Poilievre Announces Leadership Team With Scheer as House Leader, Lantsman and Uppal as Deputies

Conservative MP and then-leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre walks with his caucus colleague Andrew Scheer, a former leader of the party, as they arrive for a press conference outside the Bank of Canada in Ottawa, on April 28, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Newly elected Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre announced his leadership team on Sept. 13, with Melissa Lantsman and Tim Uppal being installed as deputies and Andrew Scheer as House leader.

“My inflation-busting Leadership Team,” wrote Poilievre on Twitter over a picture of his team with their role descriptions.

“First job: stop Trudeau’s tax hikes and end #JustinFlation so workers and seniors can thrive.”

Lantsman served as transport critic and chair of outreach under the previous leadership, where she routinely criticized the government on COVID-19 travel restrictions such as the vaccine mandate.

The MP for the riding of Thornhill in Ontario was one of the first among her colleagues to endorse Poilievre’s leadership bid, having done so two days after he announced he was running on Feb. 5.

Uppal, who represents the Alberta riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, served on Poilievre’s campaign as national co-chair. Before taking on this role he was chair of outreach under interim leader Candice Bergen.

Scheer, who served as party leader before Erin O’Toole, endorsed Poilievre in early March and helped him connect with Saskatchewan voters by holding an event with him in Regina on March 4.

The MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle was the critic for infrastructure and communities under the previous leadership.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay, the MP for South Surrey-White Rock in B.C., moves from defence critic to opposition whip under Poilievre.

Pierre-Paul Hus leaves his critic role in public services and procurement to become the Quebec lieutenant. The Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles MP replaces Luc Berthold in this role, who now becomes deputy House leader.

Berthold, who represents the riding of Mégantic-L’Érable, was deputy leader to Bergen. He’s the only member of Poilievre’s leadership team that did not officially endorse him.

Other appointments are Chris Warkentin (Grande-Prairie-Mackenzie, AB) as deputy whip and question period coordinator, Eric Duncan (Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, ON) as caucus-party liaison, and Jake Stewart (Miramichi-Grand Lake, NB) as caucus committee coordinator.

Poilievre will announce his shadow cabinet in the coming days. A number of former members of the leadership team and critics with prominent roles remained neutral during the campaign, including public safety critic Raquel Dancho, foreign affairs critic Michael Chong, House leader John Brassard, and opposition whip Blaine Calkins.

Poilievre hasn’t said whether he will offer a role to fellow contender Leslyn Lewis, who was not given a position by O’Toole nor interim leader Candice Bergen.

Quebec MP Alain Reyes, who endorsed Jean Charest’s leadership bid and was Quebec lieutenant and critic for official languages under O’Toole, announced on Sept. 13 that he was leaving the party to sit as an Independent.