multiculturalism and Canadian identity).

- Gerry Ritz from secretary of state (small business and tourism) to agriculture minister.

- Helena Guergis remains secretary of state (foreign affairs and international trade).

- Christian Paradis remains secretary of state (agriculture).

- Diane Ablonczy becomes secretary of state (small business and tourism).

====


IDNUMBER 200708150045
PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: The Editorial Page
PAGE: A18
KEYWORDS: ELECTIONS; POLITICAL PARTIES; POLITICIANS; CANDIDATES;GOVERNMENT; UNITED STATES; VOTING
SOURCE: Calgary Herald
WORD COUNT: 583

Shuffle sets out next priorities; Harper's shifting of key posts a signal for government's focus


Between Prime Minister Stephen Harper's own comments on his restructured cabinet, and the disposition of key players within it, it's not hard to guess where the future focus of his government lies. Before the last election, it was the well-canvassed five domestic points upon which he fought the 2006 election; now it appears more outward looking, with defence and foreign policy taking centre stage.

Certainly, it's the obvious inference from the new mandates handed out to Maxime Bernier, Peter MacKay and Jim Prentice in Tuesday's shuffle. Any team captain puts his best players where they'll do him the most good. Harper, therefore, must be assumed to be establishing conditions for successful future legislation, as preparation to fight an election around Afghanistan, foreign affairs and international trade, in as little as two years.

Take moving Peter MacKay to defence, for instance. This works well from several angles.

Thanks to Afghanistan and heavy procurement, defence is hot, an unusual phenomenon in this peaceable dominion. There could hardly be better preparation for a defence minister than time well-spent in foreign affairs; MacKay cannot fail to have noticed how much diplomats need generals. It is now the articulate MacKay's job to push the government line -- Canada must be in Afghanistan, but Parliament must agree.

That Harper trusts him with this sensitive task works a second rope, reassuring restless Maritime Conservatives their man is still big enough to speak up for them about equalization. Plus, there's no downside giving the region's most prominent Conservative defence, when 40 per cent of Canada's armed forces hail from the Maritimes.

For the defence department itself, it's a double score. They will be sad to see Gordon O'-Connor go. For getting them money and equipment, he has had no recent equal. However, he's only moved to revenue, which in more normal times ambitious politicians would prefer to defence. So, not only has O'Connor not been punted, this strong military advocate remains at the cabinet table, where his voice will be heard.

It is moving Maxime Bernier from Industry to Foreign Affairs, however, that is Harper's clearest signal of his wish to build international profile, for electoral use at home.

To cast a long shadow abroad, a prime minister needs a strong foreign minister, one who can do deals for him to sign. The francophone Bernier, a former vice-president of the free-market Montreal Economic Institute, and as such a soulmate as much to French President Nicolas Sarkozy as to Harper, is to take that role.

Will Harper seek closer trade ties with Europe, a free-trade deal even? He hasn't said. But, when even U.S. Republicans embrace protection, the prospect of Democrats in the White House owing dues to labour suggests Washington's welcome mat won't be shaken for a while. If Harper wants to develop trade elsewhere, the smart, ideologically compatible Bernier is a good pick, as well as a nod to Quebec.

Finally, Calgary's Jim Prentice and Diane Ablonczy must be smiling. Ablonczy because she's finally in, and Prentice because his good work at Indian Affairs earned him a dream job -- Industry, the ministry in charge of Ottawa's Science and Technology Strategy, and a project Harper believes will come to the aid of his party.

Whether this cabinet recalibration will, on its own, take the Conservatives into majority territory, is impossible to say. However, there's no doubt about what they think will sell in two years time, or less.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150024
PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A6
KEYWORDS: !@DATELINE=OTTAWA
BYLINE: Richard Foot
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 599

Latest shakeup was all about O'Connor; But will Forces be better off without him?


Stephen Harper's mid-summer cabinet shuffle was precipitated by the alleged failures of one man, Gordon O'Connor, and the growing perception that he was the wrong person to quarterback Canada's most critical issue -- the war in Afghanistan.

Moving O'Connor from his cherished Defence portfolio to National Revenue -- where Carol Skelton was soon to retire -- meant moving Peter MacKay to Defence, which in turn prompted the transfers of Maxime Bernier (to Foreign Affairs), Jim Prentice (to Industry), Chuck Strahl (to Indian Affairs) and Gerry Ritz (to Agriculture).

O'Connor was the catalyst of the whole shuffle, but does he deserve the poor reputation that enveloped his leadership at Defence over the past 19 months? And is MacKay any more likely to succeed in a job that one military analyst calls the "graveyard of Canadian cabinet ministers?"

"I would say that a lot of ministers were living in dread that they might be appointed to defence," says Doug Bland, the chair of Defence Management Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "It is a very difficult portfolio where things can easily go wrong -- and the employees are armed. Right now, I'm sure many consider it a poisoned chalice."

Bland, who has authored a definitive history of the leadership of the Defence Department, says O'Connor does not deserve the bad rap he has endured in the media and that Harper should have stood by his minister.

"Look at all that he's accomplished," says Bland. "Certainly he's inarticulate in many respects, but he has been a great success measured against defence ministers of the past."

Not only is he the first Canadian defence minister since Korea to lead the military in a "hot war," O'Connor has also presided over a remarkable buildup of military capability -- from $17 billion worth of new military purchases including transport aircraft, heavy-lift helicopters and now Arctic patrol ships, to the planned expansion of the regular Forces by 15,000 new members.

"He was ahead of the curve on northern sovereignty and the need to secure the Arctic, and my view is that he has been a very effective minister," says Brian Reid, a retired army officer who is now executive editor of the Ruxted Group, a Canadian military think-tank.

Reid and Bland both say O'Connor, a former army brigadier-general, was let down by his failings as a communicator. He was unable to convincingly explain the mission in Afghanistan, and was often outshone in this area by Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of defence staff.

O'Connor, under intense pressure in the House of Commons, also fumbled his way through issues such as Canada's policy toward the treatment of Taliban prisoners handed over to Afghan authorities.

"He doesn't play the political game very well," says Bland. "Although I can't find any correlation between his performance in the House of Commons and the ups and downs of the polls."

Public opinion surveys show support for the war in Canada hovering at roughly 50 per cent. Bland says that's not bad considering how unaccustomed the current generation of Canadians is to having troops in a shooting war.

"During the Cold War, support for Canada's role in NATO never got much above 50 per cent," says Bland. "If it ever did, the defence minister was having a great day."

However, Denis Coderre, the Liberal defence critic, says O'Connor was a bad choice for the job from the start, partly because of his previous life as a lobbyist for defence contractors.

"Clearly he was in a conflict of interest in that job," says Coderre. "Harper should have done this months ago."

Reid said this was the absolute wrong time to shuffle O'Connor.

"O'Connor had a grip on the department. Now you need to bring someone else up to speed, and no matter how smart that person is, there's a lot of learning required."

To see who the winners and losers of the cabinet shuffle were, log on to: CalgaryHerald.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150023
PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A6
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Jean Levac, CanWest News Service / From left: ChuckStrahl, Peter MacKay, Gordon O'Connor, Bev Oda and Maxime Bernier at the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony Tuesday in Ottawa. ; Photo: Jim Prentice ;
KEYWORDS: POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT; CANADA
BYLINE: Tony Seskus and Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: Calgary Herald and CanWest News Service; with files fromHerald News Services
WORD COUNT: 686

Two Calgary MPs feature in PM's cabinet reshuffle; O'Connor pulled from Defence


Two prominent Calgary MPs were dealt new roles Tuesday as Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffled his cabinet and bumped Canada's beleaguered defence minister, Gordon O'Connor, out of his high-profile job.

In moves aimed at strengthening the Conservative minority government, Calgary Centre-North MP Jim Prentice was shifted to the industry portfolio from Indian affairs and northern development, while Calgary-Nose Hill MP Diane Ablonczy was promoted to secretary of state for small business and tourism.

Other Alberta cabinet ministers -- including Monte Solberg and Rona Ambrose -- stayed put.

But O'Connor, whose head the Opposition had demanded over his handling of Canada's mission to Afghanistan, was put in charge of national revenue and replaced by Peter MacKay, the former foreign minister.

Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

The shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy, Harper said.

"We are not here to make major shifts or U-turns," the prime minister told reporters following the announcement.

"This shuffle is intended to build a long-term team and broaden the experience of a number of ministers."

Though opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on his front bench, Alberta's Progressive Conservative government was pleased with Tuesday's developments.

Alberta Intergovernmental Relations Minister Guy Boutilier said he expects Prentice to understand the province's role in fuelling Canadian industry and its desire to improve internal trade.

Ablonczy's appointment further acknowledges Alberta's importance, Boutilier added. "It's a very positive sign," he said.

Overall, Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers in Tuesday's shuffle.

It is his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition calls for his resignation, Harper said the 68-year-old retired brigadier-general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20-billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election.

Still, all opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. Prentice's responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, adding that Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

Alberta observers gave the shuffle mixed reviews.

David Taras, a political analyst at the University of Calgary, said it amounts to patching up the Tory ship in areas where it was taking on water -- Quebec, the mission in Afghanistan and indifference from women voters.

He also believes Prentice's appointment will mean a lot for the local MP, calling him one of Harper's "stars."

Peter McCormick, a political scientist at the University of Lethbridge, said Harper might have been better off not moving Prentice, who had a good reputation as a lawyer with extensive experience in aboriginal land claims.

"Redneck is a label stuck on a good chunk of the Conservative caucus and Prentice was uniquely credentialed as the guy who could . . . be accepted at the table and be listened to," McCormick said. "If I'm a forest ranger and I'm standing in my little tower and I'm saying, 'Which corner is the most likely to burst into very dramatic flame?' I would say Indian affairs is the sector of the frontier I'd be looking at very close all the time."

tseskus@theherald.canwest.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150100
PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Local
PAGE: A1
DATELINE: Ottawa
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 189

MacKay deployed to defence


Canada's military mission in Afghanistan has a new messenger.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper ended Gordon O'Connor's troubled tenure as defence minister yesterday, replacing him with Peter MacKay, a more sure- footed communicator as the future of Canada's role in Kandahar returns to the Commons for debate in the coming months.

O'Connor was the biggest loser as Harper shuffled his 32-member cabinet, giving new responsibilities to eight of his ministers and adding Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy.

With the announced retirement of Carol Skelton, it means cabinet will still have only seven women.

While he changed the face of his cabinet on sensitive files like defence and foreign affairs, Harper signalled not much else would change about his government's overall agenda or operations.

Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Harper made clear that the priorities for his government would remain sovereignty, the economy, crime, the environment and Canada's role in the world.

"This government is not here to make sudden ... U-turns.

"Agendas are not going to appear out of the sky," Harper told reporters at his official residence at 24 Sussex.

"We're here to continue our efforts to realize all the work that we've started ... and add on a perspective that is long-term," he said.

But while improved communications was ostensibly one reason behind yesterday's moves, none of the shuffled ministers were given a chance to speak.

Harper remained the government's main spokesperson yesterday.

RELATED STORY: A6

====


IDNUMBER 200708150086
PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Canada/World
PAGE: A3
DATELINE: Kandahar, Afghanistan
SOURCE: Hamilton Spectator wire services
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 237

Canada replacing tanks with cooler, tougher model


German tanks that will soon be used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan won't significantly reduce the threat posed by roadside bombs because the improvised explosive devices are usually used against less robust vehicles, a Canadian officer said yesterday.

Canada is about to get delivery of 20 leased Leopard 2 tanks to replace 30- year-old Leopard 1 tanks, which are not air-conditioned for use in hot climates.

As Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor had vaunted the merits of the Leopard 2 last April, saying they offered "better protection" against improvised explosive devices, or IEDS.

But tanks tend not to be the target of choice for the Taliban because of the protection they offer to those inside.

Still, Lieutenant-Colonel Stephane Lafaut said he believes the tanks will likely make a "difference" in the field because they project an image of strength.

"It's another weapon in our arsenal," said Lafaut, incoming commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, responsible for training the Afghan National Army.

In another development, Lafaut's predecessor said that the relatively small stature of Afghan soldiers is one of the reasons for the delay in getting Canadian C7 assault rifles into their hands. The weapons have to be modified because "Afghan soldiers are a little shorter than Canadian soldiers," said Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Eyre.

Ottawa promised earlier this year to supply Afghan soldiers with ammunition and C7 rifles. The delay has slowed the preparation of Afghan recruits and stalled their planned takeover of combat operations against the Taliban.

RELATED STORY: A7

====


IDNUMBER 200708150083
PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Canada/World
PAGE: A6
DATELINE: Ottawa
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 191

O'Connor was an easy mark for Opposition snipers


Gordon O'Connor was a target from the day he was sworn in as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first defence minister in February 2006.

O'Connor was demoted yesterday to become the new minister of national revenue, after months of attack from the opposition.

