Premier Ford Unveils New Cabinet
On Friday, Premier Doug Ford announced his new cabinet. It features a few new faces, a few new roles, and some familiar ones too. We’ll break it down for you so can get to know each Minister:
Minister of Health
This is probably the most notable/important change to Ford’s cabinet since its last iteration. Replacing the retiring Christine Elliott is Sylvia Jones, the former Solicitor General of Ontario and MPP for Dufferin-Caledon for the last 15 years. Jones will also be serving as deputy premier. Jones follows Christine Elliott in being another Minister of Health, the second under Ford, to have no experience in health care having earned a diploma in radio broadcasting. Her championing of Bill 94, which prevented funds held in a registered disability savings account from counting as assets and funds withdrawn from a registered disability savings plan from counting as income and thus affecting the amount granted to claimants by the Ontario Disability Support Program, should be commended. However, she was also responsible for expanding police and bylaw enforcement powers to allow officers to require anyone not in a private residence to explain why they’re not home during the pandemic.
Minister of Education
Returning as Minister of Education is Stephen Lecce, MPP for King-Vaughan and the incumbent since June 2019. He faced his share of challenges during his term like the 2020 teachers strike and the closing of schools due to COVD-19. There was speculation he would be replaced but ultimately, Premier Ford put his trust back in his guy. Lecce is the fourth straight Minister of Education to have no experience in education. Handling this portfolio will never be easy, thanks to the power and influence held by the various teachers unions across the province, and with another round of negotiations looming, it’ll be interesting to see how long Ford’s trust in him lasts.
Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Here’s another fresh face! Taking on this portfolio is the Premier’s own nephew, Michael Ford, after he won his seat in the Liberal/NDP stronghold of York South-Weston. Prior to the 2022 election, he served as a Toronto city councillor for the previous 6 years. Before that, he served as Toronto District School Board Trustee for Ward 1 Etobicoke North. Nepotism optics aside, perhaps having an MPP who represents a riding with a large working class and immigrant population work on the Citizenship and Multiculturalism portfolio will turn out to be a shrewd move. Then again, perhaps having a Caucasian male head that portfolio will turn out to be a mistake.
Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport
Another change. This portfolio was given to the first-time MPP from Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Neil Lumsden. A former CFL running back, three-time Grey Cup champion, and Hall of Famer, Lumsden beat out 15-year incumbent Paul Miller to win his riding and replaces long-time Nepean MPP Lisa MaCleod in Ford’s cabinet, who maintained her seat in the 2022 election but lost her position after several scandals.
Minister of Finance
Peter Bethlenfalvy returns as the successor to Vic Fedeli and Rod Phillips who both were responsible for the finance portfolio at some point during Ford’s first term as Premier. Behtlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge, tabled the 2022 budget in April, which we discussed here, that did not pass through the Ontario Legislative Assembly but served as the PC platform.
Minister of Transportation
Caroline Mulroney remains in her position as Minister of Transportation after succeeding Jeff Yurek in 2019. The only daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and MPP for York-Simcoe since 2018, she previously served as the province’s Attorney General from 2018 to 2019. Under her watch, the province controversially used the “notwithstanding clause” to shrink Toronto’s City Council after a judge ruled such an action to be a Charter violation and cut 30% of Legal Aid Ontario’s budget which provides justice eservices for low-income citizens.
Minster of Children, Community, and Social Services
Another familiar face coming back to cabinet belongs to Merrilee Fullerton, the MPP from Kanata-Carleton. She previously served as Minister of Long-Term Care during Ford’s first term, but was moved to the Children, Community, and Social Services portfolio in June 2021, even though a commission investigating the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes from that the province had no plan to protect long-term care residents.
Solicitor General
Sylvia Jones’ successor is Michael Kerzner, who was elected in York Centre. He is a bioscience and technology entrepreneur who founded DNA Labs Canada. He has stated that he will lead and listen with integrity and honesty and as he represents a very diverse district, hopefully he brings those qualities to this portfolio.
Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry
Another new face in the cabinet as former Bracebridge Mayor, Graydon Smith, takes over after Greg Rickford was moved to Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Representing Parry Sound-Muskoka, Smith brings a sizeable amount of experience to the portfolio.
Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs
Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora-Rainy River, remains in his multiple roles. Rickford continues to bring his vast experiences working with First Nations communities to the portfolio. He worked as a nurse and lawyer in First Nations communities in the Kenora district and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Métis Nation of Ontario has published their willingness to continue to work alongside Rickford and the PC government.
Minister of Long-Term Care, Minister of Legislative Affairs, and Government House Leader
Paul Calandra replaces Rod Phillips, following his resignation, in the Long-Term Care portfolio. The MPP for Markham-Stouffville previously served in the federal government under Stephen Harper and took considerable fire for his non-answers during the “Duffygate” Senate expenses scandal and when questioned over Canada’s military operations in Iraq. The blowback was so widespread that it elicited a tearful apology from Calandra. He has also received an endorsement from the Campaign Life Coalition. Hopefully he has learned from his mistakes and will bring accountability to the portfolio at a time where LTC is under intense scrutiny following the spread of COVID-19.
Minister for Seniors and Accessibility
Returning to the portfolio is Scarborough North MPP Raymond Cho. A former social worker and South Korean immigrant, Cho sat on the Toronto City Council for 18 years. Hopefully he will continue to bring his energy and passion to the portfolio.
