It’s summer, time for a break from school, work, and most of all politics. Yes, yes and, if you work at CREA in federal affairs, no.
The Prime Minister shuffled his Cabinet today. Over the past two months, Ottawa media told us it was going to be a “minor shuffle” or include “massive changes.” And it was going to happen two weeks ago or “late August.” So you should take the instant analysis you will read over the coming days with a grain of salt. In the meantime, keep these few ideas in mind.
The Prime Minister is fielding the line-up he will take into the next election in 2015. It’s steady as she goes with Minister Flaherty in Finance. While the Cabinet gets some younger members like Chris Alexander, Pierre Poilievre, Michelle Rempel, others like Julian Fantino and Joe Oliver are in their 70s.
For CREA and our members, this is a challenging time since we have many active files with the government, including anti-spam legislation, FINTRAC regulations, our budget asks, and much more.
Our strength lies in our years of PAC engagement with federal politicians and the work REALTORS® do at PAC Days and in their communities meeting MPs from all parties to talk about policies to strengthen our communities and country. This work will be more crucial than ever this fall and next year at PAC Days.
So carry on with your summer. We will keep you up to date with the latest information. Our Federal Affairs team will welcome the new Cabinet and thank those Ministers and MPs who are retiring or leaving Cabinet on your behalf, and set the stage for strong relationships going forward.
