OTTAWA -- Most of the 308 people who fill seats in the House of Commons toil under the public radar and always will, hovering in the shadows of high-profile cabinet ministers and party leaders.

But, somewhere among all those MPs may be future leaders and even prime ministers - or, at the very least, people who will change government policy in meaningful ways.

They may be backbenchers, opposition critics or simply sitting on committees that tackle high-profile issues. They may sponsor a private member's bill that generates controversy or just be solid, hardworking MPs who command respect from all parties and, in doing so, wield influence.

Based on their performance or record to date, and on the issues likely to dominate Parliament in 2011, Postmedia News has assembled a roundup of MPs to watch.

CANDICE HOEPPNER:

The Conservative MP for Portage-Lisgar, Man., is on a mission to kill the long-gun registry and was front and centre in the debate this past fall because of her private member's bill to scrap it. Previously a quiet, rookie backbencher, Hoeppner became a vocal crusader against the registry and proved she could handle being the point-person on a controversial issue. The 46-year-old didn't shy away from reporters, and she travelled the country to hold anti-registry rallies in opposition ridings. A Liberal motion that barely passed put a halt to her bill, but she's vowed to keep fighting the registry. She has even appeared at the prime minister's side - a mark she's an MP with a future.

SIOBHAN COADY:

The Newfoundland and Labrador MP for St. John's South became a familiar political face on Parliament Hill in 2010, thanks to her duties as Treasury Board critic for the Liberal party and her membership on the government operations and estimates committee. At that committee, Coady, 50, grilled former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer and other witnesses on allegations about his business dealings and his wife, Helena Guergis, the MP kicked out of the Tory caucus for unspecified reasons, who now sits as an Independent. Coady spent much of 2010 blasting the Conservatives over their spending, including the huge tab for the G8 and G20 summits. And in the fall, she led weekly news conferences meant to highlight what the Liberals described as fiscal mismanagement by the government.

JULIAN FANTINO:

Fantino, 68, has only been on the job about a month, but is expected to play a prominent role in the Conservative caucus in 2011. He snagged the longtime Liberal Toronto-area riding of Vaughan in a November byelection and could be rewarded as early as in the next few weeks with a cabinet post. He's got 40 years of law-enforcement work under his belt as former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, former Toronto police chief and former London police chief. Given the government's continued emphasis on a law-and-order agenda, he will be relied on by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a spokesman for crime bills.

MEGAN LESLIE:

The 37-year-old Halifax NDP MP has ably filled the void on the Commons health committee left by her predecessor, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who quit federal politics to take an unsuccessful mayoral run in Winnipeg. Leslie is often on her feet in question period, pushing Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq for answers on a variety of policy issues. She was well-briefed on the controversy surrounding Assisted Human Reproduction Canada last spring, when several board members resigned amid allegations of lack of transparency over spending. She can be expected to hold the government's feet to the fire on this file again in 2011, after the Supreme Court issued a muddy judgment in December on fertility clinics in Canada.

MICHAEL CHONG:

This Conservative MP from Ontario's Wellington-Halton Hills riding once sat at the cabinet table, but in his current incarnation has set out to restore Canadians' faith in Parliament by trying to reform the often acrimonious question period. Chong, 39, says it is far too often an "anger-filled screaming match" and Canadians are tired of such antics. He drew up proposals to improve behaviour, then lobbied all parties for support. His motion passed with a wide margin. Chong originally resigned from cabinet when the government declared Quebec a nation within a united Canada, but has carried on diligently since, chairing the heritage committee. In 2011, he will continue trying to improve MP behaviour.

JAMES RAJOTTE:

Rajotte, 40, Conservative MP for Edmonton-Leduc in Alberta, is viewed as a solid MP who probably deserves to be in cabinet but hasn't quite broken into Harper's inner circle. Nonetheless, he chairs the finance committee and, while other committees move at a glacial pace and become mired in partisan bickering, Rajotte has won praise from even opposition MPs for how he manages the committee's workings.

MARK HOLLAND:

The Ajax-Pickering Liberal MP is public safety critic for his party and is consistently the party's face on a number of hot-button issues, including Conservative crime legislation, the long-gun registry and the G8 and G20 summits this summer. At 36, he is a passionate performer in question period and at ease in the public spotlight.

PIERRE PAQUETTE:

House leader for the Bloc Quebecois, the 55-year-old Joliette MP may want to remove the "house" from that title. He turned red at an end-of-session news conference when asked if he was positioning himself to take over the party leadership. When leader Gilles Duceppe isn't in the Commons, Paquette leads question period on behalf of his party.

DIANE BOURGEOIS:

The 61-year-old Bloc Quebecois MP for Terrebonne-Blainville has been around since 2000, but is getting more time in the spotlight lately because of parliamentary hearings on government contracts and allegations of bid-rigging and interference in the tendering process. As public works and government services critic for her party, Bourgeois has been on top of the controversy.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU:

He'd make the list of up-and-comers based on his pedigree alone. But in reality, Trudeau, 39, the Grits' Papineau MP, has shown maturity and tact about the constant dynastic speculation - and doesn't undercut his leader, even when critics snipe. As youth and immigration critic, Trudeau has made a serious commitment to engaging younger people in politics and has put his face (literally) out front for such positive initiatives as the "Movember" moustache campaign on Parliament Hill to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

mfitzpatrick@postmedia.com

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