Attorney General
Barrie--Springwater--Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey takes over for Caroline Mulroney as Attorney General. A certified specialist real estate lawyer in Orillia, Downey has been heavily involved in the Ontario Bar Association and taught contract, property, tort, constitutional, and Charter law for Laurentian University at Georgian College from 2005 to 2009. Hopefully he is more willing to push back against the Premier than his predecessor.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, returns to the Municipal Affairs and Housing portfolio. A three-term Mayor in Brockville, winning his first term at the age of 22, and former President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Clark has a lengthy legislation record. It was he who proposed the Better Local Government Act that shrunk the size of Toronto’s City Council, changes to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan that emphasized transit-oriented development and allowed municipalities and developers to work together to ensure local needs and regional priorities were being considered when building communities, the Municipal Modernization Program to help improve the delivery and efficiency of local services, and the Housing Supply Action Plan and More Homes, More Choice Act to try and jumpstart the building of houses across the province.
Minister of Colleges and Universities
Jill Dunlop, representing Simcoe North, returns as Minister of Colleges and Universities. She previously served as the Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues.
Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade (additional mandate for small business)
Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, returns after being shuffled over from the Finance portfolio in 2019. The former Mayor of North Bay and brief leader of the PC party, was instrumental in the controversy surrounding former Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals cancellation of gas power plants which ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of McGuinty’s Chief of Staff David Livingston.
Minister of Red Tape Reduction
Milton MPP Parm Gill is shuffled to the Red Tape Reduction portfolio. An immigrant from India as a young boy, Gill was first involved in federal politics for the CPC due to his opposition to same-sex marriage, a view which he apparently does not still hold. During his time in Ottawa, he passed championed private members bill C-394 which made it illegal to recruit someone into a gang, violated the Conflict of Interest Act, was investigated by the Commissioner of Elections Canada, and criticized former Premier Kathleen Wynne’s changes to the sex-ed curriculum. He shifted to provincial politics after losing his federal seat in 2015.
Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development
Monte McNaughton, who represents Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, returns to the portfolio assigned to him in 2019. The former Minister of Infrastructure retains his position as a trusted member of Ford’s cabinet.
Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks
Representing the riding of Northumberland-Peterborough South and returning to the Environment, Conservation, and Parks portfolio is the founder of the Canadian International Health Education Association David Piccini. Piccini has also received an endorsement from the Campaign for Life Coalition.
Minister of Mines (additional mandate to develop the Ring of Fire)
A new portfolio as Mines has been separated from Northern Development! Taking responsibility for the portfolio is former Timmins Mayor and first-time MPP for Timmins, George Pirie. Pirie managed to wrest the riding from the NDP who had held it for 32 years. Pirie has experience in the mining industry and will be tasked with specifically developing the Ring of Fire.
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery
Another returning Minister is Mississauga East-Cooksville MPP Kaleed Rasheed. Rasheed immigrated from Pakistan as a young adult and has been a long-time resident of Mississauga. He has backgrounds in banking and telecommunications. As Minister, he was responsible for launching the Digital and Data Innovation Fellowship Program that draws on private-sector professionals to help modernize and digitize the government’s services and technology. He was also instrumental in getting Ontario’s proof of vaccination app, Verify Ontario, up and running for businesses to use during the pandemic.
President of the Treasury Board (expanded mandate for emergency management and procurement, including Supply Ontario)
Prabmeet Sarkaria returns to the Treasury Board after taking on the position in 2021. The MPP for Brampton South has backgrounds in banking and law. As the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, Sarkaria received two “A-“ grades from the Canadian Federation for Independent Business for red tape reduction, praise for regulatory transparency in his annual reports, and the passage of red tape legislation. He was also responsible for numerous supports for businesses during the pandemic such as the Supporting Local Restaurants Act which capped fees charged by delivery apps to restaurants.
Minister of Energy
Another returning Minister is Todd Smith from the Bay of Quinte riding. Smith proposed the Local Municipality Democracy Act in 2011, which restored municipal zoning authority over green energy projects, that would eventually end up being passed in 2018 as part of the Green Energy Repeal Act. He has worn many hats in the Ford government such as Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, and Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services. He also served as the Energy Critic for the Official Opposition from 2015-2018. He announced the first grid-scale small modular reactor built in Canada, a new Green Button standard for energy users, and directed the Independent Electricity System Operator on future procurement of electricity.
Minister of Infrastructure (additional mandate for government real estate)
Returning to her role as Minister of Infrastructure, and representing my home riding of Etobicoke-Centre, is Kinga Surma. Surma immigrated from Poland when she was a kid and acquired an education in public policy, administration, and economics. A former assistant for Toronto City Councillor Peter Milczyn, Surma found herself a subject of controversy when she was first elected in 2016. Surma introduced the New Subway Transit Plan for the GTHA, committed to expanding GO Transit rail networks, and the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act that increased penalties for street racing/stunt driving and aggressive and unsafe driving.
Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs
Rounding out the list of Ministers, and another returning name, is Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. The former general manager of The Ontario Dairy Goal Cooperative and Rural Community Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, Thompson has also worn the hats of Minister of Government and Consumer Services and Minister of Education under Premier Ford.
Associate Ministers named to the cabinet include Stan Cho (MPP Willowdale) as Associate Minister of Transportation; Michael Parsa (MPP Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill) as Associate Minister of Housing; Michael Tibollo (MPP Vaughan-Woodbridge) as Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions; and Charmaine Williams (MPP Brampton Centre) as Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.