Nearly four years ago, when the Harper government came to power, the cabinet was filled with either rookie ministers or the rare Mulroney leftover. Now it's filled with a few veteran ministers who have put a stamp on their portfolios, for better or worse.
2009 was a big year for the Harper government: It survived the recession with ease, knocked around Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff like a pinata, and dealt with some major political crises.
Despite a solid year, there have to be some winners and losers, with a cabinet shuffle expected in the near future. Here are the year-end grades for the more prominent players in the Harper government.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper: A-
Harper has quietly established himself as Canada's Teflon man, though an inefficient opposition has helped that. The Conservative PM has managed to avoid major fallout from a significant recession, a questionable debt management plan, a flu pandemic, allegations of Afghan detainee torture, and a feeble plan to fight climate change. Harper may be running the meanest PMO in recent Canadian history, but he's running circles around his opposition and may be growing closer to his long-coveted majority. A+ as a politician, B as a leader.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: B
Flaherty has been in the unenviable position of watching his surplus teeter away and running a massive deficit, not to mention having budget watchdog Kevin 'Just doing my job' Page consistently revising the finance minister's overly-rosy projections. Still, Canada has weathered the recession better than most countries in the short-term, but Flaherty's legacy may be the debt he has bequeathed on the next generation.
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon: A-
Cannon has been a bright spot for the Conservatives after the embarrassing and inept work of Maxime Bernier in this high-profile portfolio. For a foreign minister, he keeps a lower profile than most, and for the Harper government, that's not a bad thing. The only significant issue has been Canada's repeated issues with Canadians detained abroad -- either in Guantanamo Bay, Mexico or Kenya. That said, journalist Maziar Bahari specifically thanked Cannon after he was released following four months in Iranian custody.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay: C
Things were going A-ok for MacKay until the tail-end of 2009, when diplomat Richard Colvin made his explosive allegations that Canada knew about the torture of Afghan detainees. MacKay has done little to clear the air, and a recent poll suggests most Canadians smell a cover-up. The government's refusal to fully release the documents in question and the mounting evidence only makes MacKay's position tougher to believe. "Trust me, I'm a politician," rarely sells. But MacKay has the support of a significant amount of the old "PC" Tories, and thus the support of Harper.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird: B
When he wasn't telling Toronto to go "F" itself in 2009, Baird has been a busy man -- handing out stimulus infrastructure cash across the country, and serving as Harper's pitbull in the House of Commons. However, stimulus funding across the country has been shown to be hyper-partisan by independent reports and despite the massive influx of cash for projects, there seems to have been a lost opportunity for a "big picture" ventures.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson: B
Nicholson has ushered a number of the Conservatives' "Law and Order" crime bills into the House but has not exactly answered questions about how the government intends to pay for all the extra jail time it wants to hand out. And with crime rates dropping, Nicholson hasn't exactly made a strong argument for some of the legislation.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice: F+
He gets the F-plus, only because he's done a better job than Rona Ambrose did in the Harper government's most undesirable cabinet position. Canada's environment portfolio remains the mockery of most in the developed world, and Prentice has made it clear he sees his position as protecting industry from the environment, rather than the other way around. Recently, while dismissing the 'Climategate' conspiracy theories, he did so in such as weak fashion, it looked like he was scared of causing a fuss.
Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day: B
Day continues to remake his career as a steady upper-level cabinet minister, after his disastrous wetsuit wearing experiment as leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day, notoriously gaffe-prone in the past, has performed well in an increasingly important portfolio.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney: A
Kenney's outspoken style and solid work ethic has had more than a few commentators speculating that he is the future of the Conservatives once Harper decides to step down. New immigration laws under Kenney have proven to be popular and he has made inroads into ethnic communities that were once strictly Liberal supporters.
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt: D+
Raitt's had a tough year. Her handling of the NRU filing was so-so and gave the opposition plenty of opportunities to jump all over her. Her forgetful assistant kept leaving stuff behind everywhere she went, resulting in a security leak and an embarrassing tape that basically had Raitt calling cancer "sexy." Then by year-end, Raitt came under scrutiny for a fundraiser that caught the eye of the federal ethics commissioner. She shouldn't expect a promotion in the next cabinet shuffle.
Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl: A-
Strahl continued to perform ably in 2009 in the position he has held since 2007. However, the calls for a public inquiry for the more than 500 missing Native women in western Canada still have gone unheeded.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq: A-
After an initial shaky start, Aglukkaq proved herself to be one of Harper's most dependable cabinet ministers, especially considering the difficult circumstances surrounding the H1N1 pandemic. When problems did break out, such as body bags being sent to a First Nations community, she took responsibility and promised to get to bottom of it. A refreshing change for this government.
Industry Minister Tony Clement: B
Clement had a fairly solid year as one of the few Tory cabinet ministers who escaped the PMO's muzzle. However, his part in dumping cabinet colleague Diane Ablonczy from the Marquee Tourism Events Program over funding for the Toronto Gay Pride Parade did little to help the Tories' reputation in the liberal parts of the country.
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan: C
The RCMP has taken a massive public relations hit in the last few years, and Van Loan has done little to help revitalize what was one of Canada's most prized institutions. The removal of Paul Kennedy, chairman of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, at the end of the year looks bad on Van Loan as the government has failed to deliver on its promise of more independent oversight for the national police service.
