Maura Parte, one half of the provincial New Democrat power couple that includes Victoria-Hillside nomination candidate Rob Fleming, has been hired as an Opposition caucus research officer. Ms. Parte, who most recently worked as the general manager of the University of Victoria Graduate Students' Society, is the past president of the party and is co-chairing its platform committee and with ex-cabinet minister Paul Ramsey. Former University of Victoria Students' Society president Jamie Matten has also been hired as a communications officer. She did the same job on a temporary basis during the spring legislative session. Misses Parte and Matten's jobs were made possible by Surrey-Panorama Ridge MLA Jagrup Brar, whose by-election win earned caucus an extra $60,000 in funding for this fiscal year.