Prime Minister Harper's full Cabinet has not met over Mideast crisis

[tuvor]

But Cabinet ministers took concerns over politics of support for Israel to PMO.

At least 12 Cabinet ministers were engaged in discussions with the Prime Minister's Office over the last few weeks about the potential political fallout of the government's support for Israel, according to a source close to the government's foreign policy on the Middle East.

Sources confirmed that there have not been any full Cabinet meetings since the Middle East crisis erupted on July 12, but one source told The Hill Times that more than 12 ministers representing Canada's different regions had taken their concerns to the PMO after consultations with interested groups and constituents.

"A significant number of ministers I know have been engaged and in consultation with the Prime Minister and Peter MacKay on the issues. Part of it is, I think, political. I think they're trying to ensure that their assessment of how this is playing out in the country and amongst their own supporters is accurate and keeps them safe," the source told The Hill Times.

"Part of it was on substance, but I have to tell you that on substance, it wasn't a big issue. They're pretty united on this," the source said, who did not want to name the ministers, but said many of them represented the old Progressive Conservative Party. "We're not just talking about Stockwell Day . It's pretty wide."

And sorry, but I couldn't resist including this part...

Sources also told The Hill Times that Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast, Alta.), Parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, has played a key role in coordinating information and connecting ministers with the Prime Minister while he was on tour in Europe, and that Minister MacKay and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor (Carleton-Mississippi Mills, Ont.) have been working closely on the matter.

However, another source, also close to the government's Middle East policy, told The Hill Times that Mr. MacKay is having no influence on the government's policy.

When asked about Minister's MacKay's role, the source said: "He's told what to do."

Much more at http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/july/31/cabinet/&c=1

[CHIMO]

1. Good Catch

Watch for the demise of Harper now as Mulroney and group turn the shiv.

[tuvor]

2. All praise to this Google link:

http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8&q=%22stephen+harper%22&scoring=d

(Sorting by date sometimes seems to help catch some stories that fly under the radar, although this particular story was found in a list sorted by relevance.)

[daleo]

3. Harper looked in the mirror while shaving

For him, that's a cabinet meeting.