CKNW Editorial
for February 28, 2000

The new cabinet will be known tomorrow and we know now that neither Dave Zirnhelt nor Lois Boone will be in it. This is perhaps a good time to talk about what goes into making up a cabinet.

You would think, wouldn’t you, that the most talented 18 or 20 people would be selected but if that happens, I can assure you it’s an accident or pure coincidence.

First off there are some political imperatives. Mr Dosanjh must reward Mr Wilson and Mr Evans not because they are nice guys but because they have demonstrated strong ties to important parts of the party. The Premier can ignore them but only at his peril.

There is also the revenge factor. If either Mr Evans or Mr Wilson had carried on a particularly bitter campaign – that is they had got too close to the bone on the matter of phony party memberships - they may have been turfed regardless of the other considerations. When revenge and conciliation meet head on – as sometimes happens – it’s a very tricky business.

Then there is the question of geography. We have already seen how the mayor of Quesnel, Steve Wallace, a passionate non New Democrat, has nevertheless come to the defence of Dave Zirnhelt because he either perceives or knows that having a minister is good for his city. And in fact it is. There is no question but that a cabinet minister has more clout than an ordinary MLA – to give two examples of my own time I was able to get both a new courthouse and a new crossing of the North Thompson River though the irony was they were both opened just after I went into radio and I wasn’t invited to either ribbon cutting. That’s politics.There must be a geographical balance and that accounts not only for some duds in cabinet but also some pretty strange elevations to cabinet at election time. In my own case I was initially appointed because of my riding Kamloops and had a tiny portfolio which was in a few months expanded into a senior one but I was under no illusions that I had to prove myself to a premier who scarcely knew me and had only picked me because of the strategic nature of my riding.

Then there is the gender bit. It is now more important not to leave a woman out of the cabinet than it is to put her in. By that seemingly strange phrase I mean that there is little reward for putting a woman in but there may be a hell of a penalty for leaving her out. This is a political reality especially with the NDP who are very big on the appearance of equality irrespective of other considerations.

And, in recent years, there is the race thing. Moe Sihota has probably cooked his own goose as has Harry Lali – that’s because the Premier, being a Sikh himself, has no need to demonstrate that minorities are welcome in his cabinet. On top of that, the revenge factor comes into play. Both of these men were the stalking horses for Wilson’s playing his race card and since Mr Dosanjh has no desire to penalize Mr Wilson, it may well be their heads that roll.

Finally, there is the other question of powerful MLAs apart from those who showed strength during the leadership contest. And it this category we have two former Premiers.

With Clark, Mr Dosanjh is in an especially difficult position. If he takes seriously the alleged threat by Clark that he and a few Clark faithful in Caucus may bring the government down he will think seriously about either bringing him into cabinet or finding him some prestigious job. In the old days you could always ship him off to London to BC House but that option is no longer there and besides, his majority is too slim. I believe that Mr Dosanjh will simply leave Clark on the backbench. With Dan Miller it’s different. Not only does he come in under the geographical rule he is also seen as a strong minister the government can ill afford to lose. If I were Mr Dosanjh, I would make him Minister without Portfolio with the special task of encouraging the investment of capital in the province. There is always that uncomfortable feeling of having a former premier looking over your shoulder but Mr Miller is a loyal trooper with no scores to settle or ambitions to fulfill.

All of this explains why Kathy McGregor will be back in cabinet. God knows it has nothing to do with talent but she is from the key interior riding of Kamloops which has never, since party politics came to this province in the early 1900s, not had a government seat.

So there we have it – unlike a master carpenter, a Premier is not looking for a cabinet that is pretty … just one that suits his many purposes.