Shadow cabinet

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The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench or Shadow Ministry) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to pass criticism on the current government and its respective legislation, as well as offering alternative policies.

Cultural applications

In the United Kingdom and Canada the major opposition party and specifically its shadow cabinet is often called His or Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.^[1] The adjective "loyal" is used because, while the role of the opposition is to oppose Her Majesty's Government, it does not dispute the sovereign's right to the throne and therefore the legitimacy of the government. However in other countries that use the Westminster system (for example, New Zealand), the opposition is known simply as The Parliamentary Opposition instead of shadow.

Some parliamentary parties, notably the Australian Labor Party, elect all the members of their shadow cabinets in a partyroom ballot, with the Leader of the Opposition then allocating portfolios to the Shadow Ministers. In other parliamentary parties, the membership and composition of the Shadow Cabinet is generally determined solely by the Leader of the Opposition.^[2]

In most countries, a member of the shadow cabinet is referred to as a Shadow Minister. In Canada, however, the term Opposition Critics is more usual.

In many jurisdictions, third parties (which are neither participant in the government or in the official opposition) may also form their own parliamentary front benches of critics; however, parliamentary standing orders on the right for parties to speak often dictate that the right to speak can only be granted to a party or group if a minimum number of members can be recorded by the party. In Ireland, for example, technical groups are often formed by third parties and independent TDs in the Dáil Éireann in order to increase the members' right to speak against larger parties which can afford the right to speak as Front Benches in Government or Opposition.^[3]^[4]

However, they are just simply called the opposition. The leader of the shadow cabinet is called the oppostition leader. Therefore, its just called the opposition

List of Shadow Cabinets

Australia

Shadow Cabinet of Australia (Liberal/National Coalition) (Tony Abbott)

New South Wales

New South Wales Shadow Cabinet (Australian Labor Party) (John Robertson)

The Bahamas

Shadow Cabinet (The Bahamas) (Progressive Liberal Party) (Perry Christie)

Canada

Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 41st Parliament of Canada (New Democratic Party) (Thomas Mulcair)

Ontario

Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario) (Tim Hudak)

France

Contre-gouvernement (counter-government), dubbed by the media "cabinet fantôme" (literally : ghost cabinet). (Socialist Party (France)) (Martine Aubry)