Stephen Harper became the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada on Monday, February 6, 11 am at Rideau Hall, where the Governor-General swore in a smaller Cabinet, 27 ministers, down from the Liberals' 39.

The great loss was that Peter Van Loan, MP, Conservative, 1/2 Estonian, York-Simcoe (Jõekääru) did not make it into the Cabinet. Van Loan had been a sure-fire bet with most political pundits, despite the pared-down version of the Cabinet.

Instead Belinda Stronach was exonerated from her role of turncoat when former Vancouver, British Columbia, Liberal Industry Minister David Emerson all of a sudden became a Conservative Trade Minister. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said someone who crosses the floor should go to his or her riding to be re-elected, when he was Leader of the Opposition.

Senator Michael Fortier, from Montréal, became Minister of Public Works, from a gallery seat at the House of Commons. Public Works - usually known as the ministry of pork barrel - has again gone to someone from Québec.

The argument was that Harper needed to get ministers from the major cities. The representative for Toronto will be Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister from Oshawa. But Oshawa is too far from Toronto; half an hour drive can be too stressful, especially with a chauffeur.

The best suggestion would be Liberal member Tom Wappell, MP from Scarborough-Southwest who is not going anywhere in the Liberal Party because he's too conservative. Just what the Conservatives need.

Wappell needs to improve on his constituency skills. He told a blind war veteran that he might not get help because he didn't vote for him. That's no problem, though. Wappell would have these blond, dark-suited executive assistants around him, making sure he does not step in it any more.

The Conservatives could give Wappell an innocuous ministry, or make one up, Ministry of Toronto, so all he would do is give speeches, cut ribbons, shake hands, listen to Mayor David Miller and Premier Dalton McGuinty, a punishment in itself.

The one thing the Conservatives need to keep is their integrity, with both hands because the Liberals and the NDP have joined hands before and can do it again. NDP Leader Jack Layton will realize that he got more from former Prime Minister Paul Martin than Harper and the moving trucks will be back at 24 Sussex Drive.

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