The Globe is taking a closer look at 163 Members of Parliament in the Conservative Party, dating back to their first election victory in 2006. Not all Conservatives are created equal. Some newcomers have vaulted into high-profile portfolios while veteran backbenchers have waited on deck for years. From the floundering former favourites to the up-and-coming stars, here's a look behind the curtain at the structure of the Conservative caucus.
The Positions
Each section of the bar represents a role within the government. The length of the bar represents how many days they filled the position.Next
The Colours
Each colour represents the type of position they held, from parliamentary secretary to prime minister.Close
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The Prime Minister
These are Mr. Harper's longest-serving members of the cabinet, each commanding major portfolios since the Conservatives came into power in 2006. While many have changed positions over the years, these are the pillars of Mr. Harper's cabinet and they continue to play a major role after the latest shuffle.
The trajectory for many MPs involves working as a junior minister before earning a more senior role. But not these up-and-comers. They were handed significant portfolios almost immediately after entering the federal stage and remain an important part of the cabinet today.
These MPs have held positions in Harper's cabinet for years — some dating back to the 2006 election. But rarely have they moved beyond junior positions, typically transitioning between a series of posts as parliamentary secretary or minister of state. Others are cabinet ministers on low-priority portfolios.
Once in positions of power, these ministers were replaced or moved to lesser roles within the cabinet. In some cases, they left the cabinet and never returned.
The bulk of the Conservative caucus includes long-serving backbench MPs, who have been on the federal stage since 2006 or earlier, but have never been invited into Harper's cabinet. They could be focusing on their constituencies, or might be passed over by party brass. Either way, these MPs have never had significant influence on the national stage.
Some of these MPs are simply new ministers who remain untested and unknown on the national stage. For others, only time will tell whether they will become major figures for the Conservatives. Many MPs have become junior ministers, but were not awarded more responsibility in the most recent cabinet shuffle.
Editor's note: The Globe has made some adjustments since first publishing this interactive. The following MPs changed categories: David Anderson, Colin Carrie, Jacques Gourde, Randy Kamp, Gerald Keddy and Tom Lukiwski.
Lead photograph by ANDREW WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Interactive by STUART A. THOMPSON
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