Ontario Premier reveals similar cabinet lineup after snap election
Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed a new cabinet on Wednesday, making some changes with new names in key roles, but leaving many prominent portfolios – including finance, health, and transportation – unchanged, following a snap election last month that was fought in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Among the names switching roles include Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra, who was installed in that post amid the scandal over the government’s aborted move to develop on protected Greenbelt lands. He moves to education, replacing Jill Dunlop, who moves to emergency preparedness and response, News.Az reports citing The Globe and Mail.
Rob Flack, who had been agriculture minister, will now take over the key housing portfolio, as the province continues to struggle to meet its targets to build new homes. Trevor Jones takes his place at agriculture. Todd McCarthy, who had been the minister of public and business service delivery, moves to the environmental portfolio.
However, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, who must present a budget soon that will wrestle with the uncertain economic impacts of U.S. tariffs, remains in his current role. Health Minister and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones and Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister Vic Fedeli are also staying put, as is Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.
Among the guests invited to the swearing-in ceremony at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto was federal Liberal Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, whom the Premier has called a friend and who met with the Premier on Tuesday.
Mr. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives were re-elected Feb. 27, to a third-term majority government, with the seat count essentially mirroring the makeup of the legislature before the vote was called.
The opposition criticized his move to call an election more than a year ahead of schedule, pointing out that the vote would cost $189-million and would allow Mr. Ford to get ahead of any charges that result from the continuing RCMP investigation of the Greenbelt affair.
Mr. Ford said he needed a new and stronger four-year mandate to counter the U.S. President’s threats.
However, the PCs won 80 of the legislature’s 124 seats, just one more than the 79 they had at dissolution, while the NDP captured 27 ridings. The Liberals, who won five additional seats, now have 14 MPPs and regained official party status. But leader Bonnie Crombie failed to win her Mississauga riding, although she is vowing to stay on at the helm.
The election focused primarily on Mr. Trump’s tariff threats, with Mr. Ford travelling twice to Washington to lobby American officials against enacting the punishing levies.
He has since softened his tone and told reporters this week he is holding back on his confrontational rhetoric in the trade war launched by the U.S., even suggesting that White House threats to annex Canada by economic force should be seen as a compliment.
The legislature is set to return on April 14, with a Throne Speech to be delivered the following day.
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