His background as a defence lobbyist, rumours of personality clashes with his senior soldier, General Rick Hillier, mixed messages about Afghanistan, and his stiff, terse speaking style helped make him an easy mark for opposition snipers.

But the problems of O'Connor's tenure went beyond image, said David Bercuson, military historian and director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. The real problem was where the military file fit with Tory policy. Harper made a number of promises on the hustings, but Defence wasn't among his much-touted priorities.

"When the Conservatives got in, the message about what the military was supposed to be doing was not especially clear," Bercuson said.

Bercuson also suggested that O'Connor's 30-year military career -- he retired as a brigadier general -- may have hurt, rather than helped his relations with the military and the department.

"You wonder to what extent having a former general as a defence minister presented the temptation to continue to be a general."

====


IDNUMBER 200708150082
PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Canada/World
PAGE: A6
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Fred Chartrand, the Canadian Press / Prime MinisterStephen Harper with Peter MacKay, Gordon O'Connor and Bev Oda at swearing-in ceremonies yesterday. ;
DATELINE: Ottawa
SOURCE: Toronto Star
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 871

PM dreams about a Tory majority


Deconstructing Stephen Harper's third cabinet is much like listening to the Prime Minister worry out loud about his government's perilous Afghanistan exposure, internal Conservative rivalries and, of course, the next election.

Each Harper move yesterday touches at least one of those concerns while together they frame a ruling party determined to be seen as still focused on its core priorities and still dreaming about a majority.

Neither rearranging a few ministers nor the Prime Minister's worn themes are likely to seriously challenge the conclusions of Canadians who still can't bring themselves to trust Conservatives with more power. But Harper did succeed in using mostly the same material to build a cabinet sturdier than its predecessors and mercifully unencumbered by embarrassments.

This time there are no surprise appointments of the floor-crossing Vancouver Liberal David Emerson or the Montreal Senator Michael Fortier. This time no Rona Ambrose was humiliated to blur the Prime Minister's fingerprints on an environment policy judged hopelessly inadequate.

Rather than create new problems, the Prime Minister is grabbing his most troubling one by the throat. Gone from their posts are the 3Ds, the ministers responsible for defence, diplomacy and development who along with the Prime Minister let Afghanistan become the Conservatives cross.

Almost as revealing is where Harper is concentrating his strengths. Able Jim Prentice goes to industry at a time when a jittery economy threatens jobs and Ontario's manufacturing base. The inexperienced but now officially risen Quebec star Maxime Bernier becomes Foreign Minister, the government's senior francophone and another salesman for an Afghanistan policy his province isn't buying. And, finally, the Prime Minister has partly put aside old grudges to bring Diane Ablonczy closer to the inner circle as an underemployed junior minister.

Still, it was only the overdue removal of Gordon O'Connor from defence that set the Prime Minister's men and few women in motion. After 19 months of miscues, misinformation and sometimes wild spending, the former general and arms lobbyist now has responsibilities reduced to better match to his ability as minister of national revenue.

O' Connor's demotion, coupled with Peter MacKay's move to defence from foreign affairs, and Josee Verner's shift from the maligned federal development agency CIDA, is intended to alter the image of the polarizing Afghanistan mission.

Changing that negative public perception now depends heavily on MacKay. Having mostly held the Prime Minister's coat at foreign affairs, MacKay must now prove he's up to the demanding, if less cerebral defence task by re- establishing clear civilian control over the military as well as the larger- than-life Rick Hillier while ending confusion over Canada's Kandahar exit strategy.

MacKay's rugger scrum charm will appeal to the troops -- many sharing his Atlantic Canada roots -- and he's certain to co-exist with the top general more peacefully. But MacKay's loose grasp of the Afghanistan detainee controversy and an errant claim of sovereignty over the North Pole earlier this month are worrying omens.

Still, this shuffle has other layers. MacKay, Prentice and Bernier nurture leadership ambitions and Harper is mischievously giving each a testing new portfolio that will widen their experience and perhaps limit their futures.

More immediate than internal struggle is a federal election no more than two years away and clearly on the Prime Minister's mind. In resisting wholesale change Harper is minimizing risk while distancing his administration from Afghanistan's worst political dangers.

That doesn't mean policies already evolving away from combat and towards training will alter dramatically. It does confirm that the Prime Minister now understands that a war he needlessly made his own stands in the way of the majority he wants.

Still, not much more than that perception and a handful cabinet portfolios changed yesterday. Harper's post-shuffle message was very much stay-the- course.

Clean government, law-and-order at home and a muscular military presence abroad are the Prime Minister's once and future priorities. Attractive as they are to core Conservative voters, they are the same priorities that led his party into opinion poll no man's land.

A relatively minor cabinet shuffle that leaves most key players in place won't provide the momentum the ruling party is missing. Nor will a summer spent canvassing the bureaucracy produce a fall bonanza of bold, galvanizing ideas.

With the notable exception of the 3Ds, its business as usual today for a government that's hardly booming.

The new cabinet:

Minister of Justice; Attorney General of Canada -- Robert Nicholson.

International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver- Whistler Olympics -- David Emerson.

Labour and Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec - - Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

Veterans Affairs -- Gregory Thompson.

Leader of the Government in the Senate; Secretary of State for Seniors -- Marjory LeBreton.

Human Resources and Social Development -- Monte Solberg.

Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and non-Status Indians -- Chuck Strahl.

Natural Resources -- Gary Lunn.

Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency -- Peter MacKay.

Fisheries and Oceans -- Loyola Hearn.

Public Safety -- Stockwell Day.

President of Treasury Board -- Vic Toews.

President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification -- Rona Ambrose.

Citizenship and Immigration -- Diane Finley.

National Revenue -- Gordon O'Connor.

International Co-operation -- Bev Oda.

Industry -- Jim Prentice.

Environment -- John Baird.

Foreign Affairs -- Maxime Bernier.

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities -- Lawrence Cannon.

Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario -- Tony Clement.

Finance -- Jim Flaherty.

Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Minister for Official Languages -- Josee Verner.

Public Works and Government Services -- Michael Fortier.

Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform -- Peter Van Loan.

Agriculture and Agrifood; and Canadian Wheat Board -- Gerry Ritz.

Chief Government Whip and Secretary of State -- Jay Hill.

Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity -- Jason Kenney.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Secretary of State for Sport -- Helena Guergis.

Secretary of State for Agriculture -- Christian Paradis.

Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism -- Diane Ablonczy.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150059
PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Opinion
PAGE: A16
BYLINE: Earl Blayney, Hamilton
SOURCE: The Hamilton Spectator
COPYRIGHT: © 2007 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT: 280

Has Canada been duped by others?


Recent articles in most of our media have opened up a different view of the world as seen from Canada, I think.

Could it be that some nations are that devious in their international thoughts that this present scenario is developing?

Most of us in Canada agreed totally with the government when Canada excused itself from participating in the Iraq fiasco. And we still do, I'm sure. But further along after we changed our leadership, and a new band of politicians, wet behind the ears as far as the international diplomatic stage is concerned, took over.

Canada was coerced to take on a heavy responsibility, well beyond the ability of our Armed Forces, in Afghanistan. Here I use the well documented advice of our own army generals. And it seems, with considerable bravado, our leaders accepted some of the most difficult jobs in that poor nation's struggle. All this I believe tying up our ability to perform elsewhere effectively, if at all. I note the most recent acquisition of some monstrous aircraft capable of taking even more troops away from Canada to a foreign fight.

And perhaps the ugliest thought comes from the words we hear from some nations not much involved in Afghanistan. Some of them are nations that have lots of troops and equipment that have little to do right now. And some of them we think of as our friends, too. Their leaders have noticed that we have left our back door open; they have peeked in and seen some of our riches in the North. There for the taking they seem to be saying.

Can it be that Canada was duped by far more devious politicians? Is it a wake-up call to Canada?

====


PUBLICATION: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A4
SECTION: Canada Wire
WORD COUNT: 1228

PM banks on cabinet makeoverManitoba most affected by changes to agriculture and Indian affairs


Mia Rabson Mia Rabson Ten Conservative MPs are getting new business cards after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffled his cabinet Tuesday with the hope of injecting momentum into his party's polling numbers.

The remaking of Harper's government put new faces into three of the most influential departments -- defence, foreign affairs and industry.

For Manitobans the most notable changes were in agriculture and Indian affairs.

Gerry Ritz replaced Chuck Strahl in the agriculture portfolio.

Strahl, whose controversial attempt to end the Canadian Wheat Board's barley monopoly failed, was put in charge of Indian affairs.

Harper said the new cabinet -- his third in 18 months -- "presents Canadians with a clear choice; a choice between strong leadership that is moving Canada forward or a weak opposition that would set families and taxpayers back." He said his priorities will continue to be: defending Canada's sovereignty; keeping the economy strong and taxes low; tackling crime; protecting the environment; and strengthening the federation at home and abroad.

The biggest moves included the demotion of Gordon O'Connor -- the embattled defence minister was moved into national revenue.

O'Connor, whose handling of the Afghanistan mission was under heavy opposition fire, was replaced by Peter MacKay.

MacKay, one of the government's most recognizable faces, is seen as a more savvy communicator than O'Connor, who was prone to bumbling.

Manitoba's senior minister, Vic Toews, stayed put as Treasury Board president.

On Tuesday, he acknowledged that O'Connor's move is designed to help the government get its message across to voters.

"Our priorities will not change," said Toews. "It's more a matter of communicating our message." Despite demoting O'Connor, Harper praised the retired general.

"Minister O'Connor has also been the architect of the government's Canada First defence strategy and he's been way ahead of the curve in insisting there be important investments in protecting Canadian sovereignty," Harper said.

Other major moves include Jim Prentice becoming industry minister from Indian affairs and Quebec MP Maxime Bernier taking over foreign affairs from industry.

Opposition leaders all said the shuffle will make no difference because Harper is a micro-manager.

University of Manitoba political science Prof. Kim Speers said Harper seems to give some ministers more leeway than others and would be well-served to loosen the ropes even more.

"It may be more like a five-person show," said Speers. "It would be strategic for Harper to come out more as a team player in the next while so his ministers can run for re-election on their own merits." Manitoba leaders are uncertain about the impact of changes in agriculture and Indian affairs.

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk once called Strahl an "ideological dictator" intent on ramming through the changes to the wheat board regardless of what farmers wanted.

Wowchuk said Tuesday she isn't sure what to expect with Ritz.

"I don't know anything about Gerry," she said. "That's why I look forward to meeting with the new minister." Ritz, 56, was a grain and ostrich farmer and owned a general contracting business before being elected in 1997 as a Reform MP.

Keystone Agricultural Producers President David Rolfe said he hopes Ritz will have a smoother relationship with farm groups than his predecessor.

"Mr. Ritz comes in knowing more about the business than Strahl did," said Rolfe. "It should lead to hopefully more of an understanding between Mr. Ritz and farm groups than there was with Mr. Strahl." He said it is a critical time for farmers with the provinces and Ottawa currently renegotiating the agricultural policy framework, and trying to resolve a number of outstanding trade issues.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans said he's unsure what to expect with Strahl at the helm in Indian affairs.

Strahl is replacing Prentice, considered to be one of the Harper government's brightest lights who received high praise for his delicate handling of what could have been a disastrous file for the Tories.

Prentice was promoted to head up the industry department.

Evans said Prentice was easy to work with, noting he helped fast track treaty-land-entitlement claims, and attempted to meet with aboriginals including attending the AMC's annual assembly.

"I hope minister Strahl will continue to honour the work committed to by Prentice," Evans said.

Toews also praised Prentice for his handling of the Indian affairs file.

"I think he is perhaps the finest minister of Indian affairs we have ever had," Toews said.

The shuffle was seen as an attempt by Harper to improve his minority government's image in the wake of a tough spring in Parliament and its inability to raise its popularity into majority government territory.

In other moves: Josee Verner was promoted to the heritage portfolio from international affairs; Diane Ablonczy entered cabinet as a junior minister responsible for tourism; Bev Oda was demoted to international co-operation from heritage, and Saskatchewan MP Carol Skelton, who had announced she'll retire when the next election is called, was bounced out of cabinet.

-- With files from Canadian Press mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca In the spotlight: Chuck Strahl z Moved to Indian affairs and northern development from agriculture z He led the government's battle to break the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley sales. Now he must work on land claims disputes Peter MacKay z Moved to national defence from foreign affairs z His principal challenge will be Canada's increasingly controversial engagement in the war in Afghanistan Winners: Maxime Bernier z Promoted to the high-profile foreign affairs portfolio from industry z Bernier is expected to explain Canada's foreign policy in Afghanistan to his home province of Quebec Jim Prentice z Moved to the powerful industry post from Indian affairs z Considered to be one of Harper's most trusted officers, Prentice will continue to serve as president of the government's operations committee Gerry Ritz z Promoted to agriculture minister from a junior portfolio over tourism and small business Diane Ablonczy z Entered cabinet as a junior minister, responsible for tourism and small business Josee Verner z Promoted to the heritage portfolio from international affairs z She'll be key in co-ordinating the federal role in upcoming festivities in her hometown, Quebec City, which will celebrate its 400th anniversary Losers: Gordon O'Connor z Demoted from key defence post to revenue minister z He was criticized over his handling of the Afghanistan file, especially the detainee issue.

