MP appointed Shadow Minister for Treasury Board, Privy Council

July 16, 2026 · 0 Comments

It’s turning into an exceptionally busy summer for Newmarket-Aurora MP Sandra Cobena as she takes on a new challenge in the House of Commons, in addition to preparing to welcome a baby daughter.

Cobena, who was first elected to the House of Commons last year, was appointed by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to the Official Opposition’s Shadow Cabinet, with the portfolios of Shadow Minister for the Treasury Board and the King’s Privy Council, on June 30.

The appointments are decidedly in the wheelhouse for Cobena who came to the House of Commons with a background in banking and has, since her election, put a particular emphasis on affordability.

“It’s an incredible, incredible privilege to be able to take on this assignment,” Cobena tells The Auroran. “Just looking at the operations of the Treasury Board, it perfectly aligns with my background because the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is responsible for the fiscal operations of the government and public service, administrative policy, and such. It is also at a critical time, of course, because our focus has been and continues to be around affordability, responsible government spending, and effective operations of the government. It lines up with [what] I’ve been fighting for, from the very beginning.

“It’s an exciting time for me. But of course, it’s a big responsibility too. This summer, I’ll have two big, big responsibilities. One, of course, [is to] prepare for this important assignment, as the House will resume in the fall, and of course, my baby girl on the way.”

Being able to “celebrate and enjoy the gift of motherhood” while serving as Member of Parliament really underscores why she stood for election in the first place, she adds.

“When you take when you take a step back, and you look at my role in the work that I am doing, I am, of course, reminded that public service and serving as a Member of Parliament is not separate from family, it is inspired by it, because the work that we do is because we want Canada to be better. We want it to be better, of course, because we want a better future for our children and for the next generation. I view this to go beautifully hand in hand.”

In her new role within the Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet, Cobena says affordability is the top – and most urgent – priority as families are struggling.

“Having to spend 120 per cent of your income on food and rent alone…leaves you with only one option: you’re going into debt. This is alarming because people live it every, every day,” she says. “In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister did stand up and say affordability is the best it has been in a decade. That was painful to hear, because I, of course, immediately think of the people that I talk to [at the door]. No, affordability is not the best it has been in the last decade. Or when you see the Prime Minister spending a million dollars in catering, that could feed a family for 55 years. So that irresponsible spending, amongst other bigger ticket items, of course, that is what we’re going to be fighting against.

“I said in [my first speech in the House] that we as Parliamentarians have to have the humility to recognize that every dollar that is spent was first earned by a hardworking Canadian. As I look to hold the President of the Treasury Board to account, and the government as a whole, in terms of overspending, that is at the heart of it. We cannot continue to rack up debt and the deficit now, close to $70 billion with no plans to reduce it. It’s not something that we would teach our children, right? When you have big ideas, or you want something, that’s great. But how are you going to pay for it? I feel like that question of how is it going to be paid is often forgotten, because there is this… normalization that, well, it’s just going to go into the country’s credit card, the deficit will grow, and there will be no immediate consequences. But we know that there are consequences. All this debt and irresponsible spending will be inherited by our children.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter