Letter: John Duncan appointment as INAC Minister borders on “disgraceful”

A letter to the editor in today’s Globe and Mail minces no words in assessing the appointment of MP John Duncan to the position of Indian and Northern Affairs Minister:

It is bordering on disgraceful that the newest cabinet minister has been given the Indian Affairs portfolio … What does Stephen Harper’s appointment of a first-time cabinet minister say about his commitment to first nations [?]

To be fair, one might acknowledge that the man did put in some time (since 2008) as Parliamentary Secretary to his Ministerial predecessor, so the specifics of the terrain are not wholly foreign to him.

Curious to know what others think — is it contemptuous toward First Nations to assign a ‘rookie’ to the portfolio, i.e., a telling sign of how much regard Harper holds for the Ministry and those it serves?

POST-SCRIPT: For those who do feel the ‘untested’ qualifications of Duncan make him a poor Cabinet choice, you may take some odd solace in the opinion that, according to 58% of respondents for our poll on the Ministerial shake-up (as of 5:20 pm est), Indian Affairs “policy’s the same no matter who’s Minister”…