Bev Oda z Demoted from heritage to international co-operation z Criticized for a weakness at communicating in French and dealing with concerns of Quebec's influential arts and culture communities Carol Skelton z Skelton is the only minister to be dropped from cabinet z The Saskatchewan MP was expected to lose her position as revenue minister after announcing she would not run again Cabinet ministers who stayed put: Robert Nicholson, justice David Emerson, international trade Jean-Pierre Blackburn, labour Gregory Thompson, veterans affairs Marjory LeBreton, government leader in the Senate Monte Solberg, human resources Gary Lunn, natural resources Loyola Hearn, fisheries and oceans Stockwell Day, public safety Vic Toews, Treasury Board president Rona Ambrose, intergovernmental affairs Diane Finley, citizenship and immigration John Baird, environment Jim Flaherty, finance Lawrence Cannon, transport, infrastructure Tony Clement, health Michael Fortier, public works Peter Van Loan, government leader in the House of Commons Jay Hill, secretary of state Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism Helena Guergis, secretary of state for foreign affairs Christian Paradis, secretary of state for agriculture

====


PUBLICATION: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
DATE: 2007.08.15
PAGE: A10
SECTION: Editorial Leaders
WORD COUNT: 514

EDITORIAL - Harper gets to work


Editorial Staff Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled his third cabinet in 18 months on Tuesday. That might be a sign of confused priorities and loyalties, but more likely it is a sign of the peculiar political circumstances in which Mr. Harper, and Canadians generally, find themselves.

To be sure, the shuffle had all the usual trappings of political manoeuvring for perceived advantage. The demotion of Gordon O'Connor from Defence to Revenue was an obvious heave-ho of a political liability.

He should have been fired in April when his mishandling of allegations of torture in Afghanistan sullied the integrity of both the Armed Forces and the government. Promoting Gerry Ritz to Agriculture ensures Saskatchewan a place at the cabinet table following the decision by Carol Skelton to leave politics at the next election. Moving Chuck Strahl to Indian Affairs might mean that he gets a chance to show the negotiating skills he is said to possess, but more likely it means that he is to carry away from Agriculture his Canadian Wheat Board baggage. Maxime Bernier's elevation to Foreign Affairs likely is a reward for competence, but it can't be overlooked that he is from the "nation" of Quebec, where many advocate a greater provincial role in international affairs. And so on.

Canadians, however, have every right to expect that the shuffle is about more than this, and there is some evidence of that.

When Mr. Harper arrived in office 18 months ago, no one expected his minority government to last long, and his first cabinet in many ways reflected that. It was a workman-like effort -- the former brigadier general, Mr. O'Connor, went to Defence, the former justice minister, Manitoba's Vic Toews, went to Justice, the former finance minister, Jim Flaherty, to Finance, the former head of the Indian Claims Commission, Jim Prentice, to Indian Affairs, and so on. But the government did not fall. Rather, it more or less delivered its five priorities and then started to look like it had nothing more to do. The first shuffle likely was never envisioned and occurred when the environment burst onto the political landscape, so to speak.

A fix was made but, still, the prospects of an election remained dim, as they remain today with polls showing an election won't produce a majority government.

With the shuffle Tuesday, it appears that Mr. Harper recognizes that he can't wait for an election to unveil a bigger agenda than the one that brought him this far. Moving Mr. Prentice, widely regarded as his most trusted and one of his most competent ministers, to Industry, and moving Mr. Bernier, a free-market economist, from Industry to Foreign Affairs, suggests that the government intends to push a strong economic development and productivity agenda in a new session this fall. That can't be a bad thing for Canada. Certainly it's a better thing than marking time before a snap election that never comes.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150024
PUBLICATION: The Windsor Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion
PAGE: A6
SOURCE: Windsor Star
WORD COUNT: 286

The Harper shuffle


Peter MacKay's shift to the Defence portfolio is the one move in Stephen Harper's cabinet shuffle that makes a great deal of sense. Under former defence minister Gordon O'Connor, support for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan has wavered, and at least some of the blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the outgoing minister. O'Connor has delivered conflicting messages on the mission's direction and has also appeared to be out of step with Rick Hillier, the armed forces' top general.

MacKay, for his part, is an able communicator and, from the government's standpoint, that is essential if the value of Canada's role in Afghanistan is going to start getting across more effectively.

But overall, Tuesday's cabinet shuffle seems like change for the sake of change -- with the hope that it will somehow help the Conservatives break into majority territory in the polls.

However, that might be a challenge for Harper. According to a SES Research Survey conducted earlier this month, the Tories are stuck at 36 per cent of support while the Liberals have 33 per cent. And, as CanWest News Service reported, a look at federal cabinet shuffles dating back to 1989 shows public support for a government either dropped or remained the same in the months following a shakeup

In the case of the new Harper cabinet, perhaps the real issue is the PM's continuing reluctance to give more authority to those on the front lines and allow them to speak directly to Canadians. So far, Harper has chosen to tightly script his ministers, and closely monitor their public visibility. As the polls suggest, it hasn't been a formula for winning a majority.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150004
PUBLICATION: The Windsor Star
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / FRONT
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 647

Defence minister first cabinet shuffle casualty; Harper braces for Afghan mission backlash


OTTAWA - Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted Tuesday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Har-per also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs.

Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

CONDEMNED

Opposition parties condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition calls for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier-general and ex-defence industry lobbyist has spent his career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Harper said Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals in January 2006.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority.

He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

EMBARRASSING MISTAKE

Opposition parties demanded O'Connor's resignation over his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals; and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, claiming Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda.

"These are cosmetic changes. They're not changing policies at all."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall. The government and opposition parties are divided over the nature and mandate end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now. The Liberals say Canada should already have given notice to NATO allies that Canadian forces will not renew their mandate after February 2009.

Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.

Ottawa Citizen, with files from the Montreal Gazette

====


IDNUMBER 200708150058
PUBLICATION: The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: National
PAGE: C3
ILLUSTRATION:Colour Photo: CanWest News Photo / Gordon O'Connor is swornin as minister of national revenue Tuesday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa ;
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 1176

Cabinet shuffle puts focus on Afghanistan controversy


OTTAWA -- Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted Tuesday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of Opposition demands for his resignation, Harper, who moved O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessperson, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 others have held the job.

Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the Armed Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition parties demanded O'Connor's resignation over his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals, and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, claiming Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

"These are cosmetic changes," he added. "They're not changing policies at all."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are currently being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall. The government and opposition parties are divided over the nature and mandate end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now.

Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.

WINNERS AND LOSERS IN HARPER'S NEW CABINET:

OTTAWA (CNS) -- Three members of the Harper government are big winners, three face demotions and four ministers now find themselves under the microscope with controversial portfolios and new challenges. Here are the highlights of the key changes, winners and losers of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's latest cabinet shuffle.

In the spotlight:

Peter MacKay: Considered to be a potential challenger to Harper's leadership, MacKay, 41, is leaving the foreign affairs portfolio to stick handle around growing public opposition to Canada's military mission in

Afghanistan as the minister of

national defence. MacKay holds onto his responsibilities as chair of the Atlantic Opportunities Agency.

Chuck Strahl: The former agriculture minister led the government's battle to break the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley sales. Strahl, 50, now moves over to the Indian affairs and northern development portfolio, where he must face new controversies on issues such as land claims disputes.

Maxime Bernier: The Beauce, Que., MP moves from one high-profile post in industry to another coveted position as the foreign affairs minister, a position that has rarely been held by Quebecers.

Bernier, 44, will be expected to boost the Harper government's profile in the eyes of Quebecers, as well as explain Canada's foreign policy in Afghanistan to the province.

Jim Prentice: Prentice, 51, gives up the Indian affairs portfolio to take over Bernier's old job in industry. Considered to be one of the prime minister's most trusted officers, Prentice will continue to serve as president of the government's operations committee.

Promotions:

Josee Verner: Leading up to a year when Quebec City will celebrate its 400th anniversary, Verner, 47, appears to get a promotion. She moves from international affairs over to the heritage portfolio, where she could play a key role in co-ordinating the federal role in upcoming festivities in her hometown.

Gerry Ritz: Ritz, 55, was first appointed to a junior position in the January cabinet shuffle to oversee tourism and small businesses. Now he moves up to become a full minister taking over the agriculture portfolio and the government's legal battle with the Canadian Wheat Board.

Diane Ablonczy: A veteran MP first elected as a Reform candidate in 1993, the American-born Ablonczy, 58, finally makes it into cabinet with a junior position that makes her responsible for tourism and small businesses. Previously a parliamentary secretary to the finance minister, Ablonczy was one of many Alberta MPs left off the list of ministers -- until now.

Demotions:

Carol Skelton: An Alliance and Conservative MP in Saskatchewan since 2000, Skelton is the only minister to be dropped from cabinet in the shuffle. Skelton was expected to lose her position as revenue minister after announcing that she would not run in the next federal election.

Bev Oda: Oda, 63, trades places with Verner to take over the international co-operation portfolio. Many thought Oda was underperforming on the heritage file, with a particular weakness at communicating in French and dealing with concerns of Quebec's influential arts and culture communities.

Gordon O'Connor: A favourite target of the opposition and the media, O'Connor has been a sitting duck for months in the defence portfolio. Harper finally pulled him out of the controversial file in the shuffle, moving him over to the low-profile Revenue Department.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150023
PUBLICATION: The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Forum
PAGE: A10
BYLINE: Ahmed Rashid
SOURCE: Washington Post
WORD COUNT: 796

U.S. must back away from Musharraf


Following is the opinion of the writer, a Pakistani journalist and author of Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia.

President Pervez Musharraf was on the verge of imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan last week before being stopped by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and civilian advisers.

It is clear to all in this extremely tense country that power is rapidly flowing away from Musharraf, even as he desperately tries to find a way out of an impossible political impasse.

Declaring a state of emergency would have suspended fundamental rights, placed restrictions on the Supreme Court and delayed this year's elections. It is unlikely that an already angry and mobilized public would have accepted new restrictions, even those imposed by the army, which Musharraf heads. Massive street protests and further mayhem might have ensued.

After eight years as president, Musharraf is battling for survival, refusing to yield power to civilians yet unable to exert the authority he needs to keep the peace at home and still be a useful ally to the West in rooting out Islamic extremists along the border with Afghanistan.

In recent weeks, Musharraf has considered imposing martial law, has tried to cut a power-sharing deal with exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and has enlisted support from U.S. President George W. Bush to dampen the crisis the country has been in since spring, but nothing has worked. Bhutto is backing away from any deal, and her aides describe Musharraf as a drowning man.

Since 2001 the Bush administration has refused to understand that political stability in Pakistan requires a modicum of democracy, a political consensus among the country's various liberal forces and a working relationship among the four provinces before any battle against extremism can succeed.

Washington presumed that because Musharraf wielded the army's power there was no need to push for democracy or bother with civilian politicians. As a result, the Bush administration has lost the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people. (They have become further alienated while watching Pakistan become a whipping boy in debates between U.S. presidential candidates.)

The Bush administration looked away when the army rigged presidential and parliamentary elections in 2002 and ignored the exiling or sidelining of mainstream politicians and political parties by Musharraf.

For the past few months tens of thousands of the country's liberal and secular elite -- lawyers, female activists and political workers -- have protested Musharraf's wrongful suspension of the Supreme Court's chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, in March.

Yet even as our civil society filled the streets, the U.S. State Department and the White House maintained a studied silence -- betraying not only the Pakistani people and democracy but also America's abiding interest in having a stable government in Islamabad that would be a meaningful partner in the war against extremism.

Chaudhry was recently reinstated through a stunning legal decision, a major blow to Musharraf. The Supreme Court is now a wild card, capable of issuing any number of decisions that would make it untenable for Musharraf to continue as president and army chief.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's celebration of Pakistan's 60th anniversary, Americans should have remembered the country's creation was the result of a long democratic struggle against British colonial rule.

In 1945 thousands of Muslim lawyers and members of civil society marched through the streets of British India, demanding a new country. Pakistan was not created by a tin-pot general or by mullahs. And Pakistan should never be compared to Muslim Middle Eastern dictatorships; its people have a long history of battling for democracy, despite a U.S.-backed military that has all too frequently seized power over the years.

