Who’s Canada’s next top envoy?
John Baird’s sudden resignation Tuesday as foreign affairs minister opens a huge opportunity for a fellow Tory MP to jump into one of the highest-profile jobs in government. The prime minister is expected to announce new minister as soon as possible — perhaps even this week.
Jason Fekete of Postmedia News looks at possible successors.
ED FAST
The international trade minister is filling in for Baird temporarily. It’s possible Prime Minister Stephen Harper may just stay with Fast and appoint him foreign minister on a permanent basis until the federal election. Fast, 59, has travelled the world for more than three years negotiating free-trade deals, so the prime minister clearly trusts the Abbotsford MP to be on the road and not screw up. When it comes to shuffling the cabinet, the trade portfolio could be a lot easier to backfill than some other posts. However, Fast hasn’t generally been a government point man on issues like international conflicts and security, so there would be a bit of a learning curve.
PETER MacKAY
Like Baird, MacKay has served in some major portfolios and has significant experience on the international stage, having served as foreign affairs minister from February 2006 to August 2007, and then defence minister from 2007 to 2013, before being appointed justice minister. He could jump into the job with relative ease. However, questions swirl over whether MacKay, 49, who has a young child, may also quit politics. He still has not been nominated in his Nova Scotia riding, while many incumbent Tories secured their nominations months ago. MacKay said Tuesday that he filed his nomination papers to run, although Baird was already nominated and that didn’t stop him from leaving politics anyway.
JASON KENNEY
Kenney, 46, the employment minister, is extremely well versed on international issues and global conflicts, and highly connected to immigrant communities in Canada. As current minister for multiculturalism and former immigration minister, he has also represented Canada on the world stage and could step into the job with few problems. However, Kenney has been a key architect of the Conservatives’ outreach to new Canadians and is seen as critical to the party’s re-election hopes. Harper may want to keep him on home soil.
CHRIS ALEXANDER
A former Canadian diplomat who served in Russia and as Canada’s first resident ambassador in Afghanistan, the citizenship and immigration minister has extensive foreign policy expertise. He is also well versed on Canadian defence and military issues, having served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of defence before being appointed immigration minister in July 2013. Although politically ambitious and qualified for the job, the 46-year-old Torontoarea MP has limited cabinet experience and is not the most effective communicator, some Conservative strategists say.
LISA RAITT
The 46-yearold Torontoarea MP, now transport minister, has significant cabinet experience, having previously served as minister of natural resources and minister of labour. Harper has not had a female foreign minister — there hasn’t been a female Canadian foreign affairs minister in more than 20 years — so she could be a welcome new face for Canada on the foreign stage. However, Raitt has limited federal experience speaking for the government on international affairs (albeit so did Harper’s previous foreign ministers).