OTTAWA — Stephen Harper delivered the bad news himself to some of the key members of his shadow cabinet, telling them more than a week ago that they would not be part of his new team.
The secret meetings took place in a suite at the Delta Ottawa Hotel, just west of Parliament Hill in the city's downtown core.
They lasted 30 minutes, one meeting after another. MPs waited in a holding room just outside the suite.
Businesslike and complimentary, Mr. Harper thanked one of the senior MPs who had not make the cut for all of his good work.
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"He said all of the right things," the MP said. "He told me not to take it personally."
One other MP said sarcastically that after he received the bad news, he and Mr. Harper talked about the weather. "It's all so superficial," the MP said.
Political observers were stunned that senior MPs and shadow cabinet members such as Albertans Diane Ablonczy, James Rajotte, Rahim Jaffer and Jason Kenney were left off the list.
In British Columbia, the young and very able James Moore was out, as was Jay Hill, one of the original Reform MPs from the class of 1993.
(However, Ms. Ablonczy will be the parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, and inside speculation is strong that Mr. Kenney will be the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister. Insiders say that Mr. Hill will become the Chief Government Whip.)
Mr. Harper's chief of staff, Ian Brodie, and his transition team chairman, Derek Burney, sat in on some of the meetings.
Some MPs hearing that they weren't in cabinet were followed by MPs who made it. There was no pattern. In this way, Mr. Harper kept his cabinet-building exercise secret.
MPs who got cabinet posts were asked to sign oaths of secrecy. Nothing leaked.
By Friday, Mr. Burney was preparing the mandate letters, spelling out what each minister is expected to achieve during the minority mandate.
And so by Saturday night, Mr. Harper was waiting on just a couple of small details.
In fact, he was so relaxed that he, his two brothers and good friend John Weissenberger went out to watch nine-year-old Ben Harper and his hockey team play against a west-end Ottawa team.
Ben scored on his first shift. Sadly, his team lost 4-3.
But the Harper boys stopped at Colonnade Pizza and Restaurant after the game, picked up several large pizzas to take to Stornoway, the official residence where the family has lived since Mr. Harper became opposition leader.
The family is between chefs, so Mr. Weissenberger and his wife, Angela, made salad. The pizzas were put out and everyone relaxed.
Mr. Harper and Mr. Weissenberger, who lives in Alberta, talked about the B.C. campaign, and the challenges in that province.
Mr. Harper told Mr. Weissenberger that "things are going to change" with the cabinet swearing-in. Mr. Weissenberger had no idea what he meant.
But exactly how much things would change became crystal clear yesterday morning when former Liberal industry minister David Emerson joined the Conservative cabinet. That deal was sealed only 72 hours before the swearing-in. With the exception of Mr. Harper's inner circle, few knew of it.
The deal between Mr. Emerson and Mr. Harper was sealed in that Delta hotel room, too.
One insider said that deputy leader Peter MacKay flew in early last week from Nova Scotia to meet with Mr. Harper.
He was expecting, according to an insider, to be offered the Justice or Defence portfolio.
Instead, he was given one of the most senior jobs, Foreign Affairs.
A good meeting, no doubt.
So was the exchange between Monte Solberg and Mr. Harper. Rumours had been swirling that Rona Ambrose and Jim Prentice would be the only Albertans besides Mr. Harper in the cabinet.
Insiders say, however, that Mr. Harper had a change of heart after some MPs noted that the Reform Party was born in rural Alberta and not one rural Albertan was in the cabinet.
Last Thursday, it appeared that Mr. Solberg was not in cabinet. By Friday, the MP from rural Alberta, who is well-liked by his caucus colleagues and is a good communicator, had the senior role of Immigration.
One MP who didn't make it came home down in the dumps. His wife opened a bottle of wine, and gave him this advice: "Everybody at different times in their lives has every reason to visit Pity City. But nobody has the right to take up residence."
He quickly got out of his funk.
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