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SPECIAL POST-ELECTION EDITION

CAB Release

Election 2006 - Conservative Minority Government: Conservatives 36.3%, Liberals 30.2%, NDP 17.5%, Bloc 10.5%

The results of the 39th Federal Election are in, and the Conservative Party of Canada will form the next government, albeit with a minority of the seats in the House. The minority government victory by Stephen Harper will be somewhat disappointing to some Conservatives, because neither was a majority achieved, nor was the plurality of the size expected. Nevertheless, most political observers would not have predicted any kind of Conservative government when the campaign began the end of November.

 

Transition To A New Government

The current expectation is that Prime Minister-designate Harper will want to move forward fairly quickly. It is expected that a new Cabinet will be struck by mid-February, with a Speech from the Throne to follow in mid-March, and a Budget towards the end of March.

 

The incoming Conservative Government has tapped three individuals to help assist in the transition process. They are:

 

  • Derek Burney – Former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. and a senior public servant.
  • Hugh Segal – also a former Chief of Staff to Mulroney. Currently a Senator. Former PC Leadership candidate and public policy expert.
  • Tom Flanagan – University of Calgary professor and political/public policy mentor to Stephen Harper.

 

What Does A Conservative Government Mean For Broadcasters?

Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper has stated consistently his immediate priorities:

 

  1. Federal Accountability Act
  2. Reduction of the GST
  3. A Patient Wait Time Guarantee for Health Care
  4. A Violent Crime Package
  5. Child Care Payment

 

Items (ii) and (iv) are expected to be included in the first Harper budget. Items (i) will be done by legislation, as will item (iv). The Health Wait Time Guarantee will require negotiation with the provinces.

 

There will also be a sixth priority item that will require major federal/provincial negotiation, which is Harper’s commitment to deal with the fiscal imbalance. This will be the most significant undertaking by a Conservative government because it will affect the distribution of powers between the federal government and the provincial governments.

 

While broadcasting is not listed as a priority on the Conservative agenda, the Conservatives did indicate the following priorities in their election platform:

 

  • Ensure that the CBC and Radio-Canada continue to perform their vital role as national public service broadcasters.
  • Preserve the role of the National Film Board, the Canada Council, and other federal arts and culture agencies.
  • Give Canadians increased access to international and foreign-language television and radio programming.

 

Key Returning MPs

Several MPs who played key roles in the last Parliament will return:

 

  • Charlie Angus, NPD Heritage Critic - An effective critic and always helpful to CAB issues. He is likely to retain the Heritage critic portfolio.
  • Bev Oda, Conservative Heritage Critic - The most commonly-mentioned name as a possible Minister of Canadian Heritage, although there are no guarantees that she will get the nod. Having served on the CRTC and worked for broadcasters, she has a firm grasp of broadcasting issues.
  • Maka Kotto, Bloc Heritage Critic - Kotto is a strong supporter of cultural issues, but has generally not been receptive to the CAB's messages or point of view.
  • David Emerson, Minister of Industry - Emerson will likely become Liberal Critic for Industry. The CAB has briefed him on copyright reform and signal theft, and he has always been helpful and will likely continue to be so.
  • Colin Carrie, Conservative member (Oshawa) of the Health Committee - Sponsored Private Members Bill C-420, which would have eliminated Schedule A from the Food and Drug Act, allowing for the advertising of risk reduction properties of natural health products.

 

Key New MPs

In total, there are 64 new MPs heading to Ottawa. While each is very important, a few warrant mention:

 

  • Tina Keeper, Churchill (MB), Liberal - Actor, former star of North of 60.
  • Garth Turner, Halton (ON), Conservative - Television and radio commentator and producer. Former Minister of National Revenue.
  • André Arthur, Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier (QC), Independent - Longtime radio host, formerly of CHOI-FM.

 

Questions or comments? Contact the CAB at (613) 233-4035 or Kevin Desjardins at: kdesjardins@cab-acr.ca.

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