Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced a new cabinet featuring several familiar figures, although he has made changes to the ministers overseeing housing, education, and the environment.
Paul Calandra transitions from the housing portfolio to take on the role of education minister, succeeding Jill Dunlop, who will now focus on emergency preparedness.
Rob Flack, the former agriculture minister, has been appointed as the new housing minister. Trevor Jones, who previously served as the associate minister of emergency preparedness and response, will now assume the position of agriculture minister.
Todd McCarthy has been appointed as the environment minister, a more prominent role compared to his former position as minister of public and business service delivery.
Additionally, former environment minister Andrea Khanjin has been reassigned to oversee red tape reduction. Graham McGregor will take on the responsibilities of minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, a role that was previously held by Michael Ford, the premier’s nephew, who chose not to run in the February snap election.
Michael Tibollo, who served as the associate minister of mental health and addictions, has been reassigned as the associate attorney general, with Vijay Thanigasalam stepping into his former role.
Zee Hamid is the only new member in the cabinet, taking on the position of associate minister of auto theft and bail reform.
The swearing-in ceremony for the premier and his executive council was conducted by Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont on Wednesday at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Ford has maintained the size of the cabinet, which he expanded since his initial election in 2018, with the most recent cabinet growing to 37 members in August after the addition of new associate ministers. Many key ministers retain their previous positions, including Doug Downey as attorney general, Michael Kerzner as solicitor general, and Caroline Mulroney as President of the Treasury Board and minister of francophone affairs.
Steve Clark, the former housing minister who resigned following the Greenbelt land-grab controversy, continues to serve as government house leader, although this role does not carry cabinet status.
Sylvia Jones will resume her role as Minister of Health and Deputy Premier. Peter Bethlenfalvy will remain in his position as Minister of Finance, while Prabmeet Sarkaria continues as Minister of Transportation.
Vic Fedeli and Stephen Lecce will retain their roles as Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Energy, respectively. Kinga Surma will also return as Minister of Infrastructure.
Greg Rickford will stay on as Minister of Indigenous Affairs and will additionally assume the newly established position of Minister responsible for economic and community partnerships in the Ring of Fire region.
The long-anticipated development of the Ring of Fire, a vast area in northwestern Ontario believed to be rich in critical and rare minerals, has recently gained prominence for Premier Ford, particularly as global demand for these resources increases.
George Pirie will step down as Minister of Mining to take on the role of Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth. Lecce will expand his portfolio to include mining, while David Piccini will continue as Minister of Labour.
In his remarks during Wednesday’s ceremony, Ford referenced ongoing economic challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump, describing them as “one of the most pressing and significant challenges in the history of our province.”
The Premier quoted former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, stating, “We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends, weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world, all while cynically waving the American flag.”
Ford emphasized his commitment to collaborating with American officials regarding the Canada-U.S. trade relationship.
He concluded his address with the declaration, “Canada will not be the 51st state. Canada is not for sale,” which was met with a standing ovation.
After the applause, Ford remarked, “I’m getting chills all up and down my body right now.”
In anticipation of Wednesday’s ceremony, conservative strategists indicated that they did not foresee any significant alterations to the cabinet, expecting many of the premier’s key ministers to retain their positions.
The premier’s Progressive Conservatives secured their third consecutive majority government on February 27, making Ford the first Ontario premier since 1959 to achieve three successive majorities. When he initiated the $189-million election in January, Ford sought the “largest mandate in Ontario’s history” to combat economic challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, the Progressive Conservatives are returning to Queen’s Park with approximately the same number of seats. With two ridings still pending results, the party is projected to hold 80 seats, which is just one more than the count when the legislature was dissolved in January and three fewer than the total gained in the 2022 election.
The Ontario legislature is scheduled to reconvene on April 14.
‘More of the same,’ says Official Opposition leader
NDP Leader Marit Stiles, who was inaugurated as the leader of the Official Opposition earlier on Wednesday, issued a statement congratulating the premier and his cabinet, but remarked that the appointments represented “more of the same.”
“This cabinet features the same Minister of Transportation who failed to open a transit line, the same Minister of Health who minimized the doctor shortage, and the same Minister of Infrastructure who evaded fundamental questions for weeks,” the statement noted.
Stiles also mentioned that the Official Opposition’s shadow cabinet would be revealed in the coming days.
In a statement on Wednesday, John Fraser, the Liberal MPP for Ottawa South, expressed that Ottawa “once again [has] no representation at the cabinet table.”
“Despite having a member from Ottawa in his caucus, Doug Ford has intentionally overlooked Ottawa once more,” the statement asserted.
Before the ceremony, federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland mentioned that she had coffee with Ford at his residence on Tuesday.
We discussed the topic of interprovincial trade, which Prime Minister Carney considers a significant priority, she remarked.
“I never imagined I would express this sentiment, but interprovincial trade has gained considerable appeal in Canada at this moment.”