OTTAWA

Stephen Harper would have been well-advised to rid himself of Lawrence Cannon, but a 38-year-old New Democrat named Mathieu Ravignat did it for him on election night.

Now, as Harper builds his first majority cabinet, the most intriguing question is who’ll be his choice for Canada’s voice on the world stage.

The foreign affairs post is the most coveted job that Harper must fill and a fierce competition for the post is underway in the capital.

It involves three strong candidates and one long shot — Jim Flaherty, John Baird, Jason Kenney and Tony Clement.

All are among the most trusted inner circle of the Prime Minister’s orbit.

Harper campaigned on Flaherty’s budget and his handling of the economy, so moving him to foreign affairs immediately would seem counterintuitive.

Baird has proven valuable to Harper as his street brawler in the Commons, the man who flings himself in front of opposition bullets aimed at other ministers.

Harper may want to keep him closer to home.

Clement may have forced himself onto an informal short list, but his handling of the census controversy and his G8 pork barreling make him an unlikely candidate for such a promotion.

Kenney has been known to stretch the limit of the Harper leash, but his work in winning Conservative seats in the GTA and his legendary work ethic give him the luster of an early favourite.

Under Cannon, the foreign affairs file devolved into a domestic dossier in which world views were used as wedge issues for partisan purposes at home.

Our world standing hit bottom when Canada was denied a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The new minister has a steep challenge in putting Canada back on the world map.

But foreign affairs is not the only tough decision awaiting Harper.

Cabinet making is no easy task. He must balance regional and linguistic considerations.

Backbenchers who believe their time has come will again have those hopes dashed, leaving the Prime Minister with bitterness in his ranks and a tougher caucus to manage.

He will also have to decide who serves him better inside the tent than outside and who among his rookies is ready for a big job and who will need some seasoning.

In Ontario, a cabinet post will almost certainly be found for Chris Alexander, the former diplomat who rid the Conservatives of Mark Holland, the Liberal attack dog from Ajax-Pickering.

Almost as certain is a seat for Kellie Leitch, a renowned orthopedic physician and long-time party stalwart who rid Harper of an even larger pain by slaying former Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis in Simcoe-Grey.

But both are expected to enter at junior levels.

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Two other new faces in the GTA will receive consideration.

Eve Adams, the 37-year-old former Mississauga councillor has the combination of smarts, youth, gender, experience and life story that means she cannot be ignored.

But some Conservatives think a better bet could be Stella Ambler.

Ambler, may have the inside track for her work with Flaherty as his director of regional affairs in the GTA, Harper knows her and she may be a more comfortable fit.

There is the sticky issue of Julian Fantino.

The former OPP chief has not impressed since wresting Vaughan from the Liberals in a 2010 by-election and some senior Conservatives don’t believe he is due a promotion to a law-and-order portfolio.

Two other names under consideration will fascinate political watchers in the days ahead.

Bernard Valcourt, the Mulroney-era minister whose career foundered after he pleaded guilty to impaired driving following a motorcycle crash which cost him the sight in one eye, is back after an 18-year absence.

He is openly lobbying for a cabinet seat, telling all that he has cleaned up his act, and Harper may reach out to Valcourt as a francophone from outside Quebec.

Inside Quebec, Harper’s pickings are slim.

So Maxime Bernier, the former foreign affairs minister who resigned in 2008 after leaving secret NATO documents at the home of his girlfriend, is expected to finally reclaim his seat at the table.

Bernier has become a bit of a one-man band with thinly disguised leadership aspirations since his ouster.

It might be better for Harper to have him inside the tent.

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