Polievre announces shadow cabinet

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has welcomed two former leadership rivals to serve as critics in Parliament,according to a list released by his office Wednesday.

Ontario MPs Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis are among the group of 51 Tory MPschosen to go head-to-head with Liberal government ministers on certain files.

Poilievre also tapped other members of Parliament to serve as "associate critics," which means he gave roles to 71 of the party's 117 other MPs.

The new leader tapped Aitchison, who finished last in the recent leadership race, to take on the housing file, while Lewis will be the party's infrastructure critic.

Many in the party had been watching to see what Poilievre would do with Lewis, a social conservative who is popular with the party's grassroots and supporters who are anti-abortion.

She placed a distant third behind Poilievre during the race and raised some eyebrows with her opposition to the World Economic Forum — a global entity that has been the subject of many conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alberta MP Jasraj Singh Hallan takes over as the party's finance critic, the role Poilievre held before he became leader in September. Gérard Deltell, a high-profile MP for the party in Quebec, now becomes its critic for the environment and climate change.

Poilievre also chose Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu to serve as a his critic for civil liberties.Gladu was among the party's many MPs who spoke out against the Ottawa's federal mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates, almost all of which have been lifted.

Those who didn't make the cut include longtime British Columbia MP Ed Fast, who backed Jean Charest in the leadership contest, and Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who supported Patrick Brown before his disqualification.

A spokeswoman from Rempel Garner's office provided a statement saying the MP is "proud to be part of a party that is fighting to lower the cost of living for Canadians and looks forward to supporting her colleagues in their mandates."

"There is no room for ego in public service, only hard work, and that’s what Michelle intends to do," wrote Jillian Montalbetti, her director of communications.

Former leader Erin O'Toole, who is still sitting as an Ontario MP, will also not serve in a critic role. O'Toole recently told the National Post that he asked Poilievre not to give him a critic role.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct.12, 2022.