When he unveiled his cabinet earlier this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not designate anyone as deputy prime minister. In the last cabinet, of course, Anne McLellan was deputy to Paul Martin.
But even though he has not designated a deputy prime minister per se, Harper has had to set down a list of who ought to stand in for him if he is unable to perform his duties. Number one on that list: Lawrence Cannon, (left) the MP for Pontiac and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities.
Cannon was a top pick for those pundits who, prior to the announcement of the cabinet, believed Harper would designate a Deputy Prime Minister.
Rookie MPs from Quebec, in fact, hold down two of the top five spots, which are:
- The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
- The Honourable Jim Prentice
- The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson
- The Honourable David Emerson
- The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Peter MacKay, who was deputy leader while the Conservatives were in Opposition, is 10th on this list.
All of this is spelled out in Order-in-Council 2006–35, one of more than 75 orders-in-council Harper has signed off since taking office on Feb. 6.