Michael Ignatieff announces new critic line-up

OTTAWA - Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff today announced a new, streamlined roster of critics that will see Bob Rae, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre, assume the role of Foreign Affairs Critic and John McCallum (Markham--Unionville) become the Finance Critic. Reflecting the importance of positive relations with the provinces and territories, Mr. Ignatieff will take on the critic's duties for Intergovernmental Affairs.

"This is a lean and focused line-up, with fewer critic roles and no associate roles," said Mr. Ignatieff. "We will be a focused and disciplined Opposition with a single purpose: holding the Conservatives accountable."

The new line-up re-calibrates some of the critic roles to reflect the Opposition's focus on the economy."

Comments

Submitted by Wilf Day on January 24, 2009 - 12:16am.

Interesting line-up changes:

It's a streamlined shadow cabinet. All the "Associate critic" positions are out.

Irwin Cotler, who turns 69 in May, is out, and presumably does not intend to run again. Raymonde Folco, omitted from Ignatieff's first edition, is in, despite the fact that she too turns 69 in March. Amazingly, newly elected Alexandra Mendès is in too. Marlene Jennings remains Deputy House Leader. Denis Coderre is still in, and is Quebec lieutenant. Marcel Proulx is still Deputy Whip. Pablo Rodriguez is still in. Marc Garneau is still in. Six of those seven are the six Quebec ministers if the Coalition takes power with 28 ministers. (Will he copy Charest? Three men, three women?) Dion is still out. Justin Trudeau, who had been only an associate critic, is out.

The Toronto media ignore the Coalition, but La Presse describes the Coalition Cabinet.

Ken Dryden is out, kicked upstairs as "National Outreach Advisor, Working Families & Poverty, and Special Liaison, National Fundraising." That makes room for David McGuinty (along with Rae, McCallum, Kennedy, Martha Hall Findlay, and Carolyn Bennett.)

In BC, Keith Martin is back in, having been left out of Ignatieff's first edition. Sukh Dhaliwal is in. That makes BC's two Liberal ministers. Dosanjh is out, presumably not running again although still just a kid at 60. Joyce Murray is out, for no obvious reason; did she refuse to serve in a Coalition cabinet? Hedy Fry is still out.

Submitted by Ze on January 23, 2009 - 11:25pm.

Didn't Mendes have to be in, to include SOMEONE from Quebec-outside-Montreal (even if just barely outside)?

Yech, Bob Rae in foreign affairs.

Submitted by Wilf Day on January 24, 2009 - 12:13am.

Ze wrote:

Didn't Mendes have to be in, to include SOMEONE from Quebec-outside-Montreal (even if just barely outside)?

Folco is from Laval, just as outside Montreal as Longueuil is (the former City of Brossard is part of Longueuil). Proulx is from Gatineau. Pablo Rodriguez is from Sherbrooke although elected from Montreal.

It looks to me like both Mendes and Folco are in in order to get gender parity. That's not a slam at Folco, who is probably a progressive person. Interesting that she was born in a Jewish family in Paris, and taught in Jamaica and Australia before coming to Canada. Mendes, born in Portugal, had been the constituency assistant to Jacques Saada, born in Tunisia to a Jewish family.

Submitted by Joel_Goldenberg on January 26, 2009 - 2:23pm.

Wilf Day wrote:

Irwin Cotler, who turns 69 in May, is out, and presumably does not intend to run again.

That rumour about Cotler has been flying around since 1999, when he was first elected. Cotler said to reporters Friday he basically requested not to have a specific critic's position, as he is engaged in international efforts that go across ministerial boundaries. Also, Cotler said he was human rights critic and there is no human rights minister.

Submitted by martin dufresne on January 26, 2009 - 5:00pm.

Women's issues do not seem to be on Mr. Ignatieff's radar screen. No strong voice to keep the anti-choice Grits from supporting a Harper law.