After Betty Nippi-Albright stepped down as the NDP’s Mental Health and Addictions Critic and left the party entirely, the Opposition has appointed someone else to fill the role.

Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte will be stepping in while also continuing in his role as Critic for First Nations and Métis Affairs.

Party Leader Carla Beck says, “Leroy has worked on the frontlines of the mental health crisis…His experience and leadership will be invaluable as we fight for better mental health and addictions supports across the province.”

The NDP says Laliberte is a former community outreach and wellness worker, having spent more than two decades working with northern communities to build and strengthen mental health programming. A release from the Opposition adds that Laliberte previously served as Community Wellness Manager for Flying Dust First Nation and as co-chair of the North West Friendship Centre in Meadow Lake, as well as running his own independent personal development and wellness consulting program.