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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is shuffling his front bench, in a renewal that sees a number of recently elected MPs taking on bigger portfolios, while also promoting one of the party’s longest-serving MPs to finance critic.
Wellington-Halton Hills North MP Michael Chong will take over as finance critic, leaving his longtime foreign affairs critic role. Chong assumed office 22 years ago, in 2004. The new foreign affairs critic is Ontario MP Eric Duncan.
“I was delighted with the challenge, so I’m looking forward to taking on this new role.” said Chong in an interview with CBC News. “I think the trajectory of the current government is no different than the previous Liberal government and that’s why Canadians continue to struggle with affordability.”
Conservatives are putting affordability front and centre in branding of this shuffle, with Poilievre saying in a video accompanying the announcement that their priorities are “affordability, affordability, affordability.”
Chong said in his new role he’ll be pushing the government on the country’s sluggish growth, capital investment decline and Canada’s weak productivity.
“Canadians struggle to pay their everyday cost of living because of all of this,” he said.
Other major changes to the Conservatives’ shadow cabinet include Ontario MP Adam Chambers taking over the industry portfolio, Ontario MP Arpan Khanna leading the justice portfolio and Alberta MP Shuvaloy Majumdar taking on the Canada-U.S. relations file as the two countries enter the formal review process for the existing free trade deal, known as CUSMA.
A number of recently elected MPs have new jobs as well:
- Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Ellis Ross, who previously served as a provincial MLA and a councillor for the Haisla Nation, will take on the environment portfolio.
- North Island-Powell River MP Aaron Gunn is the new ethics critic.
- Newmarket-Aurora MP Sandra Cobena is the new Treasury Board critic.
- Long Range Mountains MP Carol Anstey is leading the energy and natural resources file.
Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Tamara Kronis is the new critic for supply chain issues and chairs the food affordability task force.
Senior team remains in place
However, no members of the party’s senior leadership are changing. MPs Melissa Lantsman and Tim Uppal remain deputy leaders, Andrew Scheer continues as House leader and Chris Warkentin keeps his job as chief opposition whip.
In total, 83 MPs are tasked with a role in the shadow cabinet, representing more than half of the caucus’s 140 members. The positions are not paid, but show trust from the party’s leadership, and can result in more visibility in question period and in media appearances.
Canada’s economy has been the focus of question period in the House of Commons. CBC’s Fact Check team takes a look at recent claims made by both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Effective critics can also play crucial roles in holding the government to account. During his time as finance critic, Poilievre successfully pushed for the resignation of Liberal minister Bill Morneau over the revelation that he had to repay $41,366 in travel expenses covered for him by WE Charity.
The most notable omission is MP Larry Brock, a former prosecutor who oversaw the Conservative tough-on-crime agenda as shadow minister for justice and the attorney general of Canada.
In a statement posted online, he said he made the decision to step back for personal reasons.
“I continue to put my full support behind Pierre Poilievre — he is the leader Canada needs and will make an amazing prime minister,” reads the statement.