Key Takeaways:
- Ontario’s new 30-member cabinet, which includes Sylvia Jones as deputy premier and minister of health, was unveiled by the province’s premier, Doug Ford.
- Neil Lumsden, a former member of the Canadian Football League, has been named minister of tourism, culture, and sport. In the past, he was Hamilton East-Stoney Creek’s NDP representative.
- One of the newcomers is Graydon Smith, a former mayor of Bracebridge, Ontario, who will serve as the minister of natural resources and forestry.
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, has unveiled his 30-member new cabinet, including Sylvia Jones as deputy premier and minister of health.
Many cabinet ministers still hold the same positions they did in the Ford administration, including Caroline Mulroney in transportation, Stephen Lecce in education, and Peter Bethlenfalvy as finance minister.
Vic Fedeli remains in economic development, Monte McNaughton remains in labor, Doug Downey will resume his duties as attorney general, and Steve Clark continues as minister of municipal affairs and housing.
Michael Ford, Ford’s nephew, the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, is one of the new faces in the cabinet.
The new Solicitor General will be York Centre resident and biotechnology entrepreneur Michael Kerzner.
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A former Canadian Football League player, Neil Lumsden, is appointed minister of tourism, culture, and sport. He formerly held the NDP seat in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.
In that position, he took over for Lisa MacLeod, who was one of just a small number of individuals fired from the cabinet.
Merrilee Fullerton will continue to manage the autism file as part of the children, communities, and social services portfolio. Just after the outdoor swearing-in ceremony, a few members of the autistic community gathered on the legislative building’s lawn to voice their opposition to the lengthening wait list for treatment.
Ford’s current cabinet has seven women, compared to nine in his last.
Todd Smith will continue to serve as energy minister, and David Piccini will remain as environment minister.
The former mayor of Bracebridge, Ontario, Graydon Smith, who will be the minister of natural resources and forestry, is among the newcomers. Greg Rickford, who previously held the position, is still serving as the minister of indigenous and northern development.
Additionally, he had previously held the mining portfolio, which has since been transferred to George Pirie. After the NDP held it for 32 years, the former mayor of Timmins gained the seat there. According to a news release, he has a special mandate to create the Ring of Fire.
Other ministries have changed or had new mandates added to them. Although his procurement and emergency management responsibilities have been broadened, Prabmeet Sarkaria is still president of the Treasury Board. Kinga Surma continues to perform as minister of infrastructure, but she is now responsible for government real estate.
Kaleed Rasheed is promoted to the newly formed minister of public and business service delivery position from the associate minister of digital government.
Michael Parsa is elevated to associate minister of housing in the cabinet. The newly created office of associate minister of women’s social and economic opportunity will be held by Charmaine Williams, a new caucus member.
Source: CTV news
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