In the News June 27

Ontario Cabinet Sworn In

New Cabinet Sworn In

Ontario’s cabinet, also known as the Executive Council, was sworn in on June 24. The cabinet is the ministers of the provincial Crown, all of whom are appointed by the Premier and accepted by the lieutenant governor who rules on behalf of the Queen.

The 30-person cabinet now directs the activities of the entire government. The legislature, made up of all of the newly elected MPPs of the 43rd Parliament of Ontario, had no say as to the membership of the cabinet, let alone the people of Ontario,.

The cabinet is accountable to the Premier and the private interests that they represent. It is reported that the recommendations for membership on the cabinet were made by a 12-person transition team headed by Premier Ford’s chief of staff Jamie Wallace. The transition team is not elected nor are they accountable to anyone other than the Premier for their recommendations or the criteria on which those are based.

The mandate letters Premier Ford issued to his new ministers directing their focus will not be made public despite the fact that in 2019 the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordered the mandate letters for Ford’s first government be disclosed. The Ford government has refused to make them public and appealed the order. Now, despite having its appeals dismissed at every other level of court, the government has sought leave to appeal the order to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court has said it will hear the appeal, but a date has yet to be announced.

Membership of the PC Cabinet

The new Executive Council includes the following:

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance

Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care, Minister of Legislative Affairs and Government House Leader

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility

Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Doug Downey, Attorney General

Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities

Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, with an additional mandate for small business

Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism

Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

Parm Gill, Minister of Red Tape Reduction

Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General

Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education

Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs

David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry

George Pirie, Minister of Mines, with a mandate to develop the Ring of Fire

Kaleed Rasheed, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery

Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs

Prabmeet Sarkaria, President of the Treasury Board, with an expanded mandate for emergency management and procurement, including Supply Ontario

Todd Smith, Minister of Energy

Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, with an additional mandate for government real estate

Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Stan Cho, Associate Minister of Transportation

Michael Parsa, Associate Minister of Housing

Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity

Ontario Political Forum, posted June 27, 2022.