MP Dan Albas has been appointed as the Conservative Party’s finance critic after Ed Fast stepped down following his criticism of leadership candidate and fellow Tory MP Pierre Poilievre.
“Dan and the entire Conservative team will continue to fight for common-sense solutions that provide relief to Canadians, leave more money in their pockets, and protects the money they earn,” interim party leader Candice Bergen said in a May 23 statement announcing Albas’ appointment.
Albas, who represents the B.C. riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, was previously the deputy shadow minister for finance.
Fast, also from B.C., announced he was stepping down from the role after he criticized party leadership candidate Poilievre. Earlier this year, Fast had taken on the role of national co-chair for the campaign of Poilievre’s rival, former Quebec premier Jean Charest.
Fast openly criticized Poilievre’s stance on the Bank of Canada’s management of inflation and his promise to fire its governor if he becomes prime minister.
“It is fair to ask questions, to demand solutions to the skyrocketing cost of living but we also have to respect the institutions that have been granted independence to ensure that they function apart from political interference. And that’s my big concern,” Fast told reporters on May 18 ahead of a caucus meeting.
A few hours later, interim party leader Candice Bergen announced Fast was stepping down.
“Ed has publicly stated his support for one of the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership candidates and would like to be able to offer more dedicated support to that team,” Bergen wrote in a statement.
“I’m trying to do my job at the Finance table and yet [there’s] incessant pressure to shut up. I just wasn’t going to put up with that,” he said.
Tory MP Chris Warkentin, a co-chair for the Poilievre campaign in Alberta, told CBC Fast was using his caucus position to attack another campaign.
“What many of us in caucus really objected to was Ed re-enforcing Liberal talking points about inflation to defend his preferred candidate,” he said.
Fast, a former minister of international trade under Stephen Harper, had replaced Poilievre as finance critic when Poilievre announced he was running for leader after Erin O’Toole’s ousting in early February.
Poilievre has been a harsh critic of the Liberals on inflation and has accused the Bank of Canada of printing hundreds of billions of dollars to support the federal government’s massive spending in the last two years.
