Brown-John: Canada wins when it comes to picking leader’s cabinet

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Editor’s note: Windsor Star weekly columnist Lloyd Brown-John was working on this piece when he passed away on Feb. 24 at age 84. He was a University of Windsor professor emeritus of political science and founding director of Canterbury ElderCollege. You can read our online obit at windsorstar.com.

By: Lloyd Brown-John

It has been fascinating watching the second Trump tsunami occupancy of America’s presidency. What is so striking when compared to Canada’s parliamentary system is the type of people chosen for Trump’s cabinet and the manner in which they are selected.

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There’s a vast difference between Canada’s parliamentary democracy and America’s congressional system — ironically, both systems have roots in the same place but were institutionalized in stunningly different ways.

Putting together a federal cabinet in Canada begins with a careful look at those who have been elected within the political party that has the greatest number of elected members in Parliament.

Often, the Privy Council Office will prepare background notes for the incoming prime minister on prospective cabinet members to be selected from among MPs. The top public servant in Ottawa is known as the Clerk of the Privy Council. The PCO is a non-political advisory body to the prime minister and cabinet.

At a meeting once in Ottawa, that Clerk was explaining the background notes process when he was asked: “Do you prepare notes for all prospective party leaders?” The response was, “Yes, we prepare a Blue, Red and Orange background on prospective MPs for all party leaders”.

Thus, a newly elected Canadian prime minister is faced with a monumental challenge constructing a cabinet. Regional representation, when possible from every province and even territories, as well as gender representation, are among factors that must be considered. Because Canada is fortunate to have two founding nations, a PM must also ensure that French-speaking ministers are selected.

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Demonstrable competence and skill, perhaps as already demonstrated in Parliament, certainly will be considered. Once sworn into a cabinet position by our head of state representative, the Governor General, newly minted cabinet ministers learn quickly about the fundamental concept of “ministerial responsibility.”

It has three components: every minister is also an MP and thereby responsible to her or his constituents, the same as every other elected MP. Second, every minister is responsible to her or his department, including in debate and in answering questions in the House of Commons. Third, every cabinet minister is collectively responsible both to cabinet colleagues and to the public for all government activities and policies.

Now, compare this complex Canadian process to the one that emerged in Washington, with its cabinet members (secretaries). First, realize that Trump’s appointed entourage, or cabinet, is responsible and accountable to absolutely nobody but Trump, and now and then — as necessitated — to the U.S. Congress.

Confirmation of new cabinet appointees is required by Congress. But with that legislative body’s visibly craven makeup now dominated by Republicans in the House and Senate, almost all of fellow Republican Trump’s selections will be duly confirmed, even those with questionable backgrounds — from sex scandals to off-the-wall ideas.

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Loyalty, and not necessarily any known competence, literally trumps political accountability in America’s congressional system.

The concept of a tri-partite institutional system of “checks and balances” should, in theory, ensure democracy in America. The three institutions, Congress (House and Senate), Supreme Court and executive (White House), are meant to ensure that America does not drift into dictatorship.

Yet, the absence of some form of direct accountability to the electorate leaves a shadow of doubt. Moreover, as the current U.S. president seems to offer many Americans a cult-like iconic presence, there should be concern about how this president manipulates the levers of immense power available to him.

In practice, I much prefer Canada’s system of assembling a cabinet from elected resources over the American “my-cronies-and-monied-friends” alternative.

You may not prefer Justin Trudeau. Yet I’ll wager that with Pierre Poilievre as prime minister, give or take a couple of years and we may see obscenities directed at him as well.

In the absence of clear and present accountability, it is possible to imagine that Trump might just endeavour to manipulate his White House stay into a longer-term residency.

The preponderance of sycophancy which seems to motivate many of Trump’s cabinet appointees has dangerous historical precedents, from courtiers in royal courts to ruthless characters who hovered about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

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