Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sought new life for his minority government on Tuesday by reshuffling his Cabinet, notably replacing his defense chief who was accused of mishandling Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan.
Harper replaced defense minister Gordon O'Connor after a series of blunders regarding the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, including a fracas over their handling of Afghan prisoners, misstatements over the future mission profile and over burials for soldiers killed in the conflict.
The missteps had made O'Connor a lightning rod for criticism from the opposition, and threatened to weaken the government.
In a news conference, Harper emphasized the importance of the 2,500-troop force's role in Afghanistan to his government.
"Obviously the Afghan mission remains Canada's most important military and foreign affairs commitment in the world," he said.
Replacing O'Connor is Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, 41, who gives up his post to Industry Minister Maxime Bernier.
In all, nine people got new posts in the Cabinet shakeup seen by analysts as a bid by Harper to breath new life into his Conservative party ahead of possible federal elections.
"I've given some new assignments to ministers for the next phase of our mandate, to broaden their base of experience and build the team for the longer term," Harper said.
"We did what we said we were going to do. Now it's time to keep moving forward," he said, listing priority areas as "asserting and defending our sovereignty ... continuing to lower taxes," tackling crime and protecting the environment.
Numerous analysts said Harper had needed to name to key posts officials who could better enunciate and defend the politically sensitive Afghan mission, after 22 Canadian soldiers have died there this year.
The mission threatens to dominate politics in Quebec province, the source of the majority of the military contingent in Afghanistan. Polls show that most voters in the francophone province, which can be crucial in national elections, are hostile to the mission.
And while Harper needs to strengthen his party's presence in Quebec if he hopes to gain a majority government, anti-war sentiment there threatens to grow with each new soldier death.
McGill University political scientist Antonia Maioni said the recomposition of the Cabinet aimed at reenergizing the Conservative government.
The opposition, led by Liberal Party chief Stephane Dion, characterized the second Cabinet shakeup in eight months as little more than "musical chairs."
Indonesia yesterday began enforcing its newly ratified penal code, replacing a Dutch-era criminal law that had governed the country for more than 80 years and marking a major shift in its legal landscape. Since proclaiming independence in 1945, the Southeast Asian country had continued to operate under a colonial framework widely criticized as outdated and misaligned with Indonesia’s social values. Efforts to revise the code stalled for decades as lawmakers debated how to balance human rights, religious norms and local traditions in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. The 345-page Indonesian Penal Code, known as the KUHP, was passed in 2022. It
‘DISRESPECTFUL’: Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colors of the US flag, captioning it ‘SOON’ US President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the US, despite calls by the Danish prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory. Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the arctic. While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. “We’ll worry about Greenland in
PERILOUS JOURNEY: Over just a matter of days last month, about 1,600 Afghans who were at risk of perishing due to the cold weather were rescued in the mountains Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the mountainous frontier. “He was forced to go, to bring food for the family,” his mother, Mah Jan, said at her mud home in Ghunjan village. “We have no food to eat, we have no clothes to wear. The house in which I live has no electricity, no water. I have no proper window, nothing to burn for heating,” she added, clutching a photograph of her son. Habibullah was one of at least 18 migrants who died
Russia early yesterday bombarded Ukraine, killing two people in the Kyiv region, authorities said on the eve of a diplomatic summit in France. A nationwide siren was issued just after midnight, while Ukraine’s military said air defenses were operating in several places. In the capital, a private medical facility caught fire as a result of the Russian strikes, killing one person and wounding three others, the State Emergency Service of Kyiv said. It released images of rescuers removing people on stretchers from a gutted building. Another pre-dawn attack on the neighboring city of Fastiv killed one man in his 70s, Kyiv Governor Mykola
RSS