Newly minted NDP leader Avi Lewis (right) listens to Don Davies speak at a press conference in Winnipeg on March 30.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
Former interim NDP leader Don Davies will continue to act as the party’s parliamentary leader in the House of Commons while new leader Avi Lewis remains outside of Parliament.
The House of Commons resumes sitting Monday for the first time since Lewis won the NDP leadership on March 29. He announced the new critic roles for his caucus in a news release Friday.
The list includes appointing his former leadership rival, Alberta MP Heather McPherson, as the party’s House leader and foreign affairs critic and Vancouver MP Jenny Kwan as caucus chair.
The release also says despite not having a seat, Lewis himself will act as the party’s critic for intergovernmental affairs and the cost of living, which is a new role.
Lewis is expected to be in Ottawa on Monday to announce a suite of policy proposals on affordability, with a focus on groceries.
Lewis has said he’s not in a rush to win a seat in the House and is instead focused on rebuilding the NDP from the grassroots level.