Peter Julian is looking forward to serving as the federal NDP’s House leader during a “dynamic” time for the party.
The New Westminster-Burnaby MP previously held the positon as the official Opposition House leader up until 2015 and was then reappointed House leader by former NDP leader Tom Mulcair after the 2015 election. Newly elected NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has appointed Julian as House leader of the NDP.
“I am quite honoured to take it on. It’s a key position in the House of Commons,” he told the Burnaby NOW. “What I am responsible for is making sure that we have a robust response to government legislation, that we do a thorough analysis and that, when it’s in Canadians’ interests, we do everything we can to make sure that it becomes law and where it’s problematic, where it actually going to hurt Canadians, that we push back.”
Julian cites the housing crisis, environmental issues like the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion and seniors living in poverty issues as topics he is hearing about from local constituents.
Singh, who does not have a seat in the House of Commons, will be crisscrossing the country meeting with Canadians in preparation for the next federal election in 2019. Part of Julian’s role will be keeping Singh “in the loop” with what’s happening in the House of Commons and incorporating what Singh is hearing from Canadians from coast to coast.
“It’s a very dynamic time,” Julian said. “There are a lot of important issues coming up.”
