Harper's first priorities will be economy, foreign policy

By David Akin
Canwest News Service

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to move quickly to appoint a cabinet. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to move quickly to appoint a cabinet and bring MPs back to the House of Commons where they'll get a chance to debate the economic crisis and other national issues.

"He believes that the place to do the nation's business is in the House of Commons," said a former aide and adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Harper's first priorities will be the economy and foreign affairs, two issues linked together because the of the global economic and financial crisis.

The prime minister will quickly return to Ottawa from Calgary to prepare for the biennial summit of leaders of La Francophonie - the organization of 53 countries where French is used in everyday life. Harper is the host for this event, which begins in Quebec City on Friday, and he is expected to need several briefing sessions from advisers to prepare.

Fellow G8 leader and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be in Quebec City for that event and will also have some bilateral meetings with Harper. When those meetings were originally arranged, it was to talk about improving trade ties between the two countries. The two leaders, however, at both La Francophonie and in their own meetings, are expected to address current economic conditions.

Sometime after that, Harper, Sarkozy and the other leaders of the G8 industrialized countries are expected to meet to discuss the global economic crisis. A date for that meeting has not yet been announced.

Finally, Harper must also prepare for the annual leaders summit for APEC, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. That organization, whose members include most of the countries that border on the Pacific Ocean, holds its leaders' summit in Peru beginning the week of Nov. 15.

Again, the current economic crisis is sure to dominate APEC, which includes G8 members Canada, the United States, Japan, and Russia.

In and around that busy international schedule, Harper, his chief of staff Guy Giorno and other advisers will settle on an initial legislative agenda.

But the first order of business will be to name a new cabinet.

Harper is expected to move quickly on that front, asking Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean to swear in a new cabinet - possibly as early as Oct. 22.

Senior advisers to Harper and Giorno say Jim Flaherty is almost certain to keep his job as finance minister and Peter MacKay is a good bet to stay in the Defence portfolio.

Harper's big challenge will be to fill the hole left by David Emerson, the British Columbia MP who did not run in the election, but holds the job of Foreign Affairs Minister until his successor is named. Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, Harper's Quebec lieutenant, is seen as a possible replacement at foreign affairs.

New cabinet ministers will have to be quick studies on their portfolios because Harper is expected to open the 40th Parliament with a throne speech that could happen on Nov. 3 or 4. Advisers say Harper's legislative priorities will come straight from his platform.

And he will need the support of at least one party to win a confidence vote on the throne speech.

If the prime minister needs political cover to get through the fall, advisers say he will most likely look first to Jack Layton and the NDP.

That's because on some justice and on some consumer-protection issues, there are similarities between the Conservative and NDP positions.

While a minority government will mean some political restrictions on what Harper can do in his first year, the biggest restraint may be the treasury. With a slowing economy, Harper simply may not have much money to bring in even some of the modest promises he rolled out in the last campaign.

After the throne speech, Parliament would sit straight through to Dec. 12, with a break week for Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.

The procedural rules of the House of Commons, which can only be altered by a unanimous vote of all parties, requires the House to rise for its Christmas break two Fridays before the holiday.