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Doherty named to special shadow cabinet posting

Local MP Todd Doherty will be taking on a special advisor role in the shadow cabinet of new Conservative leader Erin O'Toole. O'Toole, who was elected leader of the party on Aug. 24, announced his shadow cabinet line up on Tuesday.
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Local MP Todd Doherty will be taking on a special advisor role in the shadow cabinet of new Conservative leader Erin O'Toole.

O'Toole, who was elected leader of the party on Aug. 24, announced his shadow cabinet line up on Tuesday. The Cariboo-Prince George MP was named special advisor to the leader on mental health and wellness.

"I've very honoured," Doherty said. "It's something I've been passionate about for a very long time."

On June 21, 2018 a private member's bill put forward by Doherty was given royal assent and passed into law. The bill called on the federal government to create a framework to diagnose, track and treat first responders, military personnel and corrections officers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In addition, the bill called for the development of best practices for the treatment of PTSD and distribution of standardized educational materials for public health providers on the condition.

Doherty said it was O'Toole, then the minister of veterans' affairs, who first helped him get the issue on the table in Parliament.

"He's the very first person I reached out to... he gave me my first soap box, so to speak," Doherty said. "He allowed me to sub in for him in his committee... he allowed to me to come in and questions the experts, and really challenge the experts."

Doherty said he and O'Toole spoke on Tuesday, and O'Toole challenged him to raise the profile of the issue of mental health and take the government to task on the issue.

"As leaders we have to do everything in our power that we can around the stigma with mental health," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has "put an incredible load of stress," on many people, both from the concerns about the disease itself, to the impact of self-isolation and the economic fallout from the crisis, he said.

Another issue on his radar is the epidemic of suicides among First Nations people.

"We have youth who are choosing death over life, which is horrendous," Doherty said.

Doherty said he believes the Conservatives have a strong caucus and O'Toole's cabinet reflects that strength.

"I'm in Ottawa now. I'm hoping we all get to start working closely together again soon."

Doherty previously served as the Conservative transportation critic, under former leader Andrew Scheer. He also has held the fisheries critic portfolio.

Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer was not named to a shadow cabinet position. He previously served as the shadow minister for northern affairs and the Northern Economic Development Agency since his appointment in November 2019.

Doherty will be joined in the shadow cabinet by several other colleagues from the B.C. interior, including Kamloops–Thompson–Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod who was named shadow minister for Crown-Indigenous relations.

Central Okanagan–Similkameen–Nicola MP Dan Albas will serve as shadow minister for environment and climate change, Kelowna–Lake Country MP Tracy Gray takes on the export promotion and international trade portfolio, Mission–Matsqui–Fraser Canyon MP Brad Vis will be housing critic and Kootenay–Columbia MP Rob Morrison was named to the National Security Committee.

Lower Mainland MP Kenny Chiu, who represents Steveston–Richmond East, was named critic for diversity and inclusion and youth.