The Numbers: Carney's cabinet, Poilievre's byelection
Do cabinet ministers matter electorally? Plus, the PQ leads in a new Quebec poll.
Prime Minister Mark Carney named his new cabinet last week. Do his choices suggest some electoral considerations came into play on who did and didn’t made the cut — and does a cabinet minister make a difference at the ballot box? Plus, Pierre Poilievre’s byelection in Battle River–Crowfoot looms, as does the prickly subject of Alberta separation.
This week on The Numbers, we discuss some of these new developments in federal politics. We also delve into new polling numbers in Ontario and Alberta, as well as in Quebec where the Parti Québécois is holding a wide lead. Could Pablo Rodriguez, if he wins the Quebec Liberal leadership, shake things up? And how could a referendum on Alberta independence impact that debate in Quebec?
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In today's podcast you asked if the title of "Secretary of State" had been used before in Canada. I am surprised how quickly you forgot Canadian cabinet history. From roughly 1993 to 2003, the Chretien years, the junior cabinet title of "Secretary of State" was used extensively including for such topics as Latin America and Africa, Asia-Pacific, Multiculturalism, official languages and for Status of Women. Going further back in history, up until 1992, the foreign minister was known as the "Secretary of State for External Affairs" and until 1996, the full cabinet minister responsible for culture and who held the Seal of State was known as the "Secretary of State for Canada". If you want to go back as far as 1873 there was a "Secretary of State for the Provinces". So to the question that you asked if there ever were any Secretaries of State as junior Ministers, the answer is yes, notably from 1993 to 2003 and even further back as a full cabinet minister.