Contributors: Matthew Blackshaw, Isabelle Hurley and Lauren Kroell
Now that the 44th Parliament and committee work has resumed, we’ve taken a look at the roles assigned to our endorsees as a signal of where we can expect the environment to fall on parties’ priority lists and of the progress Parliament could make if it works together.
We’re happy to report that most of our endorsees have been appointed to a portfolio within Cabinet or their caucus, or a House of Commons committee that will give them significant ability to influence environmental policy. As a result, we can expect significant advancement of environmental priorities through the efforts of both the government and the opposition in this Parliament.
Four of our Liberal endorsees have been appointed to Cabinet:
Steven Guilbeault - Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Jonathon Wilkinson - Minister of Natural Resources
Joyce Murray - Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Karina Gould was appointed Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Three more were appointed as parliamentary secretaries, who support the Ministers in achieving their mandates:
Julie Dabrusin - Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Terry Duguid - remains Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Terry Beech - Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Additionally,
Kirsty Duncan was elected Chair of the House of Commons Science and Research committee, and
Peter Schiefke was elected Chair of the House of Commons Transport and Infrastructure committee.
GreenPAC endorsees also hold significant positions in the opposition benches.
Conservative GreenPAC endorsees occupy influential spots related to environmental policy:
Dan Albas - Shadow Minister for the Environment and Climate Change
Michael Chong - Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Larry Maguire - Deputy Shadow Minister for Natural Resources
Dan Mazier - appointed to the House of Commons Environment committee.
Two of our endorsed Bloc Québecois candidates also secured environmentally relevant critic roles:
Monique Pauzé - Critic for Environment
Julie Vignola - Critic for Public Services and Procurement, and Government Operations.
All of our NDP endorsees received one or more critic portfolios to which an environmental lens can be readily applied:
Peter Julian - House Leader, Critic for Canadian Heritage and Deputy Critic for Finance
Lori Idlout - Critic for Crown-Indigneous Relations, Indigenous Services and Northern Affairs
Richard Cannings - Critic for Emergency Preparedness (Climate Change Resilience), and for Small Business and Tourism, as well as Deputy Critic for Innovation, Science and Industry and Natural Resources
Taylor Bachrach - Critic for Transport and Deputy Critic of Infrastructure and Communities
Gord Johns - Critic of Mental Health Services and Addictions, and for Public Services and Procurement, and Deputy Critic for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Heather McPherson - Deputy Whip, Critic for Foreign Affairs and International Development, and Deputy Critic for Canadian Heritage
Leah Gazan - Critic for Families, Children and Social Development and for Women and Gender Equality, as well as Deputy Critic for Housing
Matthew Green - Critic for Ethics and the Treasury Board, as well as Deputy Critic for Employment and Workforce Development, for Labour, and for Public Services and Procurement.
Lastly, we anticipate both Green Party endorsees who were elected to the House of Commons, Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice, to be bold voices in the House pushing for greater action in support of the environment across all portfolios.
We are excited to see how this pan-partisan group of endorsed Members of Parliament will advance the prominence and ambition of environmental policy in the 44th Parliament, from all corners of the House of Commons. Over the months ahead, we will be keeping an eye as they work hard at the Cabinet table, in caucus meetings, at committee, and in the House in order to achieve meaningful government action for the health of our planet. We wish them each success - and expect nothing less.