Premier Dalton McGuinty now knows for sure who his two weakest ministers are, but it is not certain how much he can do about it.

Children and youth services minister Mary Anne Chambers put herself very much in the running when she provided one of the feeblest defences by a minister on a key issue in memory.

She was asked to explain why some children’s aid societies have failed to help needy children, while wasting millions of dollars on luxuries for their staff.

Chambers replied she could not discuss the failings because they were described in a report by the auditor general that had not been released formally in the legislature and she kept repeating that as if she were announcing which trains were leaving which platforms in a railway station.

But McGuinty’s government every day leaks policies to news media before presenting them in the legislature, hoping to get them reported twice, once when leaked and again when officially announced. No government has leaked more, so it is bizarre it would ask not to discuss the issue to respect the legislature.

Chambers also kept saying that she was proud the McGuinty government eventually would reveal the problem, and when opponents pointed out that it constantly volunteers information on less crucial issues, such as how many eggs the province produces, objected huffily to vulnerable children being compared to eggs.

It was the most inept performance by a minister since Harinder Takhar, then in transportation and since demoted to look after small business, became tongue-tied when asked why he had a friend manage his business affairs, which were supposed to be at arm’s length in a blind trust while he was a minister and able to influence government policy.

When Takhar was caught outside the office of the business in which he was required no longer to be involved, the best explanation he could offer was that he was there discussing his daughter’s education.

Takhar became the first MPP formally reprimanded by the legislature’s integrity commissioner, and the questioning lasted almost a year. He caused the most damage of any McGuinty minister.

McGuinty might feel that he would like to get rid of both ministers, but he is in a quandary because the other link they have is that both happen to be members of visible minority groups. Chambers came from Jamaica and Takhar from Punjab. To be fair, both also have made considerable marks in life outside politics.

If McGuinty were to drop either, the minorities to which they belong would be offended. They also are the only representatives of visible minorities in his cabinet.

Parties like to have representatives of visible minorities among their elected members and cabinets to show that they have support among them and promote some to their inner circles.

In recent years, being in a visible minority and elected to the legislature has been almost, but not quite, a passport to cabinet.

But it is fair to say the record of members of visible minorities in cabinet is not that impressive.

Jamaican-born Alvin Curling, a Liberal who became Ontario’s first black minister in 1985, was dropped from that cabinet because he had a minor association with a questionable party fund-raiser and McGuinty when he came to power did not feel him worth reinstating.

Bob Wong was the first MPP of Chinese ancestry and a minister, but little noticed, in the same Liberal government.

Zanana Akande was the first black woman MPP and a minister in a New Democrat government, but became discouraged and quit elected politics after complaints that she had gouged tenants were disproved.

David Tsubouchi, a Progressive Conservative, was the first minister of Japanese descent, and in a government that slashed welfare benefits. Having once advised welfare recipients to look for dented cans of tuna and bargain down prices, he is best remembered as Tuna Dave.

This is not a distinguished list, considering the enormous talents of those in visible minorities. Political parties clearly are not recruiting and promoting the right people.