Newly-elected Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole unveiled his shadow cabinet Tuesday (Sept. 8).
Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray has been named the shadow minister for export promotion and international trade. She had been a shadow minister for interprovincial trade under former leader Andrew Scheer.
Shadow ministers, more often called opposition critics, are elected Conservative Members of Parliament who are selected by the party leader to act as official reviewers to the in-place ministers of the federal government. Shadow cabinets are composed of members of the main opposition and hold the government to account for party policy positions.
“I am honoured to have been asked to continue serving in the Official Opposition’s Shadow Cabinet and I would like to thank Erin O’Toole for his confidence in me, now as the shadow minister for export promotion and international trade,” said Gray. “Many sectors in Kelowna-Lake Country rely on international trade – ranging from aerospace to agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.
“In my former role as shadow minister for interprovincial trade, the pandemic made clear the importance of our supply chains, not only within Canada but when it comes to the importing and exporting of goods and services as well.”
Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas remains in the shadow cabinet as well, becoming the shadow minister for environment and climate change. He had been employment, workforce development and disability inclusion critic, a post now held by Peter Kent, MP for the Thornhill riding in Ontario.
“I’m honoured and excited to be working with this great team of MPs under the leadership of Erin O’Toole,” tweeted Albas.
Honoured and excited to be working with this great team of MPs under the leadership of @ErinOTooleMP pic.twitter.com/ylIqoGj6Xz
— Dan Albas (@DanAlbas) September 8, 2020
Scheer is the shadow minister for infrastructure and communities.
North Okanagan-Shuswap and Kootenay-Columbia MPs Mel Arnold and Rob Morrison, respectively, were not named to the shadow cabinet. Arnold had been the critic for fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. O’Toole put New Brunswick Tobique-Mactaquac riding MP Richard Bragdon in that position.
Parliament is slated to resume Wednesday, Sept. 23.
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