What will a new Conservative government mean?

The political machinery is in overdrive as a new federal cabinet and opposition stakeholders are being queued up. All this is not lost on an uncertain public-service bureaucracy, working aggressively on transition documents and readying themselves for what lies ahead.

This is a good time to dust-off the ol’ address book, and rekindle relationships with tenured senior and mid-level bureaucrats who, in these times when the leadership learning curve is at its ebb, wield more power and influence than they ordinarily would.

Uncertainty is no doubt abound with the controversy surrounding the new transfuge, David Emmerson. Will he be able to stay or be forced to go? Time will only tell!

With the Conservatives seemingly one-minded in "reforming" the way Ottawa is lobbied, the next few months, until Parliament is convened on April 3, 2006 will be very interesting. I expect that the craft of lobbying (and I believe it is an honourable trade) will be under increased scrutiny.

Those interested in selling to government or representing a point of view in defence of an organization will have to be ever vigilent in the transparency of their representations.