Shuffling across the 905

Tuesday's Federal cabinet shuffle, seems to be setting the stage for political battle in the vote rich 905 area of Southern Ontario.

A sprawling patch of the political landscape which has frequently been the domain of the Liberals, but one which the Conservatives believe is ready to be claimed.

To that mission they have promoted recently elected MP Julian Fantino to the Harper cabinet, shoring up the ever popular law and order message of the Conservatives and providing instant results for voters of the region who sent Mr. Fantino to Ottawa.

The long time police chief of a number of Ontario forces, will provide the face for the reinforcement of the justice agenda of the Conservatives, while his actual cabinet duties will be as a minister of state for seniors, a core group for Conservative support across the country.

Mr. Harper also promoted Peter Kent, the former broadcaster who had a deputy position as a minister of state for foreign affairs and now moves into the starter's rotation. Mr. Kent will be taking on the Environment portfolio, a position that has been somewhat of a lost cause over the last few years, owing to the Conservatives mixed messages on that front.

Mr. Kent, it is anticipated, will provide that Ministry with a higher profile and provide Toronto area residents with another seat around the cabinet table and according to some political observers will be the point man in the battle orders for Ontario whenever an election comes about.

The twin Ontario moves offer a higher profile for the Greater Toronto Area in Ottawa, bringing the total to six cabinet ministers for the immediate region, another chip away at the Liberal grasp of the GTA, while concentrating on the vast acreages of suburbia that have developed north of the city over the last few decades.

As the minority government of Mr. Harper moves into yet another new year, the annual whispers of a potential spring election are starting to circulate around Parliament Hill.

If nothing else, the minor shuffle of this week will offer up a sign to Toronto area Conservatives that the party believes there is a chance to take more seats from vote rich southern Ontario.

Decidedly focusing their gaze on those areas where they suspect they'll have the best success, hopeful that some of those efforts may have a spillover effect on swing riding's in the region that will be in play whenever the writ is eventually dropped.

Some of the reviews of the shuffle can be found below.

Globe and Mail-- Harper's shuffle makes sense both inside and out
Globe and Mail-- A changing climate - just not in cabinet
National Post-- Stay the course
National Post-- Kent's deft touch will be an asset
Toronto Star-- Cocky federal Liberals may lose T. O.
Toronto Star-- Cautious Harper shuffles cabinet, holds card
Toronto Star-- Harper's cabinet shuffle a major boost for Toronto
Toronto Sun-- Don't fear PM's agenda
Toronto Sun-- Tories see glory in Toronto's 905 region
Edmonton Journal-- Harper woos Toronto
Montreal Gazette-- Harper chose to tweak rather than shuffle his cabinet