Secret cabinet swearings-in: a ‘cult’ or ‘no big deal’?

OTTAWA – A black SUV pulls up to the doors of Rideau Hall and blocks the view of reporters and camera operators waiting outside.

No one can see even the top of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s head as he, presumably, gets into the vehicle and is sped away from the private swearing-in of a public figure.

On Wednesday, Harper named Joe Oliver his second-ever finance minister – one of the highest posts in a government that prides itself on its economic record.

Read more: Harper names Joe Oliver as finance minister 

But neither Harper nor Oliver took questions after the mini-shuffle, sparked by Jim Flaherty’s surprise announcement fewer than 24 hours before that he was leaving cabinet.

Newly-named Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford and Ed Holder, who took over as minister of state for science and technology, didn’t have much to say either, although they all released written statements at the end of the day.

“It’s a great day, I have to tell you,” Holder said as he got into a car and was driven away. Oliver emerged saying something about “talking to you later.” And Rickford exited with his baby in tow. “This is interesting,” he said, as he placed his daughter in the car.

As he did during last summer’s cabinet shuffle, Harper took to Twitter to announce the positions. He posted photos from inside the swearing-in, and the government later sent out a press release that included comments from the prime minister about his confidence in the new ministers.

The Harper government also posts its own videos to the “24 Seven” website – although none were uploaded from the ceremony Wednesday.

It’s the latest chapter in a souring relationship between Harper and the media. The press gallery, which represents accredited Parliament Hill journalists, is pushing back against photo-only events, where questions are prohibited.

Harper’s spokeman denied the secret ceremony had anything to do with retribution.

Observers say that locking out journalists from such events is a troubling trend in the Harper government.

“The idea that they don’t, and shouldn’t, be able to speak to journalists or speak to the country through journalists, is wrong,” said Christopher Waddell, an associate professor and director of journalism and communication at Carleton University in Ottawa.

“It’s hard to understand why they think they benefit from picking fights with people. It’s not hard to do this. It’s not difficult to answer questions for 10 minutes.”

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During full cabinet shuffles, the media are allowed to get footage from inside the ceremony, and microphones are set up outside for ministers to comment. None of that happened on Wednesday.

And although the media were notified the shuffle was happening, they were never told when.

Conservatives argue these smaller shuffles are often done in secret. For instance, when Bernard Valcourt replaced John Duncan as aboriginal affairs minister last February, the media were notified in a press release afterwards. Harper’s former chief of staff, Ian Brodie, noted on Twitter that Peter Van Loan and former foreign affairs minister David Emerson were both appointed to cabinet in private.

Mulcair, who called Oliver’s past statements about global warming “an embarrassment to Canada,” questioned why the media were kept at bay.

“I do find it a bit amusing that they had a secret swearing-in ceremony. It’s like it’s a cult,” Mulcair told reporters in London, Ont.

“If they’re proud of Joe Oliver as minister of finance, why in heaven’s name wasn’t the media allowed to attend the ceremony? I do think that it’s a sign that they’re not even sure of their own appointment.”

Oliver’s spokeswoman said he wouldn’t be available for an interview, although he did sit down with business network BNN to say he wants to see a budget surplus next year.

“I cannot speak to the swearing-in ceremony as this is entirely the purview of the Prime Minister’s office,” Rickford’s spokesman, Scott French, wrote in an email.

No one from Holder’s office returned calls, and the prime minister’s office didn’t answer questions about media access.

Waddell says a government that makes announcements through tweets or news releases does not make it accountable to the public.

“It’s important that … there be independent observers at these sorts of events, and it’s important that these events be open,” he said.

He added the irony is that Harper is good at answering questions – when he does it.

“I don’t understand why he’s so afraid to answer them.”

What do you think?