After some political turmoil, the Prime Minister of Canada did a cabinet shuffle.
Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes
A cabinet shuffle means that ministers may take up new positions, new politicians getting cabinet positions, and sometimes even old ministers getting removed entirely from the cabinet. Such a move can affect people like Bev Oda and Maxime Bernier, who serve as key players in the copyright debate in Canada. After the dust settled, Slyck learned that they’ll keep their positions after all.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage seems to be one to stay under the radar. In fact, Political Watch listed her as the third most underperforming minister. It’s generally hard, if not impossible, to figure out what is happening with copyright reform, even after the rumored time of it being tabled in the Fall of 2006. But today, Canadians are still waiting for copyright reform to even show signs that it’s coming at all.
While some speculated that if she were removed, there would have been no reason. In most cases, she has done little to earn negative mainstream attention. Then again, there isn’t really any case where she has gained positive mainstream attention either. In recent memory, she’s most well known for the canceled fund raiser which likely tarnished her reputation when it was discovered that it was organized by a broadcasting lobbyist. Beyond that, it’s been strictly left up to speculation as to exactly what Bev Oda is up to – especially for copyright reform.
Because of her silence, many who have a stake in this debate – on both sides of many issues – have been disappointed over the lack of things going on.
Maxime Bernier, on the other hand, although not as directly involved in copyright reform as Bev Oda, has made some generic responses to letters expressing concern over copyright reform. There hasn’t been much in the way of indicating where the reform bill is likely to go from him either.
Of course, when the cabinet shuffle was announced, some wondered what was going to happen to both ministers. After some speculation that Bev Oda might be replaced by someone who is more willing to take action, it seems that it was not to be.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
