Okanagan MPs get roles in Conservative shadow cabinet

Two Okanagan members of parliament, and one from Kamloops, are part of the newly announced shadow cabinet by new Conservative party Leader Erin O’Toole.

Central Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola MP Dan Albas is in charge of environment and climate change, while Kelowna-Lake Country’s Tracy Gray is critic for export promotion and international trade.

And Cathy McLeod, MP for Kamloops, Thompson, Cariboo, is in charge of Crown Indigenous Relations.

It’s time to take another look at the Conservative Party. Meet our Shadow Cabinet. We are here to fight for you and your family. pic.twitter.com/dHTD3aC6YZ

— Erin O'Toole (@ErinOTooleMP) September 8, 2020

Albas says being named shadow minister for Environment and Climate Change is an honour.

“Living in the Okanagan region of British Columbia over the past decade, we have all witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of climate change. The “once in 200 year” flood has come and gone twice in recent years. It is not uncommon to see temperature records being broken. The added heat and tinder dry forests create wildfires of a size and scope rarely before seen. Conditions can become so severe that air quality is seriously compromised.There are also other important challenges. We know there are regions in Canada where raw sewage is still discharged into sensitive marine habitats. We also know that many vulnerable species are at risk. The ongoing threat of invasive aquatic species to our freshwater lakes, particularly here in the Okanagan, is a serious problem. All of these challenges require federal leadership as well as partnerships with provincial and local governments as well as First Nation communities,” stated Albas.

“I am also looking forward to working with Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. While there are some seriously significant under performers at Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet table, I do not consider him to be one of them. As the new shadow minister for Environment and Climate Change, I am hopeful that we can spend more time focusing on areas where we agree and less time debating our differences,” Albas added.

O’Toole’s leadership group also includes his predecessor, Andrew Scheer, who will serve as infrastructure critic; Ontario’s Pierre Poilievre, who remains as finance critic; and Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who will hold down the health portfolio.

Ontario MP Michael Chong was named the Conservatives’ critic for foreign affairs, considered one of the most high-profile portfolios, the former position O’Toole held after losing the leadership race to Scheer in 2017.

“In the coming weeks, we will be presenting a plan to put hardworking Canadians first, lead our nation out of this crisis and rebuild our great country,” O’Toole said in a statement unveiling his critics list Tuesday.

The list of who will sit on the Opposition front benches as the critics for the Liberal government ministries is a mix of those who backed O’Toole in his leadership campaign, those who backed his rivals and several key players in the party who had remained entirely neutral in the race.

The Conservatives will meet for the first time Wednesday since O’Toole won the leadership last month.

(With files from The Canadian Press)