Mr. Scott (Fredericton, N.B.) was forced to resign from the federal cabinet after Frederick Toole, the government lawyer who was Mr. Scott's seatmate on the infamous flight to New Brunswick, stated that Mr. Scott told him "Hughie" would take the "fall" or the "hit" at the APEC inquiry. 

Hughie referred to RCMP officer Hugh Stewart who has been seen over and over again in TV footage pepper-spraying protesters and a cameraman. NDP MP Dick Proctor (Palliser, Sask.) overheard the conversation and later ambushed the solicitor general in the House over his comments about the RCMP inquiry. 

Mr. Scott had continued to deny it just after the story broke and he denied it in his own sworn affidavit he filed two weeks ago, but Mr. Toole's affidavit in the end sunk Mr. Scott. 

Meanwhile, the prime minister had cabinet seats to fill once Mr. Scott resigned. Mr. MacAulay, who is personally well-liked by his Liberal colleagues, is thought however to be in over his head. The prime minister also appointed rookie New Brunswick MP Claudette Bradshaw (Moncton, N.B.), a social activist, as federal labour minister. 

"They are scraping the bottom of the barrel," said one MP, who refused to be identified early last week. 

On his first day on the job as solicitor general, Mr. MacAulay told reporters he wasn't sure he would publicly release the RCMP Public Complaints Commission Inquiry report, but his staffers later clarified the report would definitely be released. And last Wednesday, the prime minister pulled Mr. MacAulay out of a scrum and on Thursday, Reform Party Deputy Leader Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Alta.) told reporters on the Hill that the Reform Party received a note just before Question Period advising the MPs that Mr. MacAulay would not be in Question Period that day. 

"We get a note just before Question Period for goodness sake saying Lawrence MacAulay is not available for Question Period today. He [the prime minister] grabs him by the arm yesterday and says, 'I want to talk to you,' and shuffles him out to a car and says to the chauffeur, 'Get this guy out of here.' I think he's [the prime minister's] just counting the days before Christmas," said Mr. Grey. 

And Ontario government backbenchers remain concerned about putting a rookie into a political minefield. 

"When he talks to the media he looks like a raccoon hit by a car's headlights on the highway," said one Liberal MP, who refused to be identified. 

There were also grumblings about the priority of regional representation winning out over knowledge when it comes to filling out the cabinet seat. Some MPs were hoping to see another Ontario MP moved into cabinet but were resigned to the fact that the prime minister had to fill the spot with a New Brunswicker. 

But MPs from the Quebec and Ontario caucuses say they are hoping to see new faces in the next cabinet shuffle which many expect will happen in late December or in January. 

Ontario MP Brenda Chamberlain (Guelph-Wellington, Ont.), the Parliamentary secretary to the labour minister and a five-year veteran of the Commons, said other MPs are not comfortable with the shuffle being governed by regional concerns. 

"Certainly you have to have regional representation," said Ms. Chamberlain. "But it's hard for Ontario MPs who have shown support for the prime minister and have shown they are qualified. That would honestly bother me." 

It's an irritant in the Ontario caucus that originates in 1997 with the appointment of four of six British Columbia MPs to key positions while several Ontario MPs felt overlooked. The bulk of the Liberal caucus is from Ontario where it holds 101 seats. 

"I think that one of the reasons [for Mr. MacAulay's appointment]," said Independent MP John Nunziata (York South-Weston, Ont.), "is because they believe that he is cautious and there is the notion that you need a minister from New Brunswick. I do not think that he is utilizing the talent that he has in the caucus like Tom Wappel, Derek Lee, people in the Justice Committee, Roger Gallaway, that is one position where the prerequisite is more than a simple loyalty to the prime minister." 

Mr. Nunziata warns that having a solicitor general who is "a non-lawyer that doesn't understand legal principles is the wrong way to go." 

"You can't have someone who doesn't understand the process. The officials will take advantage of the situation." 

Mr. Nunziata says that "the Solicitor General is not only responsible for the RCMP, which means some pretty significant investigations, but also the CSIS and federal prisons. And this is not the type of portfolio where you sit down with your officials and be briefed in a few hours. You have to understand constitutional law, criminal law, how the security intelligence works." 

Ms. Chamberlain who has worked with Mr. MacAulay as his Parliamentary secretary, said he can probably handle the Solicitor-General portfolio but that without a legal background, it will take time. 

"It will be a year of 18-hour-days because it is technical," said Ms. Chamberlain. 

Despite the negative comments of some, both Ms. Bradshaw and Mr. MacAulay are well-liked by almost all their colleagues: 

"I am absolutely delighted," Ontario Liberal MP Sarmite Bulte (Parkdale-High Park, Ont..) told The Hill Times, "that Claudette Bradshaw was appointed minister of labour. She is bright and she is smart. I think that Claudette could go into the role of solicitor general but I'm new on the block and I don't know how the prime minister changes his ministers." 

Many other MPs expressed the same opinion on both newly appointed ministers: "They are well-liked by almost everyone." 

Meanwhile, along with skepticism over the cabinet appointments, the prime minister can expect to face questions over the federal strategy after today's provincial election in Quebec. 

Going into the election, Liberals privately wonder about the prime minister's future if the Parti Québécois wins, which is all but guaranteed. 

It's believed that the prime minister's job is safe for now, but that the political pressure will mount to oust him as the next Quebec referendum approaches, which could be in the next 18 to 24 months. It's believed that the federal Liberals will need someone who is respected in Quebec, and many point to Finance Minister Paul Martin. 

Meanwhile, federal Liberal MPs say the next step will be getting ready for a possible referendum. 

For his part, Ontario caucus chair Roy Cullen (Etobicoke North, Ont.) said the election won't threaten the prime minister's position or the cabinet. He did not see a cabinet shuffle as a result of a loss for the Quebec Liberals. But he said a loss will mean a change in strategy for the cabinet. 

Mr. Cullen said the Ontario caucus has grown reluctant to hand over more powers to the provinces in an effort to satisfy the separatists. He said the caucus will want to keep Quebec in the Confederation but is starting to ask "where is the line in the sand." 

"The mood [in the Ontario caucus] is that we have gone as far with devolution as we want to," said Mr. Cullen. "Not to say there might be some in the offings." 

Several Ontario MPs believe Quebecers are supporting the Parti Québécois because they believe there will be negotiations with the rest of Canada in the case of a separation and the separation will not be as harmful. However, MPs say they sense there is little appetite for negotiations among voters in their ridings 

"We somehow have to get the message into there is that there is no negotiation process," said Ms. Chamberlain. "If they separate then they are on their own." 

While MPs say a PQ victory will not mean that the prime minister may have to step down, privately, there has been mounting criticism of Quebec ministers such as Human Resources Minister Pierre Pettigrew (Papineau-Saint-Denis, Que.), Intergovernmental Minister Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.) and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard (Westmount-Ville-Marie, Que.) since the loss in the federal Sherbrooke byelection to the Bloc Québécois. 

These ministers were brought in as federalist stars who could beat the separatists and sell Canada in the province. If the Liberals are soundly defeated by the PQ, then the criticism could move from private conversations into the public arena.