Premier Doug Ford Announces New Cabinet

Today, Doug Ford and the members of his new Cabinet were sworn in by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. The Premier’s new Executive Council has grown to 30 members, up three from 27 in the last term. The slightly larger contingent is in part reflective of the larger majority the PCs acquired in the June election, with 83 seats and more caucus members to choose from. The new Cabinet includes seven women - down from nine in the previous government - as well as seven people of colour and six newly elected MPPs.

Although much of the Premier’s Cabinet remains the same, some big changes to the front and back benches have been made, with the appointment of a new Minister of Health, the creation of a women’s issues portfolio, and tasking six newly elected MPPs with ministerial duties.

Sylvia Jones is the incoming Minister of Health, replacing Christine Elliott, who decided not to run in this election, while Stephen Lecce remains in his position as the Minister of Education. Health and Education remain two important portfolios for Premier Ford as these ministries oversee the two largest budget lines; the government is planning on spending billions in hospital infrastructure and will soon begin contract negotiations with the teacher unions.

Peter Bethlenfalvy remains in his post as the Minister of Finance, providing continuity and stability in this critical role.

Based on the priorities that were laid out in the PCs’ 2022 Budget that was introduced but not passed before the election, ministries overseeing transportation and infrastructure projects will also be important to the Premier as the government pursues its plans to build highways and transit projects.

Steve Clark returns as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, where he will continue to implement recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force, build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, and address the increasing cost of housing in Ontario. A new junior Cabinet role – Associate Minister of Housing – will be filled by Michael Parsa, who will help Minister Clark with the portfolio.

Todd Smith remains in his role as the Minister of Energy where he will carry on with work to address supply needs and invest in new energy infrastructure in Ontario. Vic Fedeli returns as Chair of Cabinet and Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade where he will continue with the province’s post-pandemic economic recovery and promote Ontario as an economic hub to attract more jobs and manufacturing skills.

Re-elected Mississauga—Streetsville MPP Nina Tangri is not returning to Cabinet as there is speculation she might run for Speaker of the House, potentially replacing re-elected MPP Ted Arnott who has held the post since 2018. Tangri served as the Associate Minister for Small Business and Red Tape Reduction in the last term.

Other members not reappointed to Cabinet include re-elected MPP Lisa MacLeod who was the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and re-elected MPP Ross Romano who served as the Minister of Government and Consumer Services.

The full list of Cabinet can be found below.

Who’s In and Who’s Out

Hon. Doug Ford – Premier of Ontario and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

• Doug Ford is also the MPP for Etobicoke North.

Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

• Previously held by Christine Elliott who did not seek re-election.
• Sylvia Jones, the MPP for Dufferin—Caledon was previously the Solicitor General.‍

Hon. Vic Fedeli – Chair of Cabinet and Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade  

• Victor Fedeli, the MPP for Nipissing, returns to Cabinet in the same position, with an additional mandate for small business.

Hon. Steve Clark – Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing‍

• Steve Clark, the MPP forLeeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Monte McNaughton – Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development  

• Monte McNaughton, the MPP for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, returns to Cabinet with an expanded role. He has Immigration added to his portfolio. Previously, Immigration and Citizenship had a standalone minister, and the position was held by Parm Gill.

Hon. Todd Smith – Minister of Energy

• Todd Smith, the MPP for Bay of Quinte, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Lisa Thompson – Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

• Lisa Thompson, the MPP for Huron—Bruce, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Raymond Cho – Minister for Seniors and Accessibility  

• Raymond Cho, the MPP for Scarborough North, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy – Minister of Finance

• Peter Bethlenfalvy, the MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Paul Calandra – Minister of Long-Term Care and Minister of Legislative Affairs

• Paul Calandra, the MPP for Markham—Stouffville, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Doug Downey – Attorney General

• Doug Downey, the MPP for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Jill Dunlop – Minister of Colleges and Universities

• Jill Dunlop, the MPP for Simcoe North, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

‍Hon. Merrilee Fullerton – Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

• Merrilee Fullerton, the MPP for Kanata—Carleton, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

‍Hon. Parm Gill – Minister of Red Tape Reduction

• Previously an associate minister held portfolio which included Small Business and was held by Nina Tangri who is no longer a member of Cabinet.
• Parm Gill, the MPP for Milton, previously served as the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

