Invite expected

Bruce Hyer has little doubt he’ll be appointed to the NDP shadow cabinet in the coming days.

New Democrat Party Leader Jack Layton announced the Members of Parliament who would challenge the Conservative MPs elected to the same portfolios Thursday. While area NDP representatives Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North) and John Rafferty (Thunder Bay-Atikokan) were left off the list, Hyer said there are a number of areas – forestry and mining specifically – that Prime Minster Stephen Harper didn’t name a minister for.

“It’s just a matter of what my task will be and what matches my skills and experiences,” he said. “It’s going to be up to Jack (Layton) at the end of the day to decide what the best match is for me … there is certainly no shortage of things to be done.”

Of the 32 re-elected NDP MPs, 21 were given shadow cabinet posts. And although Hyer championed his climate change bill last year, which was ultimately defeated by the senate, the environment portfolio went to former health critic Megan Leslie (Halifax).

In no rush to get his assignment, Hyer said there is a lot to do locally and he’s also mentoring some of the rookie MPs.

Rafferty said he isn’t surprised to not be named Thursday and he would have been shocked if he had.

“I had a conversation with Jack Layton some time ago indicating that I wanted to not have a critic area because I wanted to concentrate on the issues important for Northwestern Ontario and he was obliging,” he said.

One issue in particular Rafferty wants to work on is helping students coming to Thunder Bay from the Far North for their education.

He’d like to be part of a task force that comes up with a solution on how to make the city safe and secure for those students.

Looking forward to the NDP’s role as opposition, Rafferty said it’s also important they make propositions to improve the quality of life for Canadians.