OTTAWA - Opposition Leader Jack Layton mixed old and new faces in his shadow cabinet and spread the portfolios far and wide to give a broad array of MPs some experience.
"This is a terrific group," he said as he introduced his party critics today.
Among the familiar names, Paul Dewar stays as Foreign Affairs critic, Joe Comartin is still watching the Justice portfolio and Jack Harris keeps Defence.
Some of the veterans change places -- Thomas Mulcair is House leader, but hands over his duties as finance critic to newcomer Peggy Nash.
Layton's wife, Olivia Chow, is Transport and Infrastructure critic, handing over Immigration to Don Davies.
The new faces include Montreal's Alexandre Boulerice facing off against Tony Clement at Treasury Board, as well as Nova Scotia's Robert Chisholm at International Trade, and British Columbia's Jasbir Sandhu at Public Safety.
Layton said the May 2 election showed that people want to see Parliament focused on their priorities.
"This is the team that will deliver the goods," he said.
Reflecting the makeup of the 103-member NDP caucus, women hold 40 per cent of the critic's jobs.
