Leader of the Opposition

Within government the position of the Leader of the Official Opposition or LO or Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is a title given to the leader of the party with the second most seats in the House of Commons. It is a position that requires the building of a shadow cabinet, a cabinet which mirrors the government’s actual cabinet, but with the twist that each shadow minister ‘keeps the government on its toes.’ But the true gift of the opposition is that as a whole it keeps the policies of government in line with the interests of Canadians of all political backgrounds. Any great country must rely on its opposition to keep everyone on their toes, in the sense that if the government does something not for the benefit of Canadians, the opposition defends the people’s interests and reminds those in power that service is not absolutism. On September 10th, 2022 the Conservative Party of Canada chose Pierre Poilievre as its next leader and because the Conservative Party of Canada has the second most seats in the House of Commons, Mr. Poilievre is now the leader of the Opposition. The position of Leader of the Opposition is important, it’s not easy, but serving Canadians never is. We all serve in one way or another, we at Youth Parliament of Manitoba serve through education, the Leader of the Opposition serves by holding the government accountable.