EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a new Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park
Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled his new cabinet at a swearing-in ceremony at the Royal Ontario Museum Wednesday, where he warned that Ontario is “facing one of the most pressing and significant challenges in the history of our province” — the breakdown of free trade with the United States.
In his speech, Ford seemed to address U.S. President Donald Trump personally at times, warning that if he continues down the road of tariffs and protectionism, “factory floors and assembly lines across the American Rust Belt and deep in red states will close down, causing mass layoffs, the likes of which the U.S. hasn't seen in a generation.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Ford also quoted former U.S. president Ronald Reagan at length.
“Our peaceful trading partners are not our enemies; they are our allies,” he said, quoting a 1988 radio address. “We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends — weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world — all while cynically waving the American flag.”
Ford has said that while he'll continue directly taking on the issue of U.S. tariffs, it'll be a multi-ministerial effort.
His new cabinet features just one brand-new addition, 13 ministers in new positions, and three others with adjusted portfolios.
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, who kept his title, attributed the consistency to the need for “stability and certainty” in the current environment of “uncertainty” and “anxiety around the kitchen table.”
Paul Calandra, who had served as minister of municipal affairs and housing since the Greenbelt scandal, was shuffled to education.
Calandra served as a steadying hand for the Ford government, helping to navigate it through the controversy. In the months after he was made housing minister, Calandra walked back several significant policies of his predecessor. He also cleaned house of many of the staff who were connected to the Greenbelt scandal.
As The Trillium reported last September — one year into Calandra’s stint as housing minister — his brash work style led him to be viewed as a polarizing member of Ford’s cabinet, including within the government, according to several well-placed sources. He and the premier also butted heads over certain housing policies, including as-of-right fourplexes — which Calandra, unlike Ford, was in favour of, according to well-placed sources.
Encouraging the construction of new housing to facilitate 1.5 million new homes being built in Ontario from 2022 to 2031 was a pivotal goal for Ford’s Progressive Conservatives in the aftermath of the previous provincial election. While Calandra was housing minister, the Ford government fell further behind the pace needed to reach that benchmark.
In the recent provincial election campaign, the PCs put far less emphasis on their housing policies, focusing instead on Trump’s economic threats and ways they would respond to them.
Ford appointed Rob Flack to replace Calandra as minister of municipal affairs and housing. He’s a relative newcomer to politics. Before being elected the PC MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London in the 2022 general election, Flack spent much of his career as a farmer and businessman.
Flack’s first cabinet position was as associate minister of housing. Last June, the premier made Flack agriculture minister.
Calandra becomes the fourth minister to oversee the education file in less than a year.
In his new role, Calandra will oversee kindergarten to Grade 12 education along with the child-care sector.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario said it looked forward to working with Calandra to “make public education a true priority.”
“With public education facing persistent challenges — large class sizes, inadequate supports for students with special needs, a deepening teacher recruitment and retention crisis, and increasing violence in schools — Ontario’s students, families, and educators cannot afford more of the same failed policies that have left classrooms underfunded and under-supported,” the union said in a statement.
Stephen Lecce, who served as education minister for five years, called Calandra’s appointment a “blessing” and “a huge responsibility” when speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s ceremony.
He said Calandra has a track record of “moving things along” — something Lecce noted would be useful during the next round of contract negotiations with education unions.
Calling Calandra an “experienced leader,” Lecce said that “two million kids are going to depend on his leadership to land deals and keep kids in school.”
Jill Dunlop, who previously oversaw education, is now the minister of emergency preparedness and response.
The new agriculture, food and agribusiness minister, replacing Flack in the role, is Trevor Jones, who was associated minister of emergency preparedness and response.
Lecce remains minister of energy but adds mines to his responsibilities. George Pirie, who had been minister of mines, is now the minister of northern economic development and growth.
Lecce said the government’s mission is going to be to “strengthen our economy by getting things done.”
Part of this, he said, will involve speeding up the extraction of critical minerals.
“President Trump has upended the world order, and we're going to need every government, every regulator, every agency, to move with absolute speed to get shovels in the ground on the essential mining and critical minerals that the world needs,” Lecce said. “It cannot take 20 years to see a shovel in the ground … in our critical mineral deposits, the largest on Earth.”
Todd McCarthy is the new minister of the environment, conservation and parks, replacing Andrea Khanjin, now the minister of red tape reduction.
McCarthy takes over a ministry he is familiar with after stepping in as acting minister of the environment, conservation and parks last year while Khanjin was on parental leave.
Ford appointed McCarthy as public and business service delivery minister on Sept. 22, 2023, a few days after the previous minister resigned from Ford's cabinet and the PC caucus after admitting to providing Ontario's integrity commissioner incorrect information about a Las Vegas trip involving a Greenbelt developer, as The Trillium first reported.
Taking over as minister of public and business service delivery and procurement is Stephen Crawford, previously the associate minister of mines, a position that has been eliminated in the refreshed cabinet.
Zee Hamid, who was first elected to represent Milton in a 2024 byelection, was promoted to cabinet as associate minister of auto theft and bail reform, which is part of the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
That post had been held by Graham McGregor, now the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism. That post had been held by Michael Ford, the premier’s nephew, who did not run for re-election.
Greg Rickford had a title change and was appointed the minister responsible for Ring of Fire economic and community partnerships, replacing his previous role as minister of northern development. He continues to be minister of Indigenous affairs and First Nations economic reconciliation, as well.
Ford also made Mike Harris Jr., previously minister of red tape reduction, natural resources minister. The former natural resources minister Graydon Smith became associate minister of housing, replacing Vijay Thanigasalam, who became associate minister of mental health and addictions.
Former longtime associate minister of mental health and addictions Michael Tibollo was appointed by Ford as associate attorney general.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn’s title was also adjusted to add “research excellence and security” to his role.
Ford went into the February election with the largest cabinet in the province’s history — 37 members, including himself. His refreshed cabinet has the same number of ministers.
Ahead of his postelection cabinet shuffle, the premier had suggested he wouldn’t trim its size, opting to rejig things instead.
“I have to make sure I put the proper cabinet ministers in based on the mandate we received from the people,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday, echoing his previous comments that he wants the “best players on the ice.”
The official Opposition congratulated Ford and his cabinet on Wednesday’s swearing-in, but accused Ford of keeping things “more of the same.”
“People are worried about the future of our province and our country. They are struggling to afford groceries; they can’t find a family doctor or an affordable place to live,” said NDP Leader Marit Stiles.
“This cabinet includes the same minister of Transportation who couldn’t open a transit line, the same minister of Health who downplayed the doctor shortage, and the same minister of Infrastructure who spent weeks