The prime minister sent an encouraging signal to the countries of the Western Hemisphere by creating a junior Cabinet post dedicated to executing the government's Americas strategy.

Newly-elected MP Peter Kent, a former TV broadcaster, was assigned to the newly-created post of minister of state of foreign affairs (Americas) during the Cabinet shuffle of Oct. 30.

Mr. Kent told Embassy soon after his appointment that he was honoured to be trusted with such responsibilities as a "rookie" MP.

He also expressed his keenness to get to work tightening ties in the hemisphere.

"For so many years, the countries of the Americas looked north to the U.S.," he said. "Only now are we getting them to look a little farther over the horizon to consider trade and cultural relationships that have great potential, great opportunity and a lot of mutual sets of values and perspectives.

"I think it will probably be weeks and months before I'm fully up to speed," Mr. Kent added. "But certainly I think I have a pretty good handle on the direction the prime minister wants us to go with regards to the Americas."

Members of the hemispheric diplomatic corps saw the creation of a new, dedicated post for the Americas as an encouraging signal that the government is genuine in its promise for "re-engagement with the Americas."

"The prime minister has indicated that he wants a renewed focus on the Americas and Caribbean," said Bahamas High Commissioner Michael Smith. "This demonstrates how serious he is about it."

Mr. Smith said he spoke with Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week, and that "he again renewed his wish for us to strengthen our trade as well to improve relations between the region and Canada."

Brazilian Ambassador Paulo Cordeiro de Andrade Pinto said Mr. Kent, as a former broadcast journalist who covered events around the world, brings "huge experience" to his new role.

"I think a journalist is someone that by profession is attentive, looks at reality, at the world, and communicates," he said. "That's important to send a message from the government of Canada to a certain number of countries."

While Mr. Kent's position is new within the Harper government, there have in the past been junior ministers assigned to different regions of the world.

In 1993, Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien created, for the first time, two such positions: secretary of state for Latin America and Africa, and secretary of state for Asia-Pacific.

These regional posts were later dissolved by Mr. Chrétien's predecessor, Paul Martin, in 2004.

David Kilgour, who served as secretary of state for Latin America and Africa from 1997 to 2002, said the position helps Canada increase its "face time" in the region.

"It's just a question of having enough bodies," he said. "The foreign affairs minister can't do the whole world, so having these regional junior ministers can be quite useful."

He said Mr. Kent should expect "pretty well non-stop travel" in his new position. Mr. Kilgour said during his time as secretary of state, he visited every country in the hemisphere but one, and some as many as seven times.

Mr. Kilgour said he was dispatched to attend inaugurations, events and conferences of all types and description.

"It's about getting Canada's point of view, and Canada's interests and aspirations in our neighbourhood across to as many people as one could," he said.

He added the post also had some consular duties. When seven Edmontonians were kidnapped in Ecuador in 1999, he went to the country to make appeals to the president.

Finally, Mr. Kilgour said, sometimes political types can just get it done where even the best bureaucrats can't.

"There are so many things that officials or diplomats have trouble saying," he said. "But if an elected person, with a sort of political seal on their forehead, that they're there representing the prime minister, it makes a big difference."

Ambassador Pinto agreed, adding that a new political face was "a creative way of implementing this strategy for the Americas."

"Sometimes having a person that also has some political clout, it helps a lot in terms of maintaining dialogue with governments and ambassadors here," he said.

"You need, according to your Westminster system, people that have the political mandate, and I think that's where Peter Kent fits in," Mr. Pinto added.

As for Mr. Kent's predecessor, former secretary of state for foreign affairs and international trade Helena Guergis, few tears were shed at Fort Pearson when news arrived she was leaving.

DFAIT employees told Embassy the day of the Cabinet shuffle that they agreed with Mr. Harper's decision to take her off the international file.

"People who needed to get demoted got demoted," said one.

"People that didn't shine have had their headlights dimmed," quipped another Cana-dian diplomat. "She underperformed."

Master Planner Promoted

Along with the appointment of Mr. Kent, there have also been staff changes on the bureaucratic side of the Americas equation.

Alexandra Bugailiskis, a career diplomat and former ambassador to Cuba, was recently made DFAIT's top diplomat for the larger Americas region. Her new title is assistant deputy minister for Latin America and Caribbean.

But Ms. Bugailiskis is no newcomer to the Americas strategy. In fact, she masterminded it.

Soon after the Harper government came to power, Ms. Bugailiskis was made chief of a policy planning section attached to DFAIT's larger Americas section.

It was from here, as executive co-ordinator for the Americas strategy, that Ms. Bugailiskis oversaw the creation of the nascent policy. She also became known in diplomatic circles as the key quarterback on the changing Americas file.

Ms. Bugailiskis refused to speak with Embassy, but diplomats hinted that she has been given the regional reins so she can execute the plan she has spent the past years putting together.

Despite the bureaucratic shuffling, there remains frustration and confusion in the public domain about what the Americas strategy actually means. So far, DFAIT officials refuse to release the strategy itself or related documents, choosing to reveal little more than the strategy's three "pillars": prosperity, democratic governance, and security.

The refusal to reveal the Americas strategy has caused consternation in some quarters.

Carlo Dade, executive director of the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, said the time has come to see some real progress.

"The clock is ticking on these guys. They've had three years on the Americas strategy, the strategy is in place, they've got to start producing.

"And it's more than just dumping more money into Haiti, the Caribbean and making a free trade deal," he continued. "That's all low hanging fruit."

Annette Hester, an Americas scholar with the Waterloo, Ont.-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, said the region is becoming disillusioned as time goes on with no substantive progress on implementing the strategy.

"I don't see anything new, it's the same old, same old," she said by telephone from Brazil. "The region looks and shakes its head. 'What do you mean new policy? New strategy? There's nothing new here.'"

Ms. Hester said that for the strategy to take off, Mr. Kent must be given the budget and latitude to get creative.

On the political side, NDP Foreign Affairs critics Paul Dewar said he and his opposition colleagues will keep an eye on the Americas file when Parliament resumes.

Among his concerns, Mr. Dewar said, is the still unratified free trade agreement with Colombia, issues of corporate social responsibility, and Canada's relationship with the Organization of American States.

But most of all, Mr. Dewar said, he will be looking for the government to "put more meat on the skeleton" of the Americas strategy, and soon.

"If it is not in the Speech from the Throne, then you have to ask what is the commitment to this policy, and what exactly is Mr. Kent going to be doing."