Canada's Next Finance Minister

[Evening Star]

I just read Chrystia Freeland's Wikipedia entry. Afaict, her professional experience has mainly been as a journalist. What makes her a more qualified potential Finance Minister?

Edited July 9, 2015 by Evening Star

[Keepitsimple]

I tend to agree with August here. What sorts of credentials does one need, exactly? Many of our finance ministers, including Flaherty and Martin, have been lawyers. Ralph Goodale had legal training and was basically a career politician. Guy Caron, currently in the NDP caucus, was mentioned - he is a trained economist with professional experience. Erin Weir is another economist who will run for the party. Why doesn't Peggy Nash cut it?

The common thread for successful Finance Ministers is leadership - in the form of knowing how to give clear guidance, examine all the information provided to them, and making intelligent decisions. That means having experience in leading companies and/or other significant portfolios within government - and underpinned by significant education. There is a lot of brainpower within the Finance bureaucracy - harnessing that brainpower in an effective manner is the mark of an competent Finance Minister....being able to coherently communicate your decisions and reasoning is the mark of a good Finance Minister. Oliver is competent. Flaherty was good. Being a journalist like Frieland - or an assistant to a Labour Leader like Peggy Nash with only a BA in French as a foundation?.....well, they don't come close to cutting it.

[Big Guy]

The common thread for a successful Finance Minister is being surrounded by smart people and the ability to take their advice. Once a political philosophy is decided upon by the Prime Minister (and Cabinet - in the past) the group in charge forms a future based on the ideology. Decide on surplus or deficit, what area to support and which to starve, which ideals to support etc. If these Finance Ministers were so bright they would be making $millions in the private sector and never get involved in politics.

This is true for every Cabinet position. Their placement is more about regional representation and satisfying some gender quotas then their brilliance in the field. The good ones are surrounded by excellent "advisors".

For example, the current rep to our district, Diane Finley, is Minister Public Works and Government Services and was former Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. When elected, she was an office manager for a small company. She is no financial genius.

The fact that Doug Finley (who was Harpers right hand man later appointed to the Senate) may have had something to do with her promotions.

This appointment process is the same for all parties with the PM stuck with what he gets elected to his administration. If you look at longitudinal data, Canada has had many, many dim bulbs given important portfolios - for political reasons.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Big Guy

[Evening Star]

If these Finance Ministers were so bright they would be making $millions in the private sector and never get involved in politics.

Sometimes intelligent people have other interests and goals than making millions of dollars.

[Argus]

Nash was an assistant to the president of CAW, heading important campaigns and negotiations. Does that not count?

No. Experience with creating and maintaining large budgets would help.

[nerve]

I think it is very early to talk about a new finance minister for the NDP. I would think one would first look to the shadow finance ministers.. first or those with industry shadow.

It looks like Nathan Cullen and Guy Carron - BUT if the NDP were to form government, you might expect them to generate some new blood from other areas of Canada too so there could be some new faces.

Assuming Mulcair wins, I would think that it could be drawn from an English speaking area of Canada, being a bilingual speaker perhaps - perhaps montreal, toronto, vancouver, or somewhere else.

You need to ask, where the seats will fall.

You also need to look at what the plan is?

If Cullen gets reelected I would not be suprised if he is made finance minister should the NDP be the government. At the least a majority government appears as unlikely, and I would suspect that there will be less economic dictation and more agreement between the liberals and NDP in the next government.

Of course this upcoming election looks pretty unpredictable at this point. and based on minimum seat projections it will be a mixed bag. The bottom line is that we should be looking at policies not front men.

Edited July 22, 2015 by nerve