Hon. Stephen Lecce – Minister of Education

• Stephen Lecce, the MPP for King—Vaughan, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney – Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs

• Caroline Mulroney, the MPP for York—Simcoe, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. David Piccini – Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

• David Piccini, the MPP for Northumberland—Peterborough South, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Kaleed Rasheed – Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery

• The role was previously named Minister of Government and Consumer Services and was held by Ross Romano, who is no longer a member of the Cabinet.
• Kaleed Rasheed, the MPP for Mississauga East—Cooksville, was previously Associate Minister of Digital Government.

Hon. Greg Rickford – Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs

• Greg Rickford, the MPP for Kenora—Rainy River was previously the Minister of Indigenous Affairs & Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry.

Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria – President of the Treasury Board

• Prabmeet Sarkaria, the MPP for Brampton South, returns to Cabinet in the same position, with an expanded mandate for emergency management and procurement, including Supply Ontario.

Hon. Kinga Surma – Minister of Infrastructure

• Kinga Surma, the MPP for Etobicoke Centre, returns to Cabinet in the same position, with an additional mandate for government real estate.

Hon. Michael Ford – Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism

• The role was previously named Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and was held by Parm Gill, who has been moved into another role.
• Michael Ford is newly elected this term as the MPP for York South—Weston, having previously served as a City Councillor for two terms at the City of Toronto, and is the Premier’s nephew.

Hon. Michael Kerzner – Solicitor General

• Previously held by Sylvia Jones who has been moved to another role.
• Michael Kerzner is newly elected this term as the MPP for York Centre, having previously been an entrepreneur in the technology and bioscience fields.

‍Hon. Neil Lumsden – Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

• The role was previously named the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and was held by Lisa MacLeod, who is no longer a member of the Cabinet.
• Neil Lumsden is newly elected this term as the MPP for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek and is best known as a former Canadian Football League player and CFL Hall of Famer.

Hon. George Pirie – Minister of Mines

• George Pirie is newly elected this term as the MPP for Timmins and previously served as Mayor of Timmins.

Hon. Graydon Smith – Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry

• Graydon Smith is newly elected this term as the MPP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, previously was the Mayor of Bracebridge.

Hon. Stan Cho – Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA)

• Stan Cho, the MPP for Willowdale, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Michael Parsa – Associate Minister of Housing

• Michael Parsa, the MPP for Aurora—OakRidges—Richmond Hill, previously was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister ofFinance.

‍Hon. Michael Tibollo – Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

• Michael Tibollo, the MPP for Vaughan—Woodbridge, returns to Cabinet in the same position.

Hon. Charmaine Williams – Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity

• Charmaine Williams is newly elected this term as the MPP for Brampton Centre, was previously a member of Brampton City Council.

What Happens Next

The next few months will give new ministers a chance to become familiar with their portfolios and to engage with relevant stakeholders as they learn about their mandates and plan for how to achieve them. Over the next few weeks, we will also learn which backbenchers will take on Parliamentary Assistant roles to support the ministers. We anticipate that the NDP and Liberals will also announce their critic roles in the near term, as well as their respective interim leaders.

We will also see ministerial offices staffing up, with a mix of new hires and seasoned staffers; we may also see some staff depart over the course of the summer, having gained experience over the first mandate. We expect offices to be fully staffed by the fall.

The Legislature is currently scheduled to return on September 12. But, we can expect some legislative activity in the next few weeks as the Premier has confirmed the government intends on having a short summer session tore-introduce and pass the legislation to implement the 2022 Budget.

We expect a very busy parliamentary session to close out 2022, with the PCs indicating they would like to get moving quickly to “Get it Done”. Organizations looking to advance a particular file or priority are well advised to begin their advocacy during the summer as the newly elected government begins to lay its foundation to govern for the next four years.‍

Happy to Help

The Sussex team continues to closely track all developments regarding the government’s new Cabinet and upcoming mandate. Please reach out to your Sussex advisor if you have any questions or for more information.

Sadaf Abbasi, Director, sabbasi@sussex-strategy.com

Naomi Shuman, Associate, nshuman@sussex-strategy.com