Shadow Cabinet Shuffle and Restructuring
Do not fear – we promise this week’s headline will not focus on the Lethbridge-West by-election. However, we would be remise if we did not let you know that the United Conservative Party officially nominated their candidate for the race yesterday evening. As this article was written prior to the results being announced, we will have to save that information for next time.
We would encourage our readers to take a quick moment to see which candidate was successful last night. We will provide more detailed reporting of the race in the next issue of The NEWS.
In this issue, we want to spend some time discussing the opposition side of the Assembly. While the vast majority of advocacy and lobbying efforts are (understandably) focused on the government side of the house, there is still a level of importance about shadow cabinets that anyone in the government relations space should be aware of.
Earlier this month, newly-minted leader of the Alberta NDP Naheed Nenshi revealed his newly-constructed shadow cabinet. While it does not really mean the work changes, it is worth noting that the party has gone away from what it has previously called “critics”.
What is a Shadow Cabinet?
Whether one goes by the title of opposition critic or shadow minister, the role is identical. In most parliamentary democracies like ours, opposition parties divvy up their responsibilities into various positions designed to hold a government to account. Sometimes an opposition can design their shadow cabinet to be identical to what government has created, but sometimes they can create unique positions designed to focus on a specific issue (for example, the Alberta NDP have a shadow minister of housing despite there not being an official housing ministry in Alberta).
Their day-to-day can include a significant amount of work both inside and outside of the Legislature. Primarily, shadow ministers are responsible for providing oversight of their counterpart in government. This is most publicly visible during Question Period and during debates on bills before the Assembly.
Shadow ministers can table legislation related to their file (as a private member’s bill), host consultation opportunities, and attend events. Of course, another significant part of being a shadow critic is sitting in estimates meetings during budget season to ask questions of the minister and their staff.
Shadow roles, like cabinet positions, can be bestowed upon an MLA for a variety of reasons. The person may have intimate knowledge of the file, they could be a strong debater, or they could possess pre-politics experience that naturally translates to the position.
The Alberta NDP Shadow Cabinet
One thing Nenshi has done that departs from Rachel Notley’s most recent opposition caucus was that not every MLA holds a shadow minister position. While most MLAs will have some sort of title, there will be only 28 added to the shadow cabinet.
• Nagwan Al-Guneid, Energy and Minerals
• Brooks Arcand-Paul, Indigenous Relations
• Diana Batten, Children and Family Services
• Gurinder Brar, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
• Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Forestry and Parks
• Joe Ceci, Arts and Culture
• Amanda Chapman, Education
• Lorne Dach, Transportation and Economic Corridors
• Jasvir Deol, Infrastructure
• David Eggen, Advanced Education
• Court Ellingson, President of the Treasury Board, Finance
• Dr. Sarah Elmeligi, Environment and Protected Areas
• Janet Eremenko, Mental Health and Addictions
• Nicole Goehring, Tourism and Sport
• Sharif Haji, Affordability and Utilities
• Julia Hayter, Status of Women
• Sarah Hoffman, Health
• Rhiannon Hoyle, Jobs, Economy and Trade
• Nathan Ip, Technology and Innovation
• Janis Irwin, Housing
• Kyle Kasawski, Municipal Affairs
• Marie Renaud, Community and Social Services
• Irfan Sabir, Justice
• David Shepherd, Public Safety and Emergency Services
• Lori Sigurdson, Seniors, Continuing Care, and Homecare
• Heather Sweet, Agriculture and Irrigation
• Lizette Tejada, Immigration and Multiculturalism
• Peggy Wright, Labour
On the leadership side of the equation, there will be three MLAs responsible: Naheed Nenshi (leader), Rakhi Pancholi (deputy leader) and Christina Gray (House Leader). MLA Gray will serve as the leader of the opposition until such time as Nenshi wins a seat in the Legislature.
“Our talented team includes MLAs who have worked as teachers, lawyers, geologists, frontline healthcare workers, city councillors, school board trustees, business owners, and, yes, we even have a bear expert.” - Naheed Nenshi, Alberta NDP Leader
Two other important positions you ought to be aware of are the caucus chair and vice-chair positions. These will be held by David Eggen and Peggy Wright respectively. These positions are held by those who will oversee caucus meetings and have significant say in what will be included on meeting agendas.
Why do you Need to be Familiar with the Shadow Cabinet?
A fair question you are likely asking yourself. If the opposition isn’t forming government policy, why do we need to worry about them? As it turns out, having a plan for the opposition government can be an effective and important strategic consideration for many people pursuing government relations objectives.
First, it is an important way for your organization to build good relationships with a party that could form government. Shadow ministers are more likely to end up in cabinet should there be a change in government down the road, so it is never a bad thing for them to be familiar with your issue.
Second, looping in the opposition on your organization’s issues provides an opportunity to earn support across on both sides of the aisle. While we do find ourselves in a terse political environment, bipartisan support can make it easier to get your objectives across the finish line.
Third, engaging the opposition can lead to applying tactical pressure points on the decision makers of the day. While this strategy is not always appropriate and should usually be saved as a “method of last resort”, it can be an effective means of bringing your issue to light in the Legislature. With that said, it is a strategic decision that comes with significant risk.
It is a wise idea to speak with one of our government relations associates about the best way to engage with the official opposition to ensure you build a strategy that is right for your issue and organization. Given we are Alberta’s largest multi-partisan government relations firm, we have a robust roster of staff that come from both UCP and NDP circles that can help you prepare for any government relations plan.
