Biographical details

Comrade Rowe asks today, of the membership of the federal cabinet:

But most other ministers — Nicholson, Blackburn, Thompson, Skelton, Cannon, Van Loan, Hill, Guergis, Paradis — who the hell are these people?

A partial answer:

Rob Nicholson. Elected 1988, defeated 1993, returned to office in the June 2004 election. In 2004, he was opposition transport critic. Highways, airports, Marine Atlantic. Tunnels under the Strait of Belle Isle. That sort of stuff.

Greg Thompson. Elected 1988, defeated 1993, returned to office in 1997, where he’s been ever since. In 2004 he was opposition critic for ACOA. The “AC” in ACOA stands for “Atlantic Canada”. Newfoundland and Labrador is in Atlantic Canada.

Peter Van Loan. Elected in June 2004. In 2004 he was opposition critic for Human Resources and Skills Development, and hence, for programs such as EI.

Bill Rowe served as High Commissioner to Canada for the second half of 2004, and into early 2005, until one day, walking along Laurier Avenue West, probably near the corner with Kent Street, he realized he was a Newfoundland separatist, and went home.

So if he still doesn’t know who the hell some of these fairly well-known federal politicians are, or has forgotten, it kinda makes you wonder: what did he accomplish as High Commissioner anyway?