KENORA – Kenora MP Eric Melillo is stepping up to a role in newly minted Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s shadow cabinet.
The first-time MP will serve as the party’s critic on Northern Affairs and FedNor as one of 43 members tapped for the shadow cabinet. The role is likely to give him more speaking time in parliament.
“I am honoured to take on this role to help support the well-being of northerners and fight to unlock the economic potential that exists across this vast region,” Melillo said in a statement Tuesday.
Melillo had served as deputy shadow minister for two portfolios, Diversity, Inclusion, and Youth, and Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, under previous leader Andrew Scheer.
He was an early backer of O’Toole for the leadership, saying the Durham MP had a firm grasp on northern issues. It’s a point he reiterated Tuesday, citing O’Toole’s “strong support for northern economic development and Indigenous issues” in particular.
“He’s continued to show that level of interest in trying to understand our issues and I just look forward to working with him on that,” Melillo said.
O’Toole also found room in shadow cabinet for his predecessor, Scheer, as infrastructure critic. MPs Michael Chong, Michelle Rempel Garner, and Pierre Poilievre, among others, also scored prominent roles.
