Former army commander Andrew Leslie appointed Liberal Party whip
Newly minted MP was considered shoo-in for cabinet, but PM left him out of the mix
The country's former army commander will marshal troops of a different kind with his new appointment as Liberal government whip in the next session of parliament.
Andrew Leslie, who was elected MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Orléans in the last election, has been tapped by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step into the role just before the House of Commons returns on Dec. 3.
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"I have every confidence in the remarkable abilities of retired Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie," Trudeau said in a written statement.
"He will ensure that our members in Parliament are in the right places at the right time, and ensure that we remain focused on implementing our plan for a positive, ambitious, open, and transparent government."
Leslie was Canada's top commander in Afghanistan, and the author of a landmark report on transforming the Canadian Forces for the 21st century — with findings that put him at odds with some of the top brass at the Department of National Defence.
He was considered a shoo-in for a cabinet spot when he announced he was running for the Liberals, but was left out of the mix, as was former Toronto police chief Bill Blair.
Enforcer-in-chief
The whip is a crucial role in the Westminster parliamentary system of government. Each official party in the House has a person who ensures enough party members are in the chamber for debates and votes. They also determine which committees a party member will sit on, assign office space and seats in the House.
They also act as a sort of enforcer-in-chief — keeping MPs on script and focused on the priorities of the prime minister and his cabinet.
Trudeau is following the lead of his predecessor, Stephen Harper, in appointing a soldier as whip for the governing party.
Gordon O'Connor, who served for over 30 years in the Canadian Forces and retired in the rank of brigadier-general, was chief government whip for the Conservatives from 2008 to 2013, including a precarious time when the the party was in minority government and could live or die on a single vote.
But Leslie might have an easier go of it than his predecessors.
The Liberal platform says MPs will only be required to toe the party line in votes on campaign promises, traditional matters of confidence such as the budget and on questions of values and charter rights — notably the issue of abortion, which Trudeau has said is not up for debate.
The whip's job pays $28,420 on top of the regular MP salary of just under $168,000.
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story said that a regular MP's salary was just under $158,000. In fact, it is just under $168,000.Nov 21, 2015 9:58 PM ET
With files from The Canadian Press