Today, Pakistan faces immense problems. There is a full-blown al-Qaida-backed tribal insurgency in the northwest Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan in which more than 200 soldiers have been killed since mid-July, while suicide bombers have twice penetrated Islamabad.

The army, facing civil revolt and plagued by differences of opinion, cannot effectively go after extremists, while Pakistanis have yet to be convinced that this is their war against extremism and not one dictated by Washington.

The United States needs to help bring about a peaceful and fair political transition in Islamabad before it again insists that the army battle al-Qaida. Musharraf needs to shed his uniform, hold elections and declare that he is not a candidate for the presidency. Washington then needs to help ensure that the new elected leadership works with the army to mobilize public support for the struggle against extremism.

Neither the army nor Bhutto can battle the extremists alone and save Pakistan from meltdown. Bhutto understands this, but the army still does not. Bush has to accept that his ally's political days are over -- that it is time to stop equating Musharraf with Pakistan.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150126
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: D6
COLUMN: Fine Tuning - Today on TV
BYLINE: Alex Strachan
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 489

India's bloody partition carries lessons for today


The History Television documentary Road to Partition is not to be confused with the Tom Hanks movie Road to Perdition. This cerebral look at the 1947 division of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh is a serious break from the flightiness of reality-TV dance contests and Hollywood mythmaking, and its timing could not be more apt.

The timing isn't apt just because India was divided into two separate and unequal states 60 years ago this month. It's apt because the present turmoil in Iraq shows no sign of ending soon -- unless, as some foreign-affairs analysts are now saying, Iraq adopts U.S. Senator Joe Biden's proposal to divide Iraq into three separate states, along Sunni, Shiite and Kurd lines.

History would advise caution. As Canadian filmmaker Alan Mendelsohn underscores in The Road to Partition, the separation of India 60 years ago along religious lines seemed like a good idea at the time. India had just won independence from Britain, but discontent lurked beneath the euphoria and growing nationalism.

Muslims believed they would never achieve equality in a Hindu-dominated India, and it fell on the shoulders of three men -- Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first president of Pakistan -- to shape their nations' futures.

Mendelsohn has said his filmmaking style is not revisionist. He doesn't pretend to be an authority, and he's uncomfortable making sweeping statements. With The Road to Partition, he wanted to fill in a knowledge gap of a period in history few know much about, but which many historians believe to be the most significant event in South Asia in the 20th century. The quarrelling over the 1947 partition continues to this day in Kashmir.

The casual viewer could be forgiven for wondering why they should care about something that happened in India 60 years ago, but an understanding of what happened then goes a long way toward understanding what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan today. The Road to Partition is well worth a look. (9 p.m., History Television)

- - -

Would-be hoofer Neil Haskell, fresh off last week's jazz dance to the Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) -- as choreographed by Mandy Moore! -- waltzes his way into tonight's two-night season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Try not to throw out your back on the couch if he wins. (8 p.m., CTV, Fox)

- - -

Amateur ghostbusters Evander Holyfield, Debra Wilson (of MADtv fame) and Julio Iglesias Jr. investigate the ghostly remains of a remote cult community in Celebrity Paranormal Project. Which begs the question: How long does 15 minutes of fame last in the afterlife, anyway? Just asking. (10 p.m., Slice)

- - -

Gentlemen, and manly ladies, start your engines. It's time for NASCAR in Primetime. This is a joke, right? No joke. (10 p.m., ABC)

====


IDNUMBER 200708150105
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: City
PAGE: C6
COLUMN: Jennifer Campbell
ILLUSTRATION:Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 1. Mr. andMs. Baumann. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 2. R. R. P. N. Sahi, left, minister, High Commission of India, and Poonam Sahi. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 3. Sri Lankan High Commissioner W. J. S. Karunaratne and his wife Sriyani Karunaratne. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 4. Kuwaiti Ambassador Musaed Al-Haroun, left, and Yemeni Ambassador Abdulla Nasher. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 5. Tsuneo Nishida, ambassador of Japan, and Ms. Baumann. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 6. Soo-dong Kim, right, ambassador of the Republic of Korea and his wife Ina Yu. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 7. Djoko Hardono, left, ambassador of Indonesia, and Jaime Giron Duarte, ambassador of Colombia. ; Colour Photo: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen / 8. From left: Fameeda Singh, her husband Rajnarine Singh, the high commissioner for Guyana, Ms. Coye, Raymonde Folco, Liberal MP, Laval, and Magdalene Teo, high commissioner for Brunei. ; Colour Photo: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen / 9. Snanchart Devahastin, ambassador of Thailand, and Ms. Coye. ; Colour Photo: Jana Chytilova, The Ottawa Citizen / 10. Irish Ambassador Declan Kelly ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 11. From left, Matshela Molepo, president, Africa Diaspora Canada Association, Vernon Jorssen and Eugene Omboli. ; Colour Photo: Lois Siegel, The Ottawa Citizen / 12. From left, June Girvan, vice president, Black History Ottawa, Godwin Ifedi, president, Black History Ottawa, Sarah Onyango, community relations officer. ; Colour Photo: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen / 13. From left, Mr. Nkomo, Ms. Nkomo and former external affairs minister Flora MacDonald. ;
BYLINE: Jennifer Campbell
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
WORD COUNT: 925

Expert lauds Canadian policy about afghanistan


Canada's policy in Afghanistan has been measured and appropriate, according to the new director of Carleton University's Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies.

"When you look at it from 2001 to the current time and the planning to 2009, it's a proportionate and good response," said Jez Littlewood, who took the job in July.

Mr. Littlewood said he's a big believer in developing policy based on a long-term outlook. He added that he thinks many security problems cannot be solved but, rather, must be managed.

"We can't wish something away. It's not a question of 'OK, here's $10 billion -- solve the problem for me.' It's a question of, 'How we manage a particular issue?' "

When it comes to Afghanistan, he said Canadians should be asking themselves what they will consider a success there.

"It's a question of what are your benchmarks of judging success or failure," he said. "Standing on the sidelines is always very easy for anybody. You can stand on the sidelines and say 'You did this wrong' or 'This part doesn't work.' But when you've got to manage the whole problem and you're part of an international coalition or group that's trying to manage the whole problem, it's very difficult. The perfect solution doesn't exist."

Mr. Littlewood called Canada's policy on Afghanistan difficult to judge for three reasons: because it's a coalition response, because Afghanistan is a country that has a long history of troubles that far pre-date Sept. 11, 2001, and because of the location of the country and its geographic context.

"You're not coming from a base where the country was functioning and suddenly collapsed (six years ago)," he said. "It's a much longer history of issues to be addressed that go well before September 11th and the subsequent toppling of the Taliban regime.

"It's got to be a balance where making the central Afghan government stronger and giving it the power and the ability to respond and govern its own affairs has to be the critical component in longer-term solutions. You've got to accept that building that capacity within Afghanistan takes time and effort and there's always going to be setbacks." People can take those setbacks and say the policy is failing, he said, but added that there has consistently been some movement forward.

Mr. Littlewood said Canadians need to decide whether they can live with the fact that withdrawing could mean the failed state of Afghanistan might someday trigger the resurrection of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, thereby putting Canada more prominently on the target list.

"If Canada withdraws, the question is: What happens? Do you end up with a failing state and say, 'It's not a direct threat to Canada itself so we can live with the failing state and whatever the consequences are.' Or do you say, 'The failing state may see the re-emergence of a Taliban and al-Qaeda nexus, which may result in a safe-haven for planning future international terrorist events where Canada will be on the target list.'? You have to balance that."

Mr. Littlewood said he thinks the argument that if Canada gets out of Afghanistan, the terrorist threat disappears, is "wholly incorrect." He supports longer-term responses as alternatives to the "cycle of short-term military responses.

"I think you have to look at this within the context of a longer time frame. You can't react with good policy based on last week's story."

Helping the Philippines

A charitable organization called ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) is hosting a fund raising event called the GK Walk 2007. Proceeds from the event go to the "Ottawa GK Village" in Mindanao, Philippines. GK stands for gawad kalinga, a Filipino word that means "to give care," and proceeds from various ANCOP fundraising projects have gone toward building a village in Tag-Ibo, in the southern part of the Philippines. Ottawa supporters of ANCOP have transformed a slum area into a decent village for the poor, and it's been named Ottawa GK Village to thank the Canadian contributors.

The walkathon will take place in several cities across Canada on Sept. 8. The capital event starts at Vincent Massey Park at 10 a.m. This is the third year for the walk in Ottawa and an average of 250 walkers in previous events have raised some $15,000 each year. Registration is free but participants should raise pledges. For more information, see www.gkwalkottawa.com or contact Robert Salvador at (613) 558-2920.

Indian Outreach

The Indian High Commission and the Canadian Film Institute are co-hosting an Indian film festival until Aug. 26. The event started last week and continues with a Saturday screening of Ta Ra Rum Pum. The following evening, Guru will be screened, followed by Thanmatra on Aug. 25 and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Aug. 26. All screenings take place at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Jennifer Campbell is a freelance writer and editor in Ottawa.

Reach her at Diplomatica@sympatico.ca .

- - -

Swiss National Day

Swiss Ambassador Werner Baumann and his wife Susanna hosted a reception after a screening of The Alps at the IMAX theatre Aug. 1 in celebration of the Swiss National Day.

Jamaican Independence Day

Jamaican High Commissioner Evadne Coye presided over a gala event at the Hellenic Banquet Centre July 28 to mark the 45th anniversary of Jamaican independence.

Remembering Canal Workers

Irish Ambassador Declan Kelly, right, gave a speech Aug. 6 at the Ottawa Locks, during the annual memorial ceremony for workers and families who died during construction of Rideau Canal.

The African Diaspora in Canada

Nexus Africa and CHIN Radio 97.9 FM hosted a reception Aug. 1 to launch Nexus Africa, a one-hour radio program focusing on the African diaspora community.

Women's Day

To celebrate Women's Day, South African High Commissioner Abraham Nkomo and his wife Marjorie hosted a dinner at the Chateau Laurier Aug. 8.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150045
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A13
COLUMN: Dan Gardner
BYLINE: Dan Gardner
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
WORD COUNT: 1041

We weep for one child soldier, and loathe another


In 1993, Ishmael Beah was a boy -- only 12 years old -- when rebels came to his little village in Sierra Leone. Fleeing into the jungle with others his age, he wandered, starved and tried to make sense of this terrifying new world.

At 13, he joined what was nominally the national army. In reality, it was a heavily armed band of thugs who put rifles in the hands of children, got them stoned on drugs and sent them off to inflict terror.

Fingers and hands chopped off. Prisoners tortured. Children's skulls smashed. Whole villages massacred. The life of a child soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war was one of fear, hate, cruelty and all-consuming madness.

After almost three years in this hell, when the Beah was 15, the world finally showed the boy a little mercy. Fieldworkers with the United Nations pulled Beah from the army and sent him to a rehabilitation centre in the country's capital. The violent, disturbed teenager was counselled by a nurse with a saint's patience and love.

Beah proved to be a lively and intelligent boy. When his fragile new life in the capital was again smashed by the civil war, he fled to New York.

With the help of a dedicated foster mother, he attended the UN's international school and excelled. After that came Oberlin College, which he graduated in 2004 with a degree in politics. Then his life took a turn so wonderful it sounds like the plot of a Ron Howard movie.

He wrote his memoirs. They were published. And they were a massive success. Last week, his book -- A Long Way Gone -- sat at number four on the New York Times bestseller list. It's been on that list for 24 weeks.

It's hard to imagine a more satisfying tale -- which is, of course, why Beah's book is being read so avidly. We weep at the cruelties inflicted on an innocent boy. We weep again, but this time with joy, at his redemption. It is the sweetest justice.

And for that reason, I'm a bit puzzled at the hostility so many Canadians feel for Omar Khadr.

Omar Khadr was born in Toronto. He is a Canadian citizen. He is also an accused terrorist.

In July 2002, Khadr was captured in a fierce firefight in Afghanistan. It is alleged that at the end of this battle, Khadr threw a grenade that killed an American soldier. He has been imprisoned in Guantanamo ever since.

Khadr has never been tried or convicted of any crime, but the United States asserts the right to hold him indefinitely. This past weekend, the Canadian Bar Association called for Khadr to be returned to Canada to face due process here.

One more detail: At the time of his capture, Omar Khadr was 15 years old.

Does that matter? To many Canadians, it does not. There certainly isn't much sympathy for Khadr on talk radio. Following the CBA's call for Khadr's repatriation, the most generous view I heard was that Khadr should be returned, tried and -- emphasis on this last point -- severely punished. The more common preference is for Khadr to be left to rot in Gitmo.

As I said, I find this puzzling. Omar Khadr and Ishmael Beah were both 15 years old when they ceased to bear arms. And while Khadr is accused of having killed one soldier in battle, Beah admits to having killed "too many people to count" -- most of whom were civilians.

