Tories begin process of transition to government(check the pic)

CTV ^ | 01/27/06 | Andy Johnson

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Tories begin process of transition to government Andy Johnson, CTV.ca News

Now that Canadian voters have awarded a minority government to the Conservative Party, politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa are busy preparing for the first major desk-swap in years.

Paper shredders, for example, have been in high demand as public servants prepare to spend a few late nights erasing confidential records before the Tories take office, said Kathy Brock, a political science professor at Queen's University.

It's one of the common steps taken when governments begin the complicated process of transition, she said.

"It's always more difficult for a government coming in fresh than for a government returning," Brock said, adding that government changeovers are a busy and often confusing time for almost everyone involved, sometimes with quirky results.

When Kim Campbell lost office in 1993, for example, she waited three days before stepping down, causing consternation among those who had actually won the election. Constitutional rules say the resignation happens on the prime minister's timetable however, so Campbell was within her rights.

And as the outgoing prime minister, Paul Martin can also resign when he sees fit, though it is traditionally done the day after an election.

The Privy Council Office is entrusted with the job of helping to ease the transition between governments following the election, said Hali Gernon, a spokesperson with the PCO.

"The clerk and the privy council definitely play a central role in ensuring continuity of government through a transition," Gernon told CTV.ca.

This is accomplished by providing non partisan advice on the policies and operations of government, she said.

"Important meetings take place between the Clerk and whichever government wins to go over the priorities of government, how the government is set up, where the bathroom is, things like that," Gernon said. "It obviously changes whether there's an incumbent government or a new government, but those kinds of things continue to happen regardless."

After Paul Martin tenders his resignation, he will speak with the Prime Minister Designate, Stephen Harper, and agree on a date to effectively hand over the keys to the Prime Minister's Office.

The actual changeover typically takes place 10 days to two weeks after the election, and the Liberals will remain in power until the new government is sworn in.

Transition to government

When Martin hands in his resignation, as is tradition, Harper will start thinking seriously about the formation of his cabinet based on the MPs who were elected.

This will be one of the first major challenges Harper will face, said Brock. In addition to the adjustment to a new role, new seats in the House, and new offices, there are key decisions that have to be made quickly and effectively. Creating a cabinet that is balanced and representative of the country is crucial, she said.

Harper will be particularly concerned with ensuring Quebec has fair representative. That might even mean pulling Quebecers from the senate and making them cabinet ministers if enough suitable Quebec MPs aren't available.

"You are going to be scrutinized very closely on that score and you need people who aren't going to stumble, especially in the current climate we've got where there's cynicism. People are watching, people are much more attentive to government and cabinet ministers," Brock said.

Harper has scrupulously avoided discussing his plans for a cabinet during the campaign, but experts expect a cabinet with less than 30 ministers, and a number of young cabinet ministers recruiting veteran chiefs of staff to work for them.

Senator Hugh Segal and Derek Burney, a former chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney, are involved at some level in the transition team, though Harper and his war-room have been tight-lipped about the details.

Through the election campaign, government ministries and departments will have been working hard to prepare for every possible result, and several different versions of briefing books will have been prepared for new ministers, depending on which party came into office.

"So now they will probably be getting out the books, looking at a Conservative government coming in and seeing how the department fits with the platform objectives of the incoming party," Brock said. "They would have had briefing books in order and they'll be tailoring them now."

The second major challenge Harper faces will be to decide on his immediate priorities as prime minister, and for his new cabinet ministers to do the same.

"Any prime minister has a limited number of major policy initiatives he can pursue at any given time, three to five would be the maximum," Brock said. "So the government really has to have a clear sense of its priorities and the cabinet ministers need to have a clear idea of what they'll push within their departments."

And once a change in government is confirmed, secrecy and confidentiality becomes a concern for bureaucrats. Thus the sudden need for paper shredders, said Brock.

"They can't divulge the secrets of cabinet or those decisions or discussions to the incoming government, so the bureaucracy will have knowledge that the new government will not. And under the principals of our system they can't divulge that. And if the ministers ask they'll just say 'I'm sorry minister.'"

In addition to his own decisions about who goes and who stays in the top executive ranks of the public service, Harper can also expect to deal with a number of resignations from top ministry executives, said Brock. Deputy ministers are approved by the Prime Minister, and many Liberal loyalists may feel they were too close to the former government to work with the new one.

In Ontario's provincial election in 1995, before the vote had even taken place, a confident Mike Harris took an unheard of step and called the deputy ministers and asked to meet with them. Most refused, but some actually met with Harris, who simply wanted to tell them they had his support and he was looking forward to working with them if he won the election.

That unheard of step helped Harris move quickly and effectively once he took office, said Brock.

But Harper's new government isn't the only group that will face new challenges. A new opposition often finds itself in unfamiliar territory too. In the Liberals' case, after 12 years in office, it could be particularly challenging. Especially for former cabinet ministers who are used to having experienced staff supporting and guiding them.

The scenario produced interesting results when the Liberals returned to office in 1993, dealing with the Reform Party as opposition.

"The Liberals knew the Reform was going to stand up and question them on minute details about spending," Brock said. "So what they would do is put some of their most controversial policies forward, but they would leak something to the Reform Party about a minor spending glitch, someone spending too much in a restaurant. And they knew Question Period would then focus on that small matter and the big matter would get by, and it worked until the Reform caught on."

With this election resulting in a minority Conservative government, Canadians can expect to be election-free for about the next 18 months, Brock said, adding that if an election is called before that period has passed, the party that pushed it tends to get punished in the polls.

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