“That’s what the boss wanted,” Clement is telling friends about the Prime Minister killing the compulsory long census form, which a fifth of households get once every five years. The minister in charge of Statistics Canada says he opposed the change, to no avail.From the Star; my emphasis. That sure sounds like a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of cabinet solidarity. I guess Clement would say he's still willing to accept responsibility for the decision, even if he doesn't like it; nevertheless, this is a really weird thing for a cabinet minister in a Westminster-type system to say. It also may put Harper in an awkward position. If he doesn't fire Clement he looks weak, but he needs him -- he's one of relatively few Conservative MPs who have any brains. Interesting times...
ETA: Tony's now denying that he ever opposed the change.
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