Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Conservative Opposition leader Andrew Scheer names new shadow cabinet; calls on eight BC MP’s


One day after naming former Liberal MP, Leona Alleslev (crossed over to the Conservatives September 2018) to the role of Deputy Leader, Andrew Scheer today named his Shadow Cabinet.

From the BC interior, and my home riding of Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod has been named as the Conservative Party’s Shadow Minister for Natural Resources (Forestry and Mining).  

“I am stepping into this role as the crisis in the softwood lumber industry continues to unfold,” MP McLeod said. “At least 20 mills have been forced to shut down or curtail production.  As a result, more than 4,000 people across 27 communities in B.C. are at this moment, out of work.  This does not include the thousands of contractors and small businesses that have been affected indirectly.”

“The challenges facing this industry are vast and complicated. The amount of trees available for logging plummeted in the wake of the pine-beetle infestation, which is now heading east through Alberta and Saskatchewan. Locally here in the interior of BC, and northern Ontario as well, have faced devasting forest fires,” MP McLeod said.

“Mining is another key component of this portfolio. The sector represents 3.6% of Canada’s total GDP, and employs over 634,000 people,” McLeod said. “This includes an increasing number of Indigenous people. In 2016, 12% of the mining workforce was Indigenous, up from 8% in 2011.”

Meantime due south in the riding of Central Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola ... MP Dan Albas was appointed the Shadow Minister for Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
 
Conservative MP Dan Albas
On hearing the news, Albas stated, “Having a job is more than just a paycheque, it provides meaning, a place in the world. Building a skilled workforce is essential for ensuring that Canadians can realize their dreams for themselves and their families. This includes the many persons with a disability who for too long have been unable to participate fully in our economy and our society”.

He then went on to say, “I will work tirelessly to hold the government to account and make sure that Canadians can get ahead and that those in our struggling energy and forestry sectors can get back to work.

And south-east in the riding of North Okanagan Shuswap, re-elected MP Mel Arnold will now, in what some (many?) may be questioning, be the shadow minister for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.


“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in the Official Opposition’s Shadow Cabinet on behalf of Canadians from coast-to-coast-to coast who deserve a strong voice in Ottawa”, said Arnold.

“I look forward to building on my experiences gained by working on fisheries and Coast Guard issues in the last Parliament communities and all Canadians who depend on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and fight for the policies and resources required to conserve and protect our precious resources.”

Meantime, in the riding of Cariboo-Prince George, Todd Doherty was appointed Shadow Minister of Transport ... while Bob Zimmer – the MP representing Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer – was announced by Scheer to the take on the Northern Affairs and the Northern Economic Development Agency portfolio.




The following is a list of all BC MP’s named to the Scheer’s shadow cabinet today:

  • Dan Albas (Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, British Columbia) – Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
  • Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap, British Columbia) – Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
  • Todd Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George, British Columbia) – Transport
  • Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay (South Surrey—White Rock, British Columbia) – Environment and Climate Change
  • Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country, British Columbia) – Interprovincial Trade
  • Cathy McLeod (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, British Columbia) – Natural Resources (Forestry and Mining)
  • Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, British Columbia) – Seniors
  • Bob Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, British Columbia) – Northern Affairs and Northern Economic Development Agency
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more