Mike Duffy in the cabinet? Why not? He would be a fitting addition to Stephen Harper’s ministerial team.The revelation of Duffy’s cabinet ambitions comes from a 2009 email exchange obtained by the CBC. The senator from Prince Edward Island hasn’t exactly confirmed that he made the pitch. He hasn’t exactly denied it either.
But even if the email is a fake, it shouldn’t be. Who could more appropriately symbolize Harper’s cabinet than the man who likes to refer to himself as the Old Duff?
Small-minded critics will say the senator craved only more perks. Indeed, the email does note that a cabinet post would provide Duffy with a car, driver and a boost to his meagre Senate stipend of $135,200.
But I’m sure the Old Duff only wanted to serve Canadians in the accountable and transparent manner that defines this government.
Indeed, the email suggests that Duffy was, if anything, too modest. He asked only for a junior posting as minister without portfolio.
A more appropriate job would surely be treasury board president, the minister in charge of all government spending.
The Old Duff has already shown himself to be a dab hand at accounting. His Senate expense accounts are masterpieces of creative writing. His ability to be in two places at the same time (and therefore to charge expenses to two different organizations) has propelled the old horse-and-buggy Senate into the era of quantum physics.
Current Treasury Board President Tony Clement is a nice enough fellow. But so far, according to the auditor general, he and his predecessors have been able to misplace only $3.1 billion worth of taxpayer funds.
True, in 2010 there was also the $50 million slated for infrastructure that Clement managed to spend on gazebos in his Parry Sound-Muskoka riding. But that was bush league.
Just think what the Old Duff could do with Clement’s opportunities. The senator’s arithmetical abilities rival even those of Defence Minister Peter MacKay, whose intriguingly inaccurate estimates of F-35 fighter jet costs are the stuff of legend.
As well, a cabinet job for Duffy would solve some of Harper’s political problems.
Having resigned from the Conservative caucus, Duffy now sits as an independent. That means the prime minister could legitimately say he was making a non-partisan appointment.
Then there is the question of legality. The Constitution Act requires senators to live in the province they represent. Duffy, a long-time Ontario resident appointed to represent P.E.I., doesn’t meet this standard.
But the Constitution Act also provides an exemption for senators named to cabinet. Were Harper to give him his due, the Old Duff could continue to serve the people of P.E.I. from his home in suburban Ottawa for many, many more years.
However, the real reason to put Duffy in cabinet is far more basic.
The Old Duff exemplifies Harper’s views on politics. He may co-mingle government and party business. But he knows — like Harper — that what is good for the Conservatives is good for Canada.
And like Harper, he appears to be a firm believer in the principles of Adam Smith — particularly the principle which holds that an individual’s single-minded pursuit of personal gain is the best way to benefit society.
So far only one person in official Ottawa has recognized this virtue. That is Nigel Wright, Harper’s former chief of staff and the man who gave Duffy $90,000.
Small-minded critics have suggested there is something sinister behind this piece of generosity.
But I take Harper at his word: Wright decided to give Duffy $90,000 — without telling the most controlling prime minister in Canadian history — just because he felt the senator deserved it.
Why would the prime minister’s chief of staff feel so warmly about someone he barely knew? The only possible reason is that Wright understood the Old Duff’s essential qualities.
I think Wright should receive an Order of Canada for his perspicuity. Or perhaps a Nobel peace prize. And I think Harper should be immediately appoint Duffy president of the treasury board.
No, make that finance minister.
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Thomas Walkom
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