Tom Clark on the cabinet shuffle

If anyone thought this shuffle would reveal a government beset by second thought or doubt, this probably was a disappointing day.

A cabinet shuffle, by any Prime Minister , of any party, is never intended to “remake” the government, or “reset” the mission. Prime Ministers tend to think that they’re doing just fine and are not in need of salvation by ambitious junior members of caucus. Stephen Harper is first among equals when it comes to that philosophy.

Far from remaking anything, the shuffle confirmed the grip of the inner core of the government. Jim Flaherty is still managing the economy, Tony Clement is still in charge of the nations piggy bank at the Treasury Board, John Baird at Foreign Affairs is master of anything he wants, Jason Kenney may have changed portfolios but remains the chair of the second most powerful committee of Cabinet, is a key member of the most powerful committee, and the best communicator of the group , and of course Stephen Harper remains in his portfolio. These five people run Canada. Their power remains unassailable.

This realignment was aimed at less revolutionary goals. As all shuffles do, this one rewarded the loyalists and punished the underachievers, which is why three were dumped, five stepped down, and eight were added. This type of political natural selection tends to keep everyone on their toes and discipline tight.

The new comers have the potential of being significant additions. Initially though, their importance is optical. Half of them are women, all are under 50, a couple are in their early thirties. Moments after the shuffle, the PMO put two of the youngest and brightest on display. The new immigration Minister Chris Alexander and new Minister of State for western economic diversification Michelle Rempel were herded to the media pen to talk about how happy they were about generational change. Both have the capacity to have a real impact on public policy, but their first ministerial remarks were aimed squarely at the political world, and in particular at one man; liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau is settling into a solid lead in the polls, and at least part of that is because he projects youth, modernity, and compassion, three things that aren’t top of mind when people think of the current government. Whether that’s important to good governance might be debateable, but it is a political problem for the conservatives and they know it. So they reply in kind. Its not all about just youthful eager faces either. The Prime Ministers twitter account was used to release details of the shuffle, the first twittershuffle in history. Take that Trudeau!

But the electoral battle ahead will rely on more than one time political jabs. Policy will demand its due, and there lies the trouble. The cabinet may have a combination of old and new to carry the message, but no one knows yet what that message is. Within the next two months, the Prime Minister will have to convince the country and his own base, that his government is not out of ideas, and that the optics of change can lead to real change. But however that’s crafted, what will remain constant is Stephen Harpers belief that his course is the right course that doesn’t need any major overhaul.

The eternal conflict between change and constancy was at the heart of the shuffle, and it appears that change took second place.