And yet we collectively embrace and celebrate Ishmael Beah -- while we so despise Omar Khadr that we want, at the minimum, to see him tried and punished.

Why is that? I'm not entirely sure, though I suspect part of the explanation lies in our feelings for Omar Khadr's family.

What an amazing band of cranks, fanatics and bigots the Khadrs are. They greedily lap up every privilege and benefit of Canadian citizenship while giving this country nothing but sneers and contempt in return. They deserve to be loathed. And they are.

But surely it is obvious that Omar Khadr cannot be blamed for words he did not speak and actions he did not choose. This absolves him of everything the Khadrs have said and done while he was imprisoned. And prior to that, he was a very young boy whose choices in life -- notably moving to Pakistan and Afghanistan to join the terrorists' jihad -- were decided by his father, Ahmed Khadr, a violent religious nut whose control over the family was cult-like. A child born into such circumstances deserves pity and rescue.

Omar Khadr was neither pitied nor rescued and so he found himself in Afghanistan fighting alongside terrorists.

It's often noted that on that fateful day in July 2002, the 15-year-old could have surrendered but did not. Even after the compound he was holed up in was blasted by bombs, even after he was wounded and his comrades killed, Khadr threw the grenade that killed one man and injured another. When the Americans stood over him, he begged to be shot. And so a childhood spent in isolation with dangerous fanatics did what it was intended to do: Omar Khadr had been turned into a dangerous fanatic.

These facts are often cited as proof that Khadr is somehow different than other child soldiers but there's nothing really unusual in this. We imagine child soldiers kill only when leering adults force them but in reality kids who have been indoctrinated and hardened by experience are often loyal, fearless and unspeakably vicious. They are treated as victims, not criminals, for no other reason than that they are children --who, by definition, do not fully understand and choose their actions and cannot be held responsible for them.

But at 15, was Omar Khadr a child? Those who want him punished say no. He knew what he was doing. He was a man.

Ordinarily, I'd respond by pointing out that international law says otherwise. I'd also note the odd fact that many of those who feel strongly about punishing Khadr feel equally strongly that 15-year-olds are far too immature to give meaningful consent to sex.

I might also mention that the same U.S. government imprisoning Khadr has often, in other contexts, referred to 15-year-old soldiers as children. It has even spent millions of dollars rehabilitating Afghan child soldiers who were, at the time of their demobilization, older than Khadr.

But I'll leave all that aside and simply ask anyone who wants Omar Khadr punished as an adult to read A Long Way Gone.

Weep for a 15-year-old killer. Thrill to his rescue. Cheer as he becomes the beautiful young man he is today.

And then, please, explain why we should feel so differently about that other child soldier.

Dan Gardner's column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. E-mail: dgardner@thecitizen.canwest.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150040
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A12
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
WORD COUNT: 262

Defensive shuffle


Gordon O'Connor has joined a rather large club, the high testosterone one of former Canadian defence ministers whose tenure was shorter than they had likely hoped for.

The portfolio has always been a tough one, even in peacetime, because the minister is responsible for the largest department in government. The minister has to deal not only with the normal bureaucratic resistance of a large department, but faces the added challenge of directing a group of people -- the men and women in uniform -- who have their own code of behaviour and deep loyalties to each other.

If the job is difficult in peacetime, it's more so today thanks to Canada's intervention in Afghanistan. We live in a post-9/11 world. A defence minister is charged with defending his or her country, a task that is more complex today than it ever was.

Mr. O'Connor was a plain-spoken defence minister, but clearly a more sophisticated grasp of today's security environment is needed to explain, to Canadians, the importance of Afghanistan. Canadians are divided on whether our role in Afghanistan justifies the cost in blood and treasure. The new minister, Peter MacKay, needs to be able to demystify the campaign in both official languages.

Mr. O'Connor delivered needed equipment and funding to the military, but his difficulty selling the Afghanistan mission to Canadians hurt the government.

His moments of awkwardness have looked bad next to the skilled Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier. There has been confusion about who speaks for the government. Mr. MacKay must make sure that it is the minister.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150015
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A5
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: ***** New Photo *****; Colour Photo: Jean Levac, CanWest News Service / Maxime Bernier arrives to be sworn as foreign affairs minister. He will likely also have to sell the Afghan mission to Quebecers since the new defence minister, Peter MacKay, speaks little French. ;
BYLINE: Elizabeth Thompson
SOURCE: The Montreal Gazette
WORD COUNT: 552

Quebecers gain key cabinet roles; Harper hopes they can sell the war to voters; not likely, says opposition


Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved to shore up his support in Quebec and put a new French face on the war in Afghanistan yesterday, promoting Quebecers into strategic portfolios such as foreign affairs and Canadian heritage.

Peter MacKay takes over from embattled Gordon O'Connor as defence minister, but he is still far from fluent in French. This means it is new Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier, whose father served as Canada's ambassador to Haiti, who will likely be responsible for explaining the mission in Afghanistan in Quebec where 70 per cent of Quebecers oppose the mission.

Opposition to this mission is believed to be one of the reasons the Conservatives have so far failed to make more inroads in Quebec, despite throwing everything from more cash to more powers at the province since they were elected 18 months ago.

Former international co-operation minister Josée Verner trades places with Heritage Minister Bev Oda, who was often criticized for being a unilingual anglophone who didn't know much about French culture.

But while having a heritage minister who speaks French has traditionally been important to Quebecers, Ms. Verner may find herself sandwiched between her own government and the mainstream opinion in Quebec over a number of files -- whether it be financing for festivals that won't come until Quebec's many summer festivals are long over, to financing for women's groups or the future of the CBC and Radio Canada.

However, the move could also prove a windfall for Ms. Verner's region of Quebec City, which has been vigorously lobbying for as much federal cash as possible for next year's 400th anniversary celebrations.

Quebecers were some of the biggest winners yesterday as Mr. Harper shuffled nearly one-third of his cabinet -- demoting a number of ministers like Mr. O'Connor and Ms. Oda who have come under opposition fire, and giving new opportunities to those he believes have performed well in their portfolios.

"Obviously we have ministers in dossiers that are important for Quebecers," said Mr. Harper, pointing out that where Ms. Verner was responsible for international aid, Mr. Bernier now occupies the more senior post of both minister of foreign affairs and minister responsible for the Francophonie. "In my experience, foreign affairs are important for Quebecers."

"Arts and culture are also very important in Quebec and Madame Verner, a Quebecer, has those responsibilities."

Yesterday's shuffle comes as Mr. Harper faces three byelections in Quebec. The Conservatives believe they have a good shot at winning two of them -- Roberval and St. Hyacinthe-Bagot -- which they believe could cool the Bloc Québécois' ardour to vote for the downfall of the government in the near future.

In the third byelection, in the Montreal riding of Outremont, the New Democrats and their star candidate, former Quebec environment minister Thomas Mulcair, have been trying hard to make the vote a referendum on Canada's role in Afghanistan.

Critics, however, were unanimous in their belief that yesterday's shuffle will have little impact on either the byelections or the government's popularity. The problem is not the spokespeople for the Afghan mission or the government's policies, but the mission and the policies themselves, said Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, New Democrat leader Jack Layton and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe in a rare show of unity.

To view a video report on the cabinet shuffle, go to Today's Videos at ottawacitizen.com

====


IDNUMBER 200708150013
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A4
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: Chuck Strahl and Peter MacKay; Photo: Maxime Bernier ; Photo: Jim Prentice ; Photo: Josee Verner ; Photo: Gerry Ritz ; Photo: Diane Ablonczy ; Photo: Carol Skelton ; Photo: Bev Oda ; Photo: Gordon O'Connor ;
BYLINE: Mike De Souza
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
WORD COUNT: 508

Stephen Harper's new team; Three members of the Harper government are big winners, three face demotions, while four ministers now find themselves under the microscope with controversial portfolios and new challenges. Mike De Souza outlines the highlights of the key changes, winners and losers of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's latest cabinet shuffle.


In the Spotlight

Peter MacKay

Considered to be a potential challenger to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's leadership, Mr. MacKay, 41, is leaving the Foreign Affairs portfolio to stick handle around growing public opposition to Canada's mission in Afghanistan as the minister of national defence. Mr. MacKay holds onto his responsibilities as chair of the Atlantic Opportunities Agency.

Chuck Strahl

The former agriculture minister led the government's battle to break the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley sales. Mr. Strahl, 50, now moves over to the Indian affairs and northern development portfolio where he must face new controversies on issues such as land claims disputes.

Maxime Bernier

The Beauce, Que., MP moves from one high-profile post in industry to another coveted position as the foreign affairs minister, a position that has rarely been held by Quebecers. Mr. Bernier, 44, will be expected to boost the Harper government's profile in the eyes of Quebecers, as well as to explain Canada's foreign policy in Afghanistan to his home province.

Jim Prentice

Mr. Prentice, 51, gives up the Indian affairs portfolio to take over Maxime Bernier's old job in industry. Considered to be one of the prime minister's most trusted officers, Mr. Prentice will continue to serve as president of the government's operations committee.

Promoted

Josee Verner

Leading up to a year when Quebec City will celebrate its 400th anniversary, Ms. Verner, 47, appears to get a promotion. She moves from international affairs over to the heritage portfolio where she could play a key role in co-ordinating the federal role in upcoming festivities in her hometown.

Gerry Ritz

Mr. Ritz, 55, was first appointed to a junior position in the January cabinet shuffle to oversee tourism and small businesses. Now he moves up to become a full minister taking over the agriculture portfolio and the government's legal battle with the Canadian Wheat Board.

Diane Ablonczy

A veteran MP first elected as a Reform candidate in 1993, the American-born Ms. Ablonczy, 58, makes it into cabinet with a junior position that makes her responsible for tourism and small businesses. Previously a parliamentary secretary to the finance minister, Ms. Ablonczy was one of many Alberta MPs that left off the list of ministers -- until now.

Demoted

Carol Skelton

An Alliance and Conservative MP in Saskatchewan since 2000, Ms. Skelton is the only minister to be dropped from cabinet in the shuffle. Ms. Skelton was expected to lose her position as revenue minister after announcing that she would not run in the next federal election.

Bev Oda

Ms. Oda, 63, trades places with Ms. Verner to take over the international co-operation portfolio. Many thought Ms. Oda was underperforming on the heritage file, with a particular weakness at communicating in French and dealing with concerns of Quebec's influential arts and culture communities.

Gordon O'Connor

A favourite target of the opposition and the media, Mr. O'Connor has been a sitting duck for months in the defence portfolio. Mr. Harper finally pulled him out of the controversial file in the shuffle, moving him over to the low-profile revenue department.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150003
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / FRONT
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: The Great Seal of Canada;
BYLINE: Chris Cobb, with files from Richard Foot
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
WORD COUNT: 1094

Retired general had to tiptoe through a political minefield; Facing an unpopular war and a fight over the Arctic, the odds were against O'Connor, Chris Cobb writes.


Gordon O'Connor's fate as defence minister had likely been sealed since early spring.

The now shuffled former defence minister was charged from the first days of the Conservative government with stickhandling the Canadian military's ever-expanding, increasingly unpopular Afghanistan mission while simultaneously battling fellow ministers for a massive increase in military spending and developing a plausible policy to defend Canada's Arctic sovereignty.

But for the retired brigadier-general, turned lobbyist, turned politician, the defence portfolio became a minefield of political mishaps exacerbated by an increasingly bristly relationship with the formidable and charismatic Chief of Defence Gen. Rick Hillier.

"O'Connor got a bad rap," said Scott Taylor, publisher of the military affairs magazine Esprit de Corps. "The military was already committed to an unwinnable war in Afghanistan and instead of questioning the commitment when they came in, they took heavy casualties and Harper flew over there and said 'we don't cut and run.' They came in on an election platform of Arctic first and suddenly it was Afghanistan now. Those were O'Connor's marching orders."

Military analyst Wesley Wark agrees that the odds were stacked against Mr. O' Connor, but says the Ottawa area minister was also author of his own misfortune.

"He never seemed to fully master his brief," said Mr. Wark, "and there were too many occasions when he was caught with the information he had and the way he conveyed it in Parliament. He made the government look bad and vulnerable during question period. And it seems clear that a showdown was coming between him and Hillier, especially over Afghanistan policy. It was clear one of them had to go."

Mr. O'Connor's most significant achievement, added Mr. Wark, was the policy he developed on Arctic security.

"People underestimate the degree to which that was a difficult sell in Ottawa," he said. "Northern security can be a politically popular topic because it is Canada putting its foot down as an independent nation, but it comes with a very big price tag. O'Connor wanted to step up and pay that price in terms of military hardware and military capacity. It was no mean achievement and people might look back and see him as the person who pushed the northern dimension of Canadian foreign and defence policy."

Being defence minister during a "hot war" is a thankless job, said Doug Bland, the chair of Defence Management Studies at Queen's University.

