Editorial Lost in the shuffle

Creating a federal ministry for housing is widely seen as a sop to Toronto’s voters, a gesture with little substance. Intended to show concern for city issues, many regard it as little more than a ploy to win votes in the impending federal election.

That interpretation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s recent cabinet shuffle may well be true. If so, the corollary would be that reducing cabinet representation has little significance. After all, the argument would go, most of these cabinet posts are only for show.

Regardless, the shuffle’s elimination of a mines minister at the federal cabinet table cannot be considered good news for the mining industry. If cabinet positions are all style and no substance, a means of placating certain special interest groups, the loss of a mines minister shows a certain indifference for this industry. If, on the other hand, ministry representation really does reflect the significance a government places on a special interest group, that, too, would indicate considerable disregard for the mining sector.

Predictably, the Opposition is trying to make political hay out of the change. “This is another symptom of the low priority which mining is receiving under this government,” says William Rompkey, the Liberal mines critic. It’s difficult to understand what he means by “another symptom.” By and large, this government has treated the mining industry fairly and favorably.

But Rompkey has a point. The senior minister at Energy, Mines and Resources, Marcel Masse, had little time for mining. If that doesn’t change, the industry’s concerns could easily get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle.

Presumably, the government’s deregulation of the oil and gas sector has left Masse free to devote more time to mining issues. Therefore, the mines minister’s previous junior position, which reported to cabinet through Masse, is no longer necessary. If that is true, it would be a positive development for mining. Masse is not without influence at cabinet.

The final effect of the cabinet restructuring will only be known over time. Today, it’s a little bewildering. And in an industry that has to deal with enough uncertainty over other, non- political factors, it’s a change that is difficult to welcome.