Ford names new cabinet, with Jones as health minister

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his new, 30-person cabinet Friday, including former solicitor general Sylvia Jones as deputy premier and health minister, as well as a role for his nephew.

Many of the cabinet ministers remain in the same portfolios they held during Ford's last government, such as Stephen Lecce in education, Peter Bethlenfalvy as minister of finance, and Caroline Mulroney in transportation.

But several new and tweaked roles signal that some of Ford's top priorities are housing, mining and infrastructure.

Ford said he wants to unite Ontario, and that his government will represent everyone.

“Our blue collar workers, our labour unions, entrepreneurs and innovators, drivers and transit riders, seniors and young families, newcomers looking for good work and the Ontario dream, urban, suburban and rural communities in every region of the province, this is Team Ontario,” he told a large crowd of his invited guests at the outdoor swearing-in ceremony at the Ontario legislature.

“Big challenges lay on the horizon across Canada and around the world. Inflation is driving up the cost of living to levels we haven't seen in decades and with an uncertain global economic climate, we're competing against other jurisdictions for every job and for every dollar of investment. But when we stand together, when we unite, we're absolutely unstoppable.”

Jones will be handling the largest ministry, and at a key time — the province is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the health system, and Ford has promised billions in spending to build new hospital projects across the province.

Lecce will have to begin work almost immediately on bargaining with teachers and education workers, whose contracts expire Aug. 31. The last round was contentious, in part due to legislation that capped compensation increases for public sector workers.

Housing was a priority that Ford singled out in his speech, and Steve Clark — remaining as municipal affairs and housing minister — will have the daunting task of getting municipalities on board with policy changes, such as new zoning rules, to increase supply and meet Ford's stated target of building 1.5 million homes in 10 years.

Ford also created a new position of associate minister of housing, promoting former backbencher Michael Parsa into cabinet to serve in the role.

There are some other new faces in cabinet, including Ford's nephew Michael Ford, who is named minister of citizenship and multiculturalism.

New Democrat caucus chair Jeff Burch questioned the appointment of the younger Ford to that specific role.

“There are plenty of people, people of colour in Ford's caucus, that could take that position and he chose to appoint his nephew,” Burch said.

“As we all know, the qualifications there are dubious.”

He served as a Toronto city councillor for several years prior to the provincial election.

Mining is another area in which Ford plans to focus, appointing a single person to oversee the file, rather than having it as part of a ministry along with northern development, natural resources and forestry. George Pirie, the former mayor of Timmins who won the seat in that city after the NDP held it for 32 years, will now be minister of mines, with a specific mandate to develop the Ring of Fire.

Ford has touted his critical minerals strategy as a way to use northern resources to be used in manufacturing electric vehicles in the southern part of the province.

Other new members in cabinet include Michael Kerzner, a bioscience and technology entrepreneur elected in York Centre named Solicitor General, Graydon Smith, the former mayor of Bracebridge, Ont., who will serve as minister of natural resources and forestry, and Charmaine Williams, will be Ford's first cabinet minister from the Black community and serve in the new position of associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity.

As well, Neil Lumsden, a former Canadian Football League player who won the longtime NDP seat of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, is named as minister of tourism, culture and sport.

He replaces Lisa MacLeod in that portfolio, who is one of only a handful of people to be dropped from cabinet.

Merrilee Fullerton will stay in the children, community and social services portfolio, which includes navigating the autism file. A handful of people from the autism community stood on the lawn of the legislature just beyond the outdoor swearing-in ceremony to protest the growing wait list for services.

There are seven women in Ford's cabinet, down from nine in his previous one.

Monte McNaughton remains in labour, Doug Downey will be attorney general again, and Vic Fedeli stays in economic development. David Piccini remains as environment minister, and Todd Smith will continue as energy minister. Greg Rickford stays as minister of northern development and Indigenous affairs.