Scheer said he is not yet ready to name his shadow cabinet, including the finance critic position that Bernier is said to have asked for. Deputy leader is a figure-head role – unlike that of vice-president, it doesn’t mean Raitt becomes leader if Scheer is hit by lightning. But it does send out the message that Scheer is intent on building a coalition that voters could imagine in government. As such it would be magnanimous in the extreme for Scheer to offer Bernier the finance critic position he covets. Would Bernier be more effective in the finance critic role than, say, Gérard Deltell, the impressive Quebec MP who was doing the job before the summer break?

Source: National Post July 20, 2017 23:37 UTC