NDP leader shakes up B.C. shadow cabinet

B.C. NDP Leader Carole James has made wholesale changes to her lineup of Opposition critics that she says reflect her party's prioritiesfor the nextsession of the legislature this fall.

She says the changes will help the NDP"aggressively hold the B.C. Liberals' feet to the fire."

James denies the shuffle has anything to do with the party's performance in the legislature this spring, or with the NDP's recent drop in the polls.

The party is about 15 percentagepoints behind the governing B.C. Liberals.

The biggest change sees Vancouver-Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix become the critic for health care, replacing David Cubberley, who is being shifted to education.

Dixhad been the critic for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, hammering the government over its child-care policies in the past year.

Maurine Karagianis of Esquimalt-Metchosin takes over Dix's former post at the ministry.

The other major area James says the NDP will focus on is safe communities, which includes the courts and police andcome under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

James has assigned Mike Farnworth, one of her more experienced MLAs, as the new critic.

In another major change, Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston replaces Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Jenny Kwanas finance critic, while Kwan takes over economic development