Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre named his team on Wednesday
A familiar Conservative MP is back in a familiar role.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre again tapped John Barlow, the Alberta MP for Foothills, to be the ag critic in his shadow cabinet.
In this role, Barlow will be responsible for presenting the party’s views opposite Liberal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, and for assisting other ministries on agricultural issues.
In the previous session of Parliament, Barlow also served as the vice chair of the House ag committee.
“Agriculture and agri-food processing are incredibly valuable pillars of our nation’s economy, accounting for more than $100 billion in economic activity every year. The importance of agriculture to our national interest cannot be overstated,” Barlow said in a May 22 statement. “Harmful Liberal policies for the last decade like the carbon tax, fertilizer tariffs, capital gains tax hike, fertilizer and pesticide reductions and prioritizing activist voices over proven science continue to threaten the economic viability of Canadian agriculture.”
Barlow sponsored one bill in the last session.
In May 2022 he introduced C-275 which would make it an offence for a person to enter a livestock farm without permission.
The bill passed in the House and reached the report stage in the Senate.
John Barlow, left, and Jacques Gourde.
In addition, Poilievre appointed an associate shadow minister for agriculture.
Jacques Gourde, the Quebec MP for Lévis—Lotbinière, will serve in this role.
He was first elected in 2006 and previously served as parliamentary secretary to former Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl.
In total Poilievre named 74 MPs to his shadow cabinet.
But because Poilievre doesn’t currently have a seat, Andrew Scheer will be the party’s leader in the House of Commons.
The large shadow cabinet helps “ensure no aspect of the government’s agenda escapes oversight,” Poilievre said in a May 21 press release.
A New Brunswick MP will serve as the Conservative critic for rural development.
Richard Bragdon, the MP for Tobique-Mactaquac, received the appointment from Poilievre.
“I’m ready to get to work and deliver results for the people who keep our country running,” Bragdon said in a statement on X.
And Dan Mazier, the Manitoba MP for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, and a former president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, is the shadow minister for health.
Other shadow ministers include:
- Pat Kelly as associate shadow minister for Prairies Economic Development Canada
- Lianne Rood as shadow minister for Federal Economic Development for Southern Ontario, and shadow minister for international development
- Matt Jeneroux as shadow minister for supply chain issues
- Jasraj Singh Hallan as shadow minister for finance
- Adam Chambers as shadow minister for international trade
Poilievre posted his full shadow cabinet online.