A local Member of Parliament has been given new responsibilities with the Conservative caucus in Ottawa.
Essex MP Chris Lewis was announced Friday as the Tories' Shadow Minister for Labour. The appointment was made by Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre.
"I look forward to reaching out to more organizations that represent workers across the country and bringing their concerns to the House of Commons while keeping the Liberal government accountable for their actions and legislation," said Lewis in a media release. "Workers are struggling with inflation and living costs, and they need economic policy that brings inflation down, assists with the cost of living and secures jobs and employment during the biggest energy transition of our generation."
Members of a shadow cabinet, also known as opposition critics, do not have any bearing on legislation introduced by the Liberals, who hold a minority government. Instead, they scrutinize the policies made by the Liberal cabinet. Lewis' job will be to monitor legislation and policy relating to labour.
Lewis said he will take this opportunity to support workers with his Private Members' Bill.
"I also look forward to supporting workers through my Private Member’s Bill, C-241," said Lewis. "As a deduction of travel expenses for tradespersons, this will help towards tradespeople travelling within Canada and getting to where the work is situated without paying out of pocket."
The entire Conservative shadow cabinet can be seen on the official party website.
