Shadow Cabinet of Jackie Bishop

Jackie Bishop became Leader of the Official Opposition after being elected as Leader of the New Democratic Party on 4 April 2010. Bishop appointed her Shadow Cabinet on 5 April, 2010.

Background
Following the 2009 Federal Election, speculation about the future of Anthony Barnes’ leadership of the NDP began to circulate. Shortly after the election, in June 2009, Barnes stated his intention to carry on as leader and lead the NDP into the next election. However, by January 2010, the NDP began to stagnate in the polls and many in the NDP assembly caucus feared that Barnes, as he had been party leader for almost a decade, would eventually hurt the NDP electorally as the face of the party, rather than help it. On January 25th, after an influential group of NDP assembly members informed Barnes of the sentiment within the caucus, he announced that he would stand down as leader of the party, triggering a leadership election that would elect a new party leader and a new Leader of the Official Opposition. Seven candidates declared for the election, with three receiving sufficient nominations to advance to the ballot. Jackie Bishop, MA for Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, was elected over NDP Deputy Leader, Peter Julian, and Shadow Under Secretary of State for the Treasury, Richard Moriarty.