Poilievre taps new critics for Canada-U.S. relations, finance, justice, ethics and AI

OTTAWA — Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is changing up his roster of critics, as his MPs prepare to hit the summer barbecue circuit in what is his first major shuffle since returning to the House of Commons last year.

Poilievre’s office on Tuesday announced his “affordability team,” which saw key members of his caucus switch titles.

While his leadership team remains mostly in tact, with the party’s two deputy leaders staying put along with Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer and the party’s whip, Chris Warkentin, the new roster sees longtime Ontario Conservative MP Michael Chong assume the critic responsibility for finance from foreign affairs.

Eric Duncan, who had previously served on Poilievre’s leadership team as question period coordinator, becomes the Conservatives’ new foreign affairs critic.

Other changes includes Calgary MP Shuv Majumdar, who takes on the role as the Conservative critic for Canada-U.S. relations. Ontario MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman, who had been placed in that role following last year’s election, has been named Poilievre’s Ontario advisor.

Arpan Khanna, who represents the Ontario riding of Oxford, will become the critic for justice. Ontario MP Larry Brock, who previously did the job, said in a statement that he decided to “step back for personal reasons.”

Leslyn Lewis, who twice ran for Conservative party leadership, including against Poilievre in 2022, has been named as the party’s critic for digital government and artificial intelligence. Shannon Stubbs, an Alberta MP, will become the infrastructure critic and main spokeswoman for issues surrounding the Ottawa-Alberta deal to see a new West Coast pipeline built.

Poilievre is also switching up his trade critics, with former diplomat and Calgary MP Stephanie Kusie taking on the international trade critic role from Ontario MP Adam Chambers, who becomes the Conservative critic for industry.

Raquel Dancho, a Manitoba MP who had been serving as the party’s industry critic will now move to health.

Carol Anstey, an MP from Newfoundland who is among the newly elected class of 2025, will take on the role as natural resources critic. Sandra Cobena, who has a background in finance and represents a key York region seat that the party picked up during last election, will become its treasury board critic.

Aaron Gunn, who won a seat for the party on Vancouver Island, will take over the ethics portfolio from Michael Barrett, who becomes the critic for veterans affairs. Roman Baber, who holds a rare Toronto seat for the Conservatives, will serve as its critic for civil liberties.

Tuesday’s shakeup represents the first time Poilievre has changed up his list of critics since winning a byelection last summer, which allowed him to return to the House of Commons, unlike in the immediate aftermath of the April 2025 election, where he lost his longtime Ottawa-area seat.

The changes by Poilievre come ahead of any possible cabinet shuffle by Carney, who has not made any significant adjustments to his cabinet since after last year’s election.

For months, Poilievre’s Conservatives have struggled against what successive polls suggest is a double-digit lead for the Carney Liberals in public opinion, with the surveys also suggesting the Conservative leader trails Carney on questions of preferred leader.

What Poilievre ought to do and whether he can regain ground have been key questions hanging over his leadership, which has been tested by four Conservative MPs defecting to the Liberals, beginning last fall.

Poilievre has stated he intends to remain on as party leader, pointing to the gains that the Conservatives made during last year’s election and the almost 88 per cent mandate he received at the party’s convention back in January.

Changing up his team in Parliament is one way Poilievre may be looking to show his efforts to switch things up. His inner circle has also seen some staffing changes, with Steve Outhouse, who will be managing the party’s next election campaign, becoming Poilievre’s chief of staff after Ian Todd, who had done the job since around 2022, announced his retirement.

National Post

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