General

Is a cabinet shuffle on the way?

Government “sources” suddenly chatty about a possible shake-up

Anonymous Conservative “sources” are apparently telling every journalist within earshot that Stephen Harper plans to shuffle his cabinet when Parliament resumes in March. They’ve told the National Post the shake-up will be “minor” and, though he was guilty of “freelancing” on the Afghan torture file, Peter MacKay should expect to keep his job as Defence Minister. (Maxime Bernier, meanwhile, can reportedly also count on keeping his spot on the backbenches of government. Lisa Raitt, on the other hand, could be on the outs, according to the rumours. Also citing unnamed “sources,” La Presse adds Diane Ablonczy’s name to the list of those who could be tossed out of cabinet, while suggesting Bernier’s future is still in doubt. According to both the Post and Reuters, which credits “senior government officials” for the information, Jim Flaherty will stay on as Finance Minister. The speculation appears to have been sparked by a recent interview Harper gave Newstalk 1010‘s Brian Lilley, in which the PM deflected a question about a possible shuffle, saying “We’ll be reviewing everything, but obviously I wouldn’t comment on the possibility of that until, if or when it occurs.”

National Post

La Presse

Reuters

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