A balancing act

CRAFTING a cabinet is always a particularly delicate balancing act for Canadian prime ministers. Regional, ethnic and gender considerations often prevail over aptitude and expertise. The challenge is that much greater for the rare prime minister who finds himself heading a minority government, as Paul Martin now does after a scolding from voters last month. Not only is the pool of potential candidates reduced, but with a sceptical electorate to impress and not much time to do it—minority governments in Canada are lucky to last two years—the opportunities for fine-tuning later are few.