Ralph Goodale and David McGuinty will play key roles in a Liberal shadow cabinet designed to "pave the way for a future Liberal government," party leader Stéphane Dion said Thursday.

Goodale, a veteran MP, will remain House leader, while Ottawa MP McGuinty, the brother of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, will become critic for the environment.

A key issue, the environment is shaping up to dominate a federal election expected this spring.

Other appointments include:

  • Deputy House leader: Lucienne Robillard
  • Critic for finance: John McCallum
  • Critic for foreign affairs: Ujjal Dosanjh
  • Critic for national defence: Denis Coderre
  • Critic for transportation: Joe Volpe
  • Critic for immigration: Omar Alghabra
  • Critic for natural resources: Mark Holland
  • Critic for justice: Marlene Jennings
  • Critic for health: Bonnie Brown
  • Critic for agriculture: Wayne Easter

"This team will have the enormous responsibility of offering Canadians a constructive, effective opposition," said Dion.

"We also want to pave the way for a future Liberal government … that will focus on economic prosperity, social justice and environmental sustainability."

It's the first major political gesture by Dion since he won the Liberal leadership at a dramatic convention in Montreal in December.

Last month, Dion made chief leadership rival Michael Ignatieff his deputy leader. He gave campaign roles to leadership contenders Bob Rae, Gerard Kennedy and Martha Hall Findlay.

The appointments are designed to breathe new life and cohesion into a party that was badly fractured by years of leadership divisions under former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.

The party has spent the Christmas break trying to recruit a new slate of candidates to replace the nearly two dozen MPs who will be retiring. MPs will gather at a caucus retreat in Quebec City next weekend.