NDP Leader Jack Layton announced his caucus (caucus pictured left) critics for the start of the 39th Parliament. Bill Blaikie is Layton’s deputy and Libby Davies is his House Leader, reprising roles they had in the last Parliament. Judy Wasylycia-Leis was re-elected by her caucus colleagues to the position of Caucus Chair and has been re-appointed as her party’s Finance Critic. (She was the one whose very successful complaint to the RCMP sparked the income trust investigation that contributed to the Liberal downfall in the last election.) Yvon Godin keeps his job as the party’s Whip.
The party has published the full list of critics as a PDF file on its Web site but here are some key assignments:
- Dawn Black – Defence and Peace Advocacy
- Joe Comartin – Justice
- Tony Martin – Human Resources and Social Development
- Alexa McDonough – Foreign Affairs
- Peggy Nash – Public Works
- Penny Priddy – Health