Stephen Harper has had a tough week and a half since unveiling his cabinet, thanks to his dubious decision to name former Liberal David Emerson and the unelected (now Senator in waiting) Michel Fortier to prominent ministries. Perhaps because of this, Harper’s other selections have avoided the scrutiny that would otherwise be afforded such an important set of appointments. That’s unfortunate, seeing that some of the choices the new Prime Minister has made don’t seem to make the most sense. 

One area of particular interest to Jasper fits into this category of quizzical choices. The new Minister of the Environment, Rona Ambrose, was widely regarded as a bright, young, up-and-coming member of the Conservative elite. She was certainly prominent throughout the lead up to the vote on January 23, although we might cynically suggest that her being front and centre had more to do with her telegenic appearance than the strength of her convictions or the quality of her ideas.

But optics or not, Ambrose does have the background to make a fine member of cabinet; experience working for a sitting government, in this case the Klein administration in our own province; a Master’s degree in public policy; and in the short duration of her time in politics, time in the public eye as the critic responsible for international trade and intergovernmental affairs. Minister of the Environment though? Why make this choice, over and above a caucus member with actual provincial experience (Tony Clement) or a lengthy period as a critic (Bob Mills). The immediate response that springs to mind is a desire for regional and gender balance. The Conservatives are blessed and cursed with having too many veteran, qualified representatives from Alberta, and just as cursed with not having very many women in Parliament. Ambrose would have been an excellent choice for intergovernmental affairs, but that job went to Ontario’s Michael Chong. She could have done well in a variety of secondary cabinet positions like National Revenue, but that could have led to the accusation that Harper was offering the choicest jobs to older, white males only. 

A lack of experience is not exactly a recipe for certain failure. Stephane Dion had no background in the portfolio when Paul Martin named him Minster of the Environment in 2004, yet the Quebecer flourished, winning praise from a wide variety of critics, many of whom had been less than impressed by some of his predecessors. Dion is a unique case, however. Unapologetically academic and stiff, he tends to spend little of his time concerned with political gamesmanship, devoting his attention to the task at hand. This approach has led to a groundswell of support for a Liberal leadership run in some corners. Given her status as a media star and hot property within the Conservative Party, can we necessarily expect the same detached professionalism from Ambrose? 

No matter who the PM had picked to fill the job, they’d still be in a tough spot, as far as we are concerned. Parks Canada merited very little attention in the Conservative campaign platform, and as such, we are largely in the dark when it comes to the intentions of this government. The problem of infrastructure funding, the balance between promoting visitation and ecological integrity and the desire to expand the parks system are three very complex, very important issues that deserve prompt attention. We hope Ambrose is ready.