Baird has been installed as Environment Minister because he's better at standing up to critics than Ambrose. The only change to their plan will be louder hot air.

Will be interesting to see whether or not Darrel Reid survives the change in regime. Having met Mr. Baird a few times he is not likely going to allow a yahoo like Reid to remain as chief of staff in the portfolio.

Actually, the Reid hire was one of the reasons Harper couldn't fire Ambrose completely. He didn't give her the tools or freedom to succeed. Baird has enough sway with the PMO to avoid that kind interference.

I've worked under Baird. In my opinion, he's a BULLY.

God (or Allah) forbid that anyone would speak against the Kyoto accord. It's received wisdom, like Canada is a peacekeeping nation.

"I've worked under Baird. In my opinion, he's a BULLY"

Apparently an incompetent bully, as he has been sent to environment (which Harper doesn't care about) as punishment for highlighting the Convention-donation-gate scandal before a Senate committee. He didn’t get it was a scandal and Harper didn’t like it being further exposed.

Hey Walks. I am no Tory, but your analysis is very Budd-like.

Baird is seriously political and can fight a political battle, even with ridiculously little to back him up.

Ambrose couldn't, and would be a liability going forward in Environment.

Harper may not care about the environment per se, but he sure cares about the politics of the environment and that is why Baird is there.

"Baird is seriously political and can fight a political battle, even with ridiculously little to back him up."

That is the nature of bullies, little to back them up, hence why they have to bully.

That is alos the nature of the CPoC five priorities... tax cuts that result in net increases in tax, wait times that go up, child care that isn't, attempting to use the accountability act to make their own illegal books legal... etc etc etc. The CPoC is just bullying the agenda with nadda-net-real thing to back it up.

Where they put a "moving down and out" bully like Baird was a question of putting him were image was best served and where he becomes the most irrelevant (to the CPoC).