Mr. Harper's staff wanted their boss, and only their boss, to be in the spotlight for the photo op when an agreement on trade mobility was signed at the first ministers meeting yesterday. The PMO, according to sources, wanted the premiers to sign the agreement behind closed doors and then in public have the PM sign for the cameras. The premiers would stand behind him. Loud shouting ensued as the provincial officials pushed back. They won: The PM and premiers all sat together at a long table and smiled for the cameras.What Taber doesn't mention is that the process in question has been in the works for years - and with provinces rather than the federal government taking the lead at every step.
As far back as 2006, Manitoba premier Gary Doer had been working on getting an interprovincial labour mobility agreement in place. In recent meetings, Jean Charest and Shawn Graham had joined Doer as the leading public backers of the move. And the signing this weekend merely involved formalizing terms which the provinces had agreed to in principle last July at a Council of the Federation meeting which (as best I can tell) didn't include federal participation.
In other words, the fact that Harper was even in attendance when the final agreement was signed can best be classified as a coincidence or a contrivance. But that apparently didn't stop Harper from trying to position himself to take sole public credit for the work the provinces had done.
All of which serves to highlight that once again, the Cons' main commitment is to perception rather than reality. And with Canada facing a recession which demands effective federal action, there's no reason to settle for a government whose sole plan is to take credit for others' accomplishments.
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