New Westminster's two Members of Parliament have earned seats in the federal NDP's shadow cabinet.
Federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair has named Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian to the Official Opposition's shadow cabinet, where he will oversee the energy and natural resources portfolio. New Westminster-Coquitlam MP Fin Donnelly has been appointed as the NDP's critic for Western Economic Diversification Canada.
A shadow cabinet sees critics assigned to acquire knowledge and comment on specific government portfolios.
"It's really important to British Columbia and to our economy overall," Julian said about his energy and natural resources portfolio. "I am excited and looking to take on the challenge."
According to Julian, the energy and natural resources shadow ministry covers industries that account for more than 30 per cent of Canadian exports and nearly 14 per cent of Canada's gross domestic product. With Treasury Board, international trade, finance and industry, it is consid-ered one of the five big economic and fiscal portfolios in the shadow cabinet.
"This is a critical area for Canada as we find ourselves victimized by the Harper government's decision to shut down environmental assessments as well as continue to ship our resources off-shore without any value added processing," Julian said. "Rather than maximizing the potential of sustainable development of Canada's resources, this government chooses to erode Canadian jobs."
Julian had been serving as the NDP's finance critic, having been appointed to that position by NDP interim leader Nicole Turmel.
"I was a financial administrator before. I am used to working with numbers," Julian said. "It was good and important to put the government on the defensive on a wide range of their economic values. I do not feel they have done a good job for the economy."
Since being elected in 2004, Julian has tackled a range of portfolios, including serving as critics in international trade and Treasury Board.
"You do follow the files in a less detailed
way all along," he said. "You delve into more of the details. That is what I am doing this weekend."
Because it's a "tough file," Julian took it as a compliment that Mulcair assigned him the energy and natural resources portfolio.
Donnelly is pleased with his appointment as the critic for Western Economic Diversification Canada.
"I am excited to step into this new role," he said in a press release. "I'm passionate about a diversified, sustainable economy. Western Canada faces a number of challenges in energy, forestry, agriculture and other industries which will need an innovative approach as we move forward."
Donnelly recently hosted a small business forum about credit card processing fees.
"The Conservative government has turned their backs on Western Canada," he said. "If we want to remain competitive, we must invest in our industries and businesses and provide them with the tools to compete in a global market. Some measures are simple, like regulating inflated processing fees."
Donnelly will continue to serve on the Fisheries and Oceans standing committee as critic for Western Canada.
"I am happy to continue to serve on the Fisheries and Oceans committee," he said. "There are numerous issues and projects that I am working on, like the Wild Salmon Protection Act, shark fin import ban and North Coast oil tanker ban that I would like to see through."
tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
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