January 04, 2011
Top federal politicians to watch in 2011
Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun
May, Trudeau, MacKay, Cullen among politicians to watch in 2011
If Canadian politics prove a dull affair in the coming year it certainly won’t be the fault of the following 10 players. The list of federal politicians to watch in 2011 absolutely must include:
- Elizabeth May, Green party leader and candidate in Saanich-Gulf Islands, is gunning for her party’s first Commons seat. In the event of a 2011 federal election, May will be confronting one of the Conservatives’ weaker ministers, Gary Lunn. She won 32 per cent of the vote in 2008 in Central Nova, against Nova Scotia powerhouse Peter MacKay and has presided over a 50-per-cent increase in the Greens’ national vote, so chances are good May soon could make history and subsequently boost the parliamentary profile of environmental issues.
- Justin Trudeau, Liberal MP for Papineau and immigration critic, is so affable and telegenic, it’s certain the schoolteacher/ actor will become one of his party’s most prominent performers. Son of a former PM, Trudeau is expected at some point to aspire to the Grit leadership. For now, he’s maturing as an MP and learning the ropes. But if leader Michael Ignatieff fails to pull off a win in the next election, Trudeau’s ambitions could become relevant.
- Peter MacKay, Conservative MP for Central Nova and defence minister, also is viewed as a potential leader. He’s seen by many as a more affable, less doctrinaire Conservative than Stephen Harper, maybe the one who could win a majority government — something that has eluded Harper. Then again, rumour has it Mac-Kay is being courted by the private sector. This could be the year when the handsome bachelor MP’s destiny becomes clearer. – Jim Flaherty will be a star player in coming months, fashioning a budget that will make or break the sitting government. The Oshawa MP’s greatest challenge will be maintaining his team’s popularity even as he orders the uncomfortable belt-tightening required to reduce an oversized deficit.
- Nathan Cullen, New Democrat for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, will be prominent this year whether in fighting against the high-profile Northern Gateway pipeline project that would traverse his riding or as a candidate for the leadership of the B.C. New Democrats.
- Peter Julian, New Democrat in Burnaby-New Westminister, also wants to replace Carole James, a job that will be filled on April 17.
- John Baird, highly partisan Government House leader, Environment Minister and MP for Ottawa-West Nepean, is one of Harper’s most trusted disciples. Throughout 2011, he’ll be instrumental in negotiating with the Opposition to avoid an election Conservatives say they do not want.
- Michael Chong, the principled Conservative backbencher from Wellington-Halton Hills who lost a cabinet seat in 2006 after voting against his government’s recognition of Quebec as a nation within a united Canada, could be pivotal in 2011 in his personal bid to overhaul rules governing question period decorum. Last October, MPs enthusiastically endorsed a Chong motion calling for the badly needed reform which is aimed at diminishing excessive partisanship and encouraging civility.
- Larry Smith, former Canadian Football Leaguer and newly appointed Conservative senator from Quebec, in an uncharacteristically gutsy move for a senator, is pledging to win a Montreal-area Commons seat to gain political legitimacy and potentially a Harper government cabinet post.
- Gilles Duceppe, a Bloc Quebecois leader with serious longevity and tons of personal appeal in Quebec, has a lot of folks curious about his future. The 20-year veteran MP for Laurier-Sainte Marie turns 64 in 2011, prompting some to speculate about his possible retirement or, more dramatically, a jump to provincial politics. With Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois low in the polls, could Duceppe be planning a coup?
