MONTREAL—As far as recalibrating a government goes, this past week's Cabinet shuffle does not justify closing Parliament down for most of the winter. It was a pit stop, not a major tune-up.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's revamped lineup signals no significant change in the course of his minority Conservative government and features no new message.

With the main players—at Finance, the Environment, Foreign Affairs and Defence—all staying put, the ripple effect of the makeover will be localized rather than widespread.

In the big federal picture, the main operative change is the appointment of Stockwell Day to Treasury Board; it only reinforces the emerging austerity mantra of the government.

Only a handful of Conservative MPs have ever been in power over a period when governing did not rhyme with free spending. Day, a former Alberta treasurer in leaner times, is one of them.

The task of reining in public spending after more than a decade of loosened purse strings is now his. He may find the role of fiscal naysayer more challenging in a minority setting than he did as a sitting member of Alberta's Tory dynasty.

Day's elevation to such a strategic position is yet another sign that his rehabilitation from failed leader of the Canadian Alliance to top Cabinet performer has been a success—on par with Joe Clark's unexpectedly productive spell as a senior minister under Brian Mulroney.

By far the most intriguing nomination is that of Quebec lieutenant Christian Paradis to Natural Resources, where the thorny issue of AECL's future awaits him. There is no question that Paradis deserved a promotion. Since the last election, he has emerged as Harper's top Quebec performer.

But as Natural Resources minister, he is now the federal minister responsible for the much-maligned Alberta oils sands. And that will put him on a permanent collision course with the Bloc Québécois. When Parliament is sitting, not a day goes by without the sovereigntist party questioning the government's support of the oil patch.

Outside his home province, Paradis has so far mostly flown under the media radar, in no small part because his proficiency in English places him a few notches below Stéphane Dion on the language scale. In his new higher profile posting, Paradis will have to overcome a significant communications challenge.

Also noteworthy is the lightening of the load of government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton. Free from the responsibility of the seniors file, she will be focusing on the running of the Upper House under a soon-to-be-achieved Conservative majority.

The main demotion handed out saw rookie minister Lisa Raitt move down from Natural Resources to Labour, a department that is almost an afterthought on the government's flow chart.

It is the second time in as many mandates that one of the Conservatives' few rising female stars quickly goes down in flames.

Rona Ambrose is still working her way back up from a bruising initial spell at Environment. Tuesday, she moved from Labour to Public Works. At this rate, it should take her no more than another two or three Conservatives mandates to make it back to the government front line.

But Ambrose is hardly the Conservative woman about whom progress is ultimately measured sideways. In the wake of this shuffle, most of Harper's female ministers more than ever toil in the relative obscurity of the lower tiers of the Cabinet.

Chantal Hebert is a national affairs writer for The Toronto Star. This column was released on Jan. 20.

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