"I would say that a lot of ministers were living in dread that they might be appointed to defence," Mr. Bland said. "It is a very difficult portfolio where things can easily go wrong -- and the employees are armed.

"Right now I'm sure many consider it a poisoned chalice."

Mr. Bland, who has authored a definitive history of the leadership of the Defence Department, agreed that Mr. O'Connor does not deserve the bad rap he has endured in the media and said Mr. Harper should have stood by his minister rather than shuffle him out.

Mr. O'Connor's high profile political missteps -- notably his apology for misleading the House of Commons on the fate of Afghan detainees, confusion over funeral expenses for soldiers killed in action and barely-controlled public spats with Mr. Hillier -- overshadowed what might become his longer-term achievements.

"O'Connor was faced with the daunting task of addressing 30 years of neglect all at once," said Mr. Taylor. "The Paul Martin Liberals put more money into the military and the Conservatives put in even more. But it isn't just about money. You can't do a transformation, re-equipment, increased recruitment and commit to Afghanistan all at the same time. Five years from now when the equipment is in use and the new recruits are trained and other things are flushed out, O'Connor might start to look like a hero."

Mr. O'Connor did a reasonable job of managing the relationship with Gen. Hillier, added Mr. Taylor, but was no match for the chief of defence staff's charisma, communication skills or political smarts.

"He came across as incompetent," said Mr. Taylor. "Hillier takes the Stanley Cup and Rick Mercer over to Afghanistan and then O'Connor turns up and looks like Mr. Magoo by comparison. Usually you have this stiff, ramrod general and the charismatic politician who charms the crowds. With O'Connor and Hillier it was the other way around."

But it's some indication of the daunting task facing new Defence Minister Peter MacKay that Mr. O'Connor had the unarguable advantage of a military background. The military resents any kind of civilian oversight, said Mr. Taylor.

"It runs counter to the way they want to operate," he said. "In the past, they have been able to bamboozle defence ministers. They give them flight suits with their names on them and fly them around to all the bases. While they're being whisked around learning the job, they are also neglecting the job and the military is happily doing its own thing. O'Connor was different. At least he had a vision and he didn't need to go for an F-18 ride or a trip in the back of a truck because he had done all that. He just got stuck in."

Mr. MacKay's first task should be to reach an understanding with Gen. Hillier over who speaks for the government, said Mr. Wark, who is a professor with the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto.

"There are legitimate concerns about how he (Gen. Hillier) is too outspoken and has slipped away from political control -- in terms of who explains government policy to Canadians," said Mr. Wark. "In Canadian and most western governments that is in the hands of civilian ministers. Hillier is very close to the line that needs to be drawn in the sand between what you want from the military, which is plain speaking and truthful accounts, and the principle of civilian control and authority. He hasn't stepped over the line yet but he's very close."

Great Seal a Perk for Prentice

Many MPs left Rideau Hall with new jobs yesterday, but only one got to take the Great Seal of Canada with him.

Jim Prentice, the new industry ministry, is keeper of the seal, a 3.75-kilogram, tempered steel stamp used on all state documents and proclamations. It is wielded by the Registrar General of Canada, a position that goes with the job of Industry minister.

The seal befuddled commentators on CBC Newsworld, who referred to Mr. Prentice being given "something symbolic" during yesterday's cabinet swearing in ceremony. Mr. Prentice moved to industry from Indian affairs, replacing Maxime Bernier who is the new foreign affairs minister.

The seal was struck at the beginning of the Queen's reign in 1952 and features an effigy of the Queen on her coronation throne holding her orb and sceptre.

Source: Canadian Heritage website

====


IDNUMBER 200708150002
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / FRONT
ILLUSTRATION:Colour Photo: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen / GordonO'Connor and Peter MacKay arrive at Rideau Hall yesterday for their cabinet swearing-in ceremonies. Mr. O'Connor was shuffled out of defence -- a demotion widely anticipated following his political missteps on the war in Afghanistan -- and Mr. MacKay was moved in. ; Colour Photo: Chris Wattie, Reuters / Gordon O'Connor and Peter MacKay arrive at Rideau Hall yesterday for their cabinet swearing-in ceremonies. Mr. O'Connor was shuffled out of defence -- a demotion widely anticipated following his political missteps on the war in Afghanistan -- and Mr. MacKay was moved in. ;
BYLINE: Juliet O'Neill
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen; with files from The Montreal Gazette
WORD COUNT: 816

Harper bolsters front line; PM makes move to tackle Afghan war controversy


Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted yesterday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josée Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Mr. Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling Mr. O'Connor out of the line of fire after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Mr. Harper, who moved Mr. O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Mr. Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Mr. Harper said Mr. Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

Mr. Harper reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, into his third cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January 2006 federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, Mr. Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ms. Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she will not seek re-election. All opposition leaders condemned Mr. Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Mr. Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Mr. Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While Mr. O'Connor had secured cabinet approval of more than $20 billion worth of equipment for the military, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Mr. Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition parties demanded Mr. O'Connor's resignation over his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals, and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the cabinet shuffle. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe said, claiming Mr. Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

"These are cosmetic changes," he added. "They're not changing policies at all."

Green leader Elizabeth May dismissed the announcement as "another image-building exercise that ultimately signifies nothing." She predicted Mr. Harper would retain "his white-knuckle grip on every policy decision."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are currently being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall. The government and opposition parties are divided over the nature and mandate end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now. The Liberals say Canada should already have given notice to

NATO allies that Canadian forces will not renew their mandate after February 2009. Mr. Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.

Mr. Dion said he was pleased that Mr. O'Connor was replaced, but not pleased with Mr. Harper's mixed messages about the end of the military mission.

"He has also spent 10 times more on the combat side than the humanitarian side, and has engaged in a divisive with-us-or-against-us campaign that brands any critic of the mission as a Taliban supporter," Mr. Dion said. "Pulling Mr. O'Connor from that portfolio does not change all that."

====


IDNUMBER 200708150161
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1
COLUMN: Colby Cosh
ILLUSTRATION:Color Photo: / (See hardcopy for Photo Description);
BYLINE: Colby Cosh
SOURCE: National Post
NOTE:Full coverage, Page A4Editorial, A14 Corcoran, FP17
WORD COUNT: 728

Tories positioned for election march; Harper Moves Strong Performers Up In Cabinet


Some Cabinet shuffles are referred to metaphorically as "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." Yesterday's federal shuffle could perhaps be best described as reupholstering the Spruce Goose.

Stephen Harper's government remains a well-designed machine that has yet to take flight in the Canadian imagination; since it began, the standings of the various parties in the polls have remained almost creepily static.

It seems not many voters are changing their minds, and that's perhaps a little odd, since the further we get from the smouldering crater of Adscam, the more our parliamentarians are preoccupied with debating actual, substantive policy issues.

Surely even a Liberal would have to admit that it's a welcome change to have a government that doesn't subject itself to cringe-making ethical humiliations quite so often. Canada's New Government, odious though the slogan may be, still possesses a little of that new-car smell.

And by both luck and design, the national-unity distraction has been successfully secreted in the background for the moment, allowing the parties to engage in a relatively honest, free battle of ideological principles.

Stephen Harper's new Cabinet (does that make this Canada's New New Government?) is not difficult to understand: it is all about election preparedness.

This is not meant to suggest that there is an election right around the corner.

Attracting marginal voters is now so difficult for the government that "preparedness" has to start very early, and it arguably has to be the main concern for the remaining life of the parliamentary minority.

It is not a coincidence that with the Van Doos in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister has moved a Quebecer (Maxime Bernier) into Foreign Affairs and shifted the comfortably bilingual Peter MacKay to Defence.

Those portfolios share the burden of convincing Quebec that Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan are not kill-crazed Colonel Blimps, but armed peacemakers who are trying, with some success, to establish universal liberal and democratic principles in a place where the absence of those principles has threatened the world's safety.

Mr. Bernier's promotion represents a gamble with a posting that is usually reserved -- in all countries -- for experienced insiders with long and deep political backgrounds.

But from a right-wing vantage point, Mr. Bernier might have been the single strongest Conservative ministerial performer so far, and some may even regret that he hasn't been given another important domestic file.

The other standout in the Harper Cabinet was arguably Jim Prentice, who takes over from Mr. Bernier at Industry.

He leaves Indian Affairs having made changes that will resonate for generations -- facilitating home ownership on reserves, reforming the land-claims process and setting a timetable for both the ministry and its band clients to come under human rights law.

The Chretien and Martin governments combined did not accomplish a hundredth as much, despite grand plans of their own; it was Mr. Prentice who had the skill and the prime ministerial backing to navigate the most dangerous, intractable matrix of interest groups in Canadian public life.

Simply put, Mr. Harper is putting his stars front and centre the way a baseball manager works his best athletes into the skill positions.

It is notable that only one legitimate dud, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, had to have his responsibilities seriously curtailed (at Revenue, he will largely be answering to Finance).

At the outset of Mr. Harper's term, I thought that meeting the traditional geographic requirements of Cabinet-making would be a challenge for him. His most experienced, trusted and cam-era-ready personnel were mostly from the West.

But he seems to have been a fairly decent judge of ability -- we will set aside the questions about John Baird, who, to put it politely, brings unique talents to the unique Environment portfolio -- and despite the hype behind yesterday's shuffle, he didn't drop anybody outright.

As Mr. Harper must have foreseen, the criticisms of David Emerson's floor traversal and of Rona Ambrose's performance as environment minister are quickly becoming historical footnotes; he has left enough time for Mr. O'Connor to become one, too.

Concerns about nutbar explosions are an all-but-forgotten feature of the party. And my suspicion is that the Prime Minister is perfectly happy with the flat polling numbers. The Conservatives, for many reasons, should be at their strongest after the writ is dropped.

When that happens, their everyday bureaucratic communications specialists, who are awful, will take a back seat to their speech writers and creative people, who are pretty good.

The Conservatives have a bigger war chest and command of the Internet. They possess the incumbency advantage. And just look who they're running against. Starting from the same level of national support they got at the last election isn't a disadvantage; it's an opportunity.
KEYWORDS: PRIME MINISTERS; POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT;CANADA

====


IDNUMBER 200708150151
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: Canada
PAGE: A4
ILLUSTRATION:Black & White Photo: / (See hardcopy for Photo Description); Black & White Photo: Chris Wattie, Reuters / Peter MacKay, left, sits beside Gordon O'Connor during a Cabinet swearing-in ceremony yesterday in Ottawa. ;
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BYLINE: Juliet O'neill
SOURCE: CanWest News Service
WORD COUNT: 749

DEFENCE BOSS BUSTED DOWN TO REVENUE; Gordon O'connor; 'It's Time For Him To Have Some Other Experiences': PM


OTTAWA - Gordon O'Connor was demoted yesterday and replaced as Defence Minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a Cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josee Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to the heritage portfolio.

Opposition parties immediately accused Mr. Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.

While pulling Mr. O'Connor out of the defence file after months of opposition demands for his resignation, Mr. Harper, who moved Mr. O'Connor to the revenue portfolio, said the 68-year-old retired brigadier-general and former defence industry lobbyist has spent his entire career in the military sector and "it's time for him to have some other experiences."

Mr. Bernier, a 44-year-old lawyer and businessman, is only the fifth Quebecer to serve as foreign affairs minister in a century in which 28 Canadians have held the job. Mr. Harper said Mr. Bernier "has earned a new challenge."

The Prime Minister reassigned nine of his 31 ministers and brought in one backbencher, widely respected Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy, in his third Cabinet since defeating the Liberals and assuming power after the January, 2006, federal election.

At a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony attended by about 60 officials, families and friends at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor-General, Mr. Harper said Afghanistan is the government's most important military and foreign aid priority. He said the shuffle signals "continuity of government" and not changes in policy. "We intend to stay the course," he declared.

Ms. Ablonczy's appointment to the junior portfolio of small business and tourism partly offset the loss from Cabinet of Carol Skelton, a Saskatchewan MP and former revenue minister who announced she is not running again. All opposition leaders condemned Mr. Harper for not taking the opportunity to appoint more women.

Mr. Harper bumped Bev Oda from the heritage portfolio to international co-operation. The industry portfolio was given to Jim Prentice, whose responsibilities for Indian affairs and northern development were passed to Chuck Strahl. Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz inherited Mr. Strahl's agriculture portfolio.

While Mr. O'Connor had secured Cabinet approval of more than $20-billion worth of equipment for the Canadian Forces, he lost his footing in recent months with a series of political missteps related to Afghanistan -- a mission Mr. Harper inherited from the Liberals.

Opposition parties called for Mr. O'Connor's resignation for his erroneous claim that the Red Cross was monitoring the treatment of Taliban detainees captured by Canadian troops and handed to Afghan authorities; an unpopular attempt to ban media coverage of the funerals of combat casualties from Afghanistan; an embarrassing mistake about government payments to military families for funerals, and statements -- later contradicted by Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff -- suggesting that Quebec troops will be training Afghan soldiers rather than fighting Taliban insurgents on the front lines.

