Pierre Poilievre names in his shadow cabinet two of his opponents in the recent leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). And several Quebec MPs who had supported Jean Charest.
Ontario MPs Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis are part of the group of 51 Conservative MPs chosen by the leader as spokespersons to hound Liberal government ministers in the Commons.
Mr Poilievre has also tapped other MPs to serve as “associate spokespersons”, meaning he has given roles to 71 of the 117 other Tory MPs.
Mr. Aitchison, who finished last in the recent leadership race, will serve as official opposition housing critic, while Mr.me Lewis will serve as infrastructure critic.
Many party members were eager to see if Mr Poilievre would appoint Mme Lewis in her shadow cabinet, she who is a “social conservative” popular with the party base and anti-abortion supporters. During the leadership race, she came in third, well behind Mr. Poilievre. In particular, she had expressed her opposition to the World Economic Forum – an organization that has been the subject of many conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alberta MP Jasraj Singh Hallan will serve as Conservative finance critic, a role Mr. Poilievre took on before he was elected party leader in September.
Quebec MP Gérard Deltell will be spokesperson for the environment, his colleague Joël Godin will be for official languages, and Richard Martel for sports and the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. Four other Conservative MPs from Quebec were named “associate spokespersons”: Bernard Généreux, Richard Lehoux, Jacques Gourde and even Dominique Vien, who had been co-chair of Jean Charest’s campaign in Quebec.
The two other Quebecers in the caucus of nine Conservatives already hold positions within the party: Luc Berthold has been appointed deputy leader in the House and Pierre-Paul Hus lieutenant of the leader in Quebec.
On the other hand, well-known MPs who had supported candidates other than Mr. Poilievre during the leadership race were not selected for the shadow cabinet. Missing from the list are veteran British Columbia MP Ed Fast, who also backed Jean Charest, and Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who backed Patrick Brown.
A spokeswoman for Mr.me Rempel Garner said the MP was “proud to be part of a party that fights to lower the cost of living for Canadians and looks forward to supporting her colleagues in their mandates.”
“There is no place for ego in public service, only hard work, and that is what Michelle intends to do,” wrote Jillian Montalbetti, her director of communications.
Mr. Poilievre’s predecessor as leader of the party, Erin O’Toole, who is still an MP, was also not retained. But Mr. O’Toole recently told the National Post that he had asked Mr. Poilievre not to give him the role of spokesperson.
Mr. Poilievre has also chosen Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu to be the critic for civil liberties. Mme Gladu was among many Tory MPs who spoke out against federal health measures, almost all of which have now been lifted.