A star forlorn after shuffle

Wilson-Raybould could not hide bruised pride

The tale of the latest cabinet shuffle can be told in two contrasting pictures: in the first, from the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall just over three years ago, Justin Trudeau can be seen gazing in patronizing fashion into Jody Wilson-Raybould’s eyes, his hands grasping her arms, while she beams back at him, bursting with joy and optimism at being named justice minister, the highest office in the government of Canada ever attained by an Indigenous Canadian. The second, from Monday’s ceremony, shows Wilson-Raybould trying to cover her disappointment as she is demoted to veterans affairs minister. She offers Trudeau a curt handshake and he gives her a rather sheepish peck on the cheek. Try as she might, she could not hide her bruised pride.

Publicly, Trudeau and Wilson-Raybould disavowed any suggestion that this was anything other than another inspired move to “make better possible.” Trudeau said his former justice minister would offer a “deft and steady hand” in her new job; she said she could think of “no world in which I would consider working for our veterans in Canada as a demotion.” Her replacement is David Lametti, an extremely able former law professor, who used to co-captain Oxford University’s hockey team with Mark Carney, and who has the additional advantage of representing a Quebec riding.

But, despite the pro forma pleasantries, it was clear that Wilson-Raybould felt betrayed. Moreover, it was apparent another of the prime minister’s catchphrases — that no relationship is more important than the one with First Nations — had just taken a bit of a battering.

The former B.C. regional chief was one of the star candidates assembled as part of Team Trudeau before the last election. She was heavily involved in setting out the 10 principles designed to reboot relations with First Nations, many of them developed from a document written by Wilson-Raybould and her husband, Tim, that advocated First Nations re-organize themselves into larger groups better able to manage their own affairs.

In a highly unusual move, Wilson-Raybould issued a statement that, as one colleague pointed out, read as if it were written in anger in the middle of the night.

She said she recognized cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the prime minister but proceeded to point out that there is very little in her mandate letter, “if anything,” that has not been accomplished. “We have also achieved much beyond it,” she wrote.

And it’s true. In a busy three years, her department has introduced 13 pieces of legislation, including legalizing cannabis and assisted dying, as well as appointing 250 judges.

She hinted at why she believes she was moved. As attorney general of Canada, she said she had to be non-partisan and willing to “speak truth to power.” “That is how I served throughout my tenure,” she wrote.

Cabinet colleagues say she was “very independent” and rubbed some people the wrong way, including senior figures in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Others point out she went through multiple chiefs of staff during her three years at justice — usually a sign of a strained working environment.

“She’s smart and competent but she doesn’t exude empathy,” said one colleague. “It’s an odd pick for veterans affairs.”

The vacancy created at Treasury Board by Scott Brison’s decision to leave politics had a cascading effect. Philpott was the logical choice to succeed him, given that she is well-liked, capable and was already vice-chair of the board.

But she was just starting to have a positive impact at Indigenous Services, Trudeau’s self-proclaimed “most important relationship.” After being moved into that role in the summer of 2017, Philpott took the unprecedented decision to hold a press conference to tell Canadians precisely how bad things were with Indigenous service delivery.

“It doesn’t help for anyone to be in denial,” she said, a curious thing for a politician to say given the job relies on a judicious, indeed a partial, interpretation of the truth. But the $1.8 billion allocated to addressing water issues on reserves is filtering through — the number of long-term boil-water advisories has fallen to 62, with 78 lifted since the Liberals came to power.

The obvious move might have been to shift WilsonRaybould into Indigenous Services, but the ministry was instead handed to Seamus O’Regan, a former broadcaster with little obvious connection to Indigenous politics, which may be a good thing.

Another curious decision was to create a new role of minister of rural economic development.

With Brison’s departure, it was clear one of the remaining nine Nova Scotia Liberals (excluding Speaker Geoff Regan) was in line for a cabinet job. Rookie MP Bernadette Jordan — the only woman in the group — got the nod, but the job description remains opaque.

There are already six economic development agencies, including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, spending billions trying to kick-start innovation across the country, often with less than stellar results.

“If ACOA and the others fall under this new role, it’s fairly substantive. If they don’t, it’s not,” said one Liberal MP.

The rationale seems to be to hold on to the rural seats the Liberals hold by promising high speed internet access to voters whose children can’t do their homework because of lack of rural broadband.

Trudeau mentioned rural connectivity in his remarks, so we should expect some costly incentives to telcos to build rural towers in the next budget.

“There’s no type of infrastructure that registers more than broadband,” said the rural Liberal MP. “It’s electoral cat-nip.”

But on a day of strange decisions, it was Wilson-Raybould’s unceremonious, and rather ruthless, downgrading that raises most questions. While Brison was the sole retiree when ministers were asked their plans before Christmas, Wilson-Raybould may yet decide to step away. Two days ago, Wilson-Raybould said she will be the Liberal candidate in Vancouver Granville at the next election but her statement referred cryptically to her dedication to build a more just Canada “in whatever public or private roles I may play.”

In an excellent profile in Maclean’s last year, journalist John Geddes said WilsonRaybould’s place in the history of First Nations politics is assured by reaching the office of justice minister. “What’s left to discover is how far she can go in using it to usher in change.”

The answer, it seems, is not that far.

The architect of the framework guiding the Liberal party’s reconciliation policy with First Nations has just been given the hook.

SHE’S SMART AND COMPETENT BUT SHE DOESN’T EXUDE EMPATHY.