Opposition leaders, saying they seek changed policies, not changed personalities, declared they were not impressed by the Cabinet shuffle. Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he would welcome the changes if they were accompanied by an announcement that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be prolonged past the scheduled end of its mandate in February, 2009.

"There's absolutely no change with this shuffle," Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said, adding Mr. Harper has merely "reaffirmed his militarist agenda."

"These are cosmetic changes," he added. "They're not changing policies at all."

Green Party leader Elizabeth May dismissed the announcement as "another image-building exercise that ultimately signifies nothing."

About 2,500 mostly Quebec-based soldiers are being deployed for a six-month rotation in Afghanistan, which promises to be one of the hottest files when Parliament returns in the fall. The government and opposition parties are divided about the mission and when it should end.

The New Democratic Party has called for withdrawal of Canadian troops now. The Liberals say Canada should already have given notice to NATO allies that Canadian forces will not renew their mandate after February, 2009. Mr. Harper has said he will not act without consulting the Commons.
KEYWORDS: POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT; CANADA

====


IDNUMBER 200708150133
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: World
PAGE: A12
ILLUSTRATION:Color Photo: / (See hardcopy for Photo Description); Color Photo: Aamir Qureshi, AFP, Getty Images / Pakistani youths sing in Islamabad yesterday on the 60th anniversary of the subcontinent's independence from Britain and the creation of Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India. ;
DATELINE: ISLAMABAD
BYLINE: Isambard Wilkinson
SOURCE: The Daily Telegraph
WORD COUNT: 544

PAKISTAN MARKS 60TH ANNIVERSARY; Created On Aug. 14, 1947; Celebrations Muted Amid Rising Islamist Tensions


ISLAMABAD - Pakistan celebrated the 60th anniversary of its creation with military parades and 21-gun salutes yesterday against a backdrop of rising Islamist tensions and a President struggling for survival.

In the capital, Islamabad, cannons fired a salute at daybreak, marking the start of ceremonies to celebrate Aug. 14, 1947, when the subcontinent won its independence from Britain and was partitioned into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-dominated India.

In Karachi, the country's largest city, military cadets ceremonially changed the guard at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder. Flag-raising ceremonies and more 21-gun salutes occurred across the country.

The celebrations were muted, however, as the anniversary was overshadowed by the threat of attacks by Islamic militants and national and international political tensions pushing the President, General Pervez Musharraf, to the breaking point of his power.

The Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, used the occasion to show patriotic indignation at recent threats by U.S. politicians who said the United States would not rule out launching unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda on Pakistani soil.

"We will never allow any foreign power to interfere in our frontiers," said Mr. Aziz.

He also reacted to a recent U.S. media report claiming that American officials were concerned about the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

"Our nuclear assets are symbols of our national honour and sovereignty. The nation has always displayed solidarity and unity for them," he said. "And we will never tolerate that anyone should look with a dirty eye at our nuclear assets."

Gen. Musharraf, a close U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, is seeking another term as the military head of state, but faces the toughest challenge to his rule since taking power in a 1999 coup.

The military ruler's bid to remove the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, backfired, drawing street protests and calls for greater democracy. He was forced to back down from declaring a state of emergency last week.

Senior members of his own ruling party have also turned against him. Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, a vice-president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, said Gen. Musharraf was no longer acting in the interests of Pakistan. "He is only acting in his own interest," he said.

In a statement marking the anniversary, the President urged Pakistanis to reject extremism at the coming elections.

"I urge all Pakistani citizens to get involved in the electoral process and become the instruments of enlightened moderation in their beloved country," Gen. Musharraf said.

Gloomy media debates on the state of Pakistan dwelt on how far the country has failed to live up to the secular standards of Mr. Jinnah, a punctilious, anglicized lawyer.

"We have not met Jinnah's standard. He was a very enlightened, moderate, modern man," said Sharifuddin Pirzada, who served as Mr. Jinnah's private secretary in the 1940s and continues to advise the government.

Newspapers were packed with opinion pieces analyzing Pakistan's 60 years. Many focused on what one commentator called an "orgy of pessimism" surrounding Pakistan's troubled years of military rule and struggles with democracy.

"True, we have made blunder after blunder, committed terrible crimes against our own people," Dawn newspaper said in one editorial.

"All said and done, there has been progress, though, admittedly, the rate could have been faster."

Pakistan is the product of two lines drawn by British officials. Its disputed border with Afghanistan, the Durand Line, was drawn in 1893. The India-Pakistan border was drawn in 1947.

Many invoked Pakistan's favourite poet, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, who wrote of independence: "This leprous daybreak, dawn night's fangs have mangled, this is not that long-looked-for break of day."
KEYWORDS: FOREIGN RELATIONS; TERRITORIAL ISSUES; TERRORISM; ARMAMENTS;NUCLEAR WEAPONS; VIOLENCE

====


IDNUMBER 200708150126
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: News
PAGE: A13
COLUMN: World Report
ILLUSTRATION:Black & White Photo: / (See hardcopy for Photo Description);
DATELINE: KABUL
SOURCE: Reuters
WORD COUNT: 249

FREED KOREAN HOSTAGES TO RETURN HOME 'VERY SOON'


KABUL -Two South Korean women freed by Taliban kidnappers, pictured, are in good condition and were undergoing medical checks in Afghanistan yesterday before flying home "very soon," a Korean embassy spokesman said. They were the first hostages to be released by the Taliban, who seized 23 Korean church volunteers from a bus in Ghazni province on the main road south from the capital Kabul last month. Two male hostages have been killed. "[The women] are in a good condition and they are staying in a safe place under our protection and are undergoing medical checks," the spokesman said. He said they would return to Korea "very soon, but still their flight schedule has not been fixed yet." Roh Moo-hyun, the South Korean President, thanked officials who worked to secure the release. "I hope it is a good indication for the release of all the others," he said. The Taliban said they had freed the two women as they were seriously ill. The release was also a gesture of goodwill to encourage the Afghan government to free rebel prisoners in exchange for the remaining 19 captives, 16 of them women. The kidnappers have threatened to kill the remaining hostages if their demand is not met.
KEYWORDS: HOSTAGES; WAR; FOREIGN RELATIONS; FAMILY REUNIONS; NUCLEARWEAPONS; KOREAN WAR; SUMMIT CONFERENCES

====


IDNUMBER 200708150122
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: Editorials
PAGE: A14
SOURCE: National Post
WORD COUNT: 402

Well-shuffled


Cabinet shuffles often are tame affairs in Canadian politics, reflecting more the internal machinations of the governing party than the direction of the government. That was certainly true in Jean Chretien's day, when he typically would tinker with his lineup by elevating one or two loyalist back-benchers who hadn't yet been enlisted in the Paul Martin cabal.

Yesterday's Cabinet changes are more important. Eleven Cabinet posts have changed hands. The three most significant involve Gordon O'Connor, who has been demoted to Revenue Minister from Defence; Maxime Bernier moving from Industry to Foreign Affairs; and Peter MacKay taking on the Ministry of Defence.

Mr. Bernier, who often has been the face of the Conservative government in Quebec, has made a strong impression since his election in 2006. It was Mr. Bernier who recently deregulated local telephone rates in Canada and opened the door to more competition in the telecom sector, a move former Liberal governments resisted for years. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bernier promises to put a fresh and welcome face forward for Canada on the global stage, where a strong advocate for free markets will serve Canada's interests as a trading nation. He may also play a role in selling the Afghanistan war to pacifist Quebecers.

Mr. O'Connor's departure from defence is not a surprise. As defence minister, Mr. O'Connor did not effectively explain to Canadians why their soldiers were fighting a war against the Taliban. Moreover, many critics were unable to get beyond his previous status as general and defence lobbyist.

That Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked Mr. MacKay to take over defence is good news. That ministry needs a high-profile minister who can talk about our Afghan mission in the broader context of its importance to the international community and how Canadians are improving the lives of ordinary Afghans. Mr. MacKay's appointment to this post strengthens our hope that this government is committed to Afghanistan for the long haul.

Together, these changes suggest Mr. Harper is determined to better manage his government's performance when Parliament resumes in September. For months now, the government has seemed to be adrift. One hopes this Cabinet shuffle will help it regain some of the dynamism and sharp focus it had during its first months in office.
KEYWORDS: POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT; CANADA

====


IDNUMBER 200708150120
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: National
SECTION: Editorials
PAGE: A14
COLUMN: Christopher Hitchens
ILLUSTRATION:Black & White Photo: AFP, Getty Images / Abu Musabal-Zarqawi ;
BYLINE: Christopher Hitchens
SOURCE: Slate.com
WORD COUNT: 1094

From Baghdad to Kabul, it's the same good fight


Over the past few months, I have been debating Roman Catholics who differ from their Eastern Orthodox brethren on the nature of the Trinity, Protestants who are willing to quarrel bitterly with one another about election and predestination, with Jews who cannot concur about a covenant with God and with Muslims who harbour bitter disagreements over the discrepant interpretations of the Koran. Arcane as these disputes may seem, and much as I relish seeing the faithful fight among themselves, the believers are models of lucidity when compared to the hairsplitting secularists who cannot accept that al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, which has staged some of Iraq's deadliest suicide bombings since 2003, is a branch of al-Qaeda itself.

Objections to this self-evident fact take one of two forms.

It is argued, first, that there was no such organization before the coalition intervention in Iraq. It is argued, second, that the character of the gang itself is somewhat autonomous from, and even independent of, the original group proclaimed by Osama bin Laden. These objections sometimes, but not always, amount to the suggestion that the "real" fight against al-Qaeda is, or should be, not in Iraq but in Afghanistan. (I say "not always," because many of those who argue the difference are openly hostile to the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as to the presence of coalition soldiers in Iraq.)

The facts as we have them are not at all friendly to this view of the situation, whether it be the "hard" view that al-Qaeda terrorism is a "resistance" to Western imperialism or the "soft" view that we have only created the monster in Iraq by intervening there.

The founder of al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia (AQM) was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who we can now gratefully describe as "the late." The first thing to notice about him is that he was in Iraq before we were. The second thing to notice is that he fled to Iraq only because he, and many others like him, had been driven out of Afghanistan. Thus, by the logic of those who say that Afghanistan is the "real" war, he would have been better left as he was. Without the overthrow of the Taliban, he and his collaborators would not have moved to take advantage of the next failed/rogue state. I hope you can spot the simple error of reasoning that is involved in this belief.

As it happens, we also know that Zarqawi-- who probably considered himself a rival to bin Laden as well as an ally -- wrote from Iraq to bin Laden and to his henchman Ayman al-Zawahiri and asked for the local "franchise" to call himself the leader of AQM. This dubious honour he was duly awarded. We further know that he authored a plan for the wrecking of the new Iraq: a simple strategy to incite civil murder between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. The incredible evil of this proposal, which involved the blowing up of holy places and the assassination of pilgrims, was endorsed from whatever filthy cave these deliberations are conducted in. As a

matter of fact, we even know that Zawahiri and his boss once or twice counselled Zarqawi to hold it down a bit, especially on the video-butchery and the excessive zeal in the murder of Shiites. Thus, if there is any distinction to be made between the apple and the tree, it would involve saying that AQM is, if anything, even more virulent and sadistic and nihilistic than its parent body.

And this very observation leads to a second one, which has been well-reported and observed by journalists who are highly skeptical about the invasion. In provinces like Anbar, and in areas of Baghdad, even Sunni militants have turned away in disgust and fear from the AQM forces. It's not difficult to imagine why this is: Try imagining life for a day under the village rule of such depraved and fanatical elements.

To say that the attempt to Talibanize Iraq would not be happening at all if coalition forces were not present is to make two unsafe assumptions and one possibly suicidal one. The first assumption is that the vultures would never have gathered to feast on the decaying cadaver of the Saddamist state, a state that was in a process of implosion well before 2003. All our experience of countries like Somalia and Sudan, and indeed of Afghanistan, argues that such an assumption is idiotic. It is in the absence of international attention that such nightmarish abnormalities flourish. The second assumption is that the harder we fight them, the more such cancers metastasize. This appears to be contradicted by all the experience of Iraq. Fallujah or Baqubah might already have become the centres of an ultra-Taliban ministate, as they at one time threatened to do, whereas now not only have thousands of AQM goons been killed but local opinion appears to have shifted decisively against them and their methods.

The third assumption, deriving from the first two, would be that if coalition forces withdrew, the AQM gangsters would lose their raison d'etre and have nothing left to fight for. I think I shall just leave that assumption lying where it belongs: on the damp floor of whatever asylum it is where foolish and wishful opinions find their eventual home.

If I am right about this, an enormous prize is within our reach. We can not only deny the clones of bin Ladenism a military victory in Iraq, we can also discredit them in the process and in the eyes (and with the help) of a Muslim people who have seen them up close. We can do this, moreover, in a keystone state of the Arab world that guards a chokepoint -- the Gulf--in the global economy.

As with the case of Afghanistan -- where several provinces are currently on a knife-edge between an elected government that at least tries for schools and vaccinations, and the forces of uttermost darkness that seek to negate such things -- the struggle will take all our nerve and all our intelligence. But who can argue that it is not the same battle in both cases, and who dares to say that it is not worth fighting?
KEYWORDS: TERRORISM; INVESTIGATIONS; WAR

====


IDNUMBER 200708150071
PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial / Op-Ed
PAGE: A19
ILLUSTRATION:Photo: KARIM SAHIB, AGENCE-FRANCE PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES /Iraqi soldiers celebrate in Baghdad after hearing of the death of Al-Qa'ida leader Musab al-Zarqawi. ;
KEYWORDS: TERRORISM; WAR; CONSPIRACY; NUCLEAR WEAPONS
BYLINE: CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
SOURCE: Freelance
WORD COUNT: 1103

Sons of bin Laden; The terrorists doing their evil deeds in Iraq are the same old Al-Qa'ida bunch


Over the past few months, I have been debating Roman Catholics who differ from their Eastern Orthodox brethren on the nature of the Trinity, Protestants who are willing to quarrel bitterly with one another about election and predestination, with Jews who cannot concur about a covenant with God, and with Muslims who harbour bitter disagreements over the discrepant interpretations of the Quran.

Arcane as these disputes might seem, and much as I relish seeing the faithful fight among themselves, the believers are models of lucidity when compared to the hair-splitting secularists who cannot accept that Al-Qa'ida in Mesopotamia is a branch of Al-Qa'ida itself.

Objections to this self-evident fact take one of two forms. It is argued, first, that there was no such organization before the coalition intervention in Iraq. It is argued, second, that the character of the gang itself is somewhat autonomous from, and even independent of, the original group proclaimed by Osama bin Laden.

These objections sometimes, but not always, amount to the suggestion that the "real" fight against Al-Qa'ida is, or should be, not in Iraq but in Afghanistan. (I say "not always," because many of those who argue the difference are openly hostile to the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as to the presence of coalition soldiers in Iraq.)

The facts as we have them are not at all friendly to this view of the situation, whether it be the "hard" view that Al-Qa'ida terrorism is a "resistance" to Western imperialism or the "soft" view that the U.S. has created the monster in Iraq by intervening there.

The founder of Al-Qa'ida in Mesopotamia was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who we can now gratefully describe as "the late." The first thing to notice about him is that he was in Iraq before the Americans were. The second thing to notice is that he fled to Iraq only because he, and many others like him, had been driven out of Afghanistan. Thus, by the logic of those who say that Afghanistan is the "real" war, he would have been better left as he was. Without the overthrow of the Taliban, he and his collaborators would not have moved to take advantage of the next failed/rogue state.

I hope you can spot the simple error of reasoning that is involved in this belief. It also involves the defeatist suggestion - which was very salient in the opposition to the intervention in Afghanistan - that it's pointless to try to crush such people because "others will spring up in their place." Those who take this view should have the courage to stand by it and not invent a straw-man argument.

As it happens, we also know that Zarqawi - who probably considered himself a rival to bin Laden as well as an ally - wrote from Iraq to bin Laden and to his henchman Ayman al-Zawahiri and asked for the local "franchise" to call himself the leader of AQM. This dubious honour he was duly awarded. We further know that he authored a plan for the wrecking of the new Iraq: A simple strategy to incite civil murder between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

The incredible evil of this proposal, which involved the blowing up of holy places and the assassination of pilgrims, was endorsed from whatever filthy cave these deliberations are conducted in. As a matter of fact, we even know that Zawahiri and his boss once or twice counselled Zarqawi to hold it down a bit, especially on the video-butchery and the excessive zeal in the murder of Shiites.

Thus, if there is any distinction to be made between the apple and the tree, it would involve saying that AQM is, if anything, even more virulent and sadistic and nihilistic than its parent body.

And this very observation leads to a second one, which has been well-reported and observed by journalists who are highly skeptical about the invasion. In provinces like Anbar, and in areas of Baghdad, even Sunni militants have turned away in disgust and fear from the AQM forces. It's not difficult to imagine why this is: Try imagining life for a day under the village rule of such depraved and fanatical elements.

To say that the attempt to Talibanize Iraq would not be happening at all if coalition forces were not present is to make two unsafe assumptions and one possibly suicidal one.

The first assumption is that the vultures would never have gathered to feast on the decaying cadaver of the Saddamist state, a state that was in a process of implosion well before 2003. All our experience of countries like Somalia and Sudan, and indeed of Afghanistan, argues that such an assumption is idiotic. It is in the absence of international attention that such nightmarish abnormalities flourish.

The second assumption is that the harder the West fights them, the more such cancers metastasize. This appears to be contradicted by all the experience of Iraq. Fallujah or Baqubah might already have become the centres of an ultra-Taliban ministate, as they at one time threatened to do, whereas now not only have thousands of AQM goons been killed but local opinion appears to have shifted decisively against them and their methods.

The third assumption, deriving from the first two, would be that if coalition forces withdrew, the AQM gangsters would lose their raison d'être and have nothing left to fight for. I think I shall just leave that assumption lying where it belongs: on the damp floor of whatever asylum it is where foolish and wishful opinions find their eventual home.

If I am right about this, an enormous prize is within reach. We can not only deny the clones of bin Ladenism a military victory in Iraq, we can also discredit them in the process and in the eyes (and with the help) of a Muslim people who have seen them up close. We can do this, moreover, in a keystone state of the Arab world that guards a chokepoint - the Gulf - in the global economy. As with the case of Afghanistan - where several provinces are currently on a knife-edge between an elected government that at least tries for schools and vaccinations, and the forces of uttermost darkness that seek to negate such things - the struggle will take all our nerve and all our intelligence.

But who can argue that it is not the same battle in both cases, and who dares to say that it is not worth fighting?

Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair and for Slate Magazine, where this column originally appeared.

====


IDNUMBER 200708150069
PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial / Op-Ed
PAGE: A19
COLUMN: L. Ian MacDonald
KEYWORDS: PRIME MINISTERS; POLITICIANS; POLITICAL PARTIES; GOVERNMENT;CANADA
BYLINE: L. IAN MACDONALD
SOURCE: The Gazette
WORD COUNT: 645

Harper keeps a close eye on grass-roots politics; Quebecers and MacKay promoted so they can bring home the regional vote


There are two faces to government, the prime minister and the cabinet, the leader and the team. The leader can't do it all, as Stephen Harper acknowledged yesterday in shuffling his team.

He was hoping to present an improved team with sharper communications skills on difficult national files, notably the Afghanistan mission. Many of the newly promoted ministers will also play a larger role in the retail politics of their regions.

Thus, Peter MacKay, from foreign affairs to defence, and Maxime Bernier, from industry to foreign affairs, and Jim Prentice, from Indian affairs to industry.

MacKay and Bernier will be the lead advocates of the Afghanistan mission both nationally and in their home regions, while Prentice will take charge of the important regulatory review at industry and remain as chair of the Cabinet Operations Committee, effectively as chief operating officer of the Harper government.

Their immediate task is to improve the Conservatives' stalled fortunes and their prospects for re-election any time between this fall and October 2009, when a bill for fixed elections will kick in if the government doesn't fall in the meantime. But MacKay, Bernier and Prentice would be three leading candidates in any eventual Conservative leadership race to succeed Harper. Yesterday, the prime minister advanced the careers of all three. And all three chose to be sworn into their new portfolios in both English and French. And in every case, their second language, like their leadership networks, is a work in progress.

How their careers will progress, and their prospects for advancement to the top, will depend very much on how they do in their new portfolios.

And not just on the national stage, but in their own regions of the country.

MacKay is a logical fit for defence in the Atlantic, the region of the country where support for the Afghan mission runs highest. Bernier is an obvious advocate for the mission in Quebec, where support for it is the weakest. And Prentice has work to do in Calgary, where the natives in the oilpatch are restless over income trusts, among other irritants with Ottawa.

Tip O'Neill was right: all politics are local. Or in Canada, at least regional.

MacKay assumes a portfolio with a huge presence in the Atlantic, notably the army base Gagetown in New Brunswick, and the naval base in Halifax in Mac-Kay's province of Nova Scotia.

And significantly, MacKay remains minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, which cuts a lot of important cheques in the region.

Moreover, at defence, MacKay will be touring those military installations and selling the Conservatives' commitment to renewing the Forces after decades of neglect by previous governments.

Not to put too fine a point on it, defence is a job that will keep MacKay home, mending Tory fences that have been badly frayed by the dispute between the feds and Newfoundland and Nova Scotia over equalization and the offshore.

In foreign affairs, MacKay travelled the world. But that doesn't cut much with the voters of Upper, Middle and Lower Musquodobit, who are far less interested in arms-control talks with the Russians, than in the economic development of their part of the country.

As for Bernier, it is clear he will be the primary advocate, if not the defender, of the Afghan mission, in Quebec. There hasn't been anyone on this file, except for Josée Verner at CIDA, who could make the case for it on French-language television.

But beyond Afghanistan, there are local issues that can be advanced by Bernier's move from industry to the high profile of foreign affairs.

For one thing, there are three Quebec by-elections coming up on Sept. 17, two of them off the island of Montreal, where the Conservatives hope to be competitive with the Bloc.

And then there's Quebec 2008, and the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec.

The world will be coming to Quebec in 2008, and the Conservatives hope to capitalize on it with a strong federal presence.

When dignitaries from around the world come to Quebec, Maxime Bernier will be greeting them on the tarmac and toasting them at banquets at the Chateau Frontenac. And when he's not available, Josée Verner will be there in her new role as Heritage minister.

All politics are local. Even cabinet shuffles.

www.lianmacdonald.ca

====


IDNUMBER 200708150056
PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2007.08.15
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial / Op-Ed
PAGE: A18
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES; POLITICAL PARTIES; OPPOSITION; POLITICIANS;POLITICS; RESULTS
SOURCE: The Gazette
WORD COUNT: 503

Efficient little shuffle focuses on Afghanistan


The new federal cabinet looks pretty much like the old federal cabinet. Stephen Harper will, as they say out west, dance with who brung him.

As his government moves past the average lifespan for minority administrations, Harper has refused to submit his cabinet to a cosmetic facelift, preferring to make just some tweaks, addressing only a few glaring problems.

Even the ministers who have plainly under-achieved, or worse, remain in the cabinet, although in lesser roles. This is a measure of Harper's own self-confidence. Having chosen the best people, he is telling us, I see little reason to start chopping and changing now.

And yet Harper has found a way, in his minimalist shuffle, to bring his heavy weapons, so to speak, to bear efficiently on his biggest issue. With Maxime Bernier at foreign affairs and Peter MacKay at defence, this government now has two capable, popular and articulate ministers in position to manage and explain our efforts in Afghanistan.

Gordon O'Connor, who had both merits and demerits as defence minister, had become a lightning rod for media and opposition criticism, and will now be well out of the line of fire.

MacKay, meanwhile, is a favourite son of Nova Scotia, a region where the Canadian Forces have numerous bases and considerable prestige, and where the Conservatives face some electoral challenges. In his new job, he might well be able to help the country, the Forces, his region and his party all at once.

Bernier, who shows every sign of being a rising star, is, however, a loss to the industry portfolio, where he has been vigorous in preaching the gospel of competition and competitiveness to a country and a business sector overly fond of cozy deals with government.

He will be replaced by Jim Prentice, who is hardly a household name but who has the ear, and the trust, of the PM, himself still - we think - a free-marketer. As Indian Affairs minister, Prentice did a creditable if little-noticed job in one of the most frustrating of portfolios.

Besides O'Connor, the closest thing to a failed minister has been Bev Oda, at culture. We're inclined to doubt that any Conservative could ever satisfy some in this country's self-appointed cultural elite, but Oda, in that job, did seem to have a knack for getting minimum impact from what should have been crowd-pleasing decisions. Her replacement is Josée Verner who, like Bernier, is a Quebecer getting a promotion. This will be noticed in this province.

Refusing to push anyone overboard leaves little room in the boat for newcomers. Harper's caucus has several backbenchers who are "ministrables," as we say in Quebec; only one of them, the industrious and capable Diane Ablonczy, moves up to a junior-minister spot.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion was quick to see the sinister shadow of George W. Bush behind the shuffle: A right-wing ideologue at foreign affairs, etc. We think he's wrong. This cabinet is Harper-like, not Bush-like.

Our prime minister is not a man who doubts his own decisions, and he means to go on as he has begun. We'll see how far that get him.