Federal NDP name shadow cabinet

Nov 28, 2019

Alistair MacGregor returns as ag critic

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh revealed the MPs in his party’s caucus who will hold the Trudeau government to account in the House of Commons.

“We’ve got a team that represents the diversity of Canada with great regional representation. It’s a team that’s going to continue the message that we started in the campaign (and) something we believe is so important,” Singh said Thursday in Ottawa, Ont. “Governments work for people, not for those at the very top (and) not for wealthy and powerful corporations.”

All 24 NDP MPs who won seats during October’s federal election will hold shadow cabinet positions. Multiple MPs will critique more than one portfolio.

As critics, the party representatives will “present their party’s policies on the subject and comment on government policies,” the Guide to the Canadian House of Commons says.

Alistair MacGregor, the B.C. MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, returns as the NDP’s agriculture critic opposite the Liberal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.

MacGregor will also serve as the party’s rural economic development critic to Maryam Monsef, the federal minister overseeing that portfolio.

In addition, MacGregor is the NDP’s deputy justice critic opposite Liberal Nathatlie Drouin.

MacGregor sponsored four bills during the last Parliament.

One of the bills, C-430, called for an amendment to the Income Tax Act to create a tax credit to incentivize organic farming.

Other NDP shadow cabinet positions include:

Daniel Blaikie as export promotion and international trade critic
Peter Julian as finance critic
Matthew Green as national revenue critic

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is expected to announce his shadow cabinet Friday.

Farms.com has reached out to MacGregor for comment on his appointments.

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