The federal New Democrat Opposition Leader was in the London-area on Wednesday to speak to seniors about Canada’s future.

As part of his cross-country tour, Thomas Mulcair spoke briefly to a small group of seniors at the Lambeth Legion before taking questions on everything from Canada Post cuts to the gap between the rich and poor.

After the meeting, the federal NDP leader addressed a number of changes in the Conservative government’s Cabinet.

Mulcair told the media that the choice of former Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is an embarrassment for a G7 country like Canada.

He says he doesn’t think Oliver will ever live up to the legacy left by Jim Flaherty, who announced he was stepping down on Tuesday.

Mulcair was much more positive about Harper’s choice of London-West MP Ed Holder as Minister of Science and Technology.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Harper also appointed Kenora’s Greg Rickford as the new Minister of Natural Resources.

During his remarks to the crowd at the Lambeth Legion, Mulcair said the new Cabinet appointments are an example of the “hardening” of the Conservative government’s stance.

He told the seniors he wants to see an end to the ping-pong between the Liberal Party and the Conservative governments during election time, citing scandal after scandal as the reason for the back and forth. He says he’s confident that will change when the NDP win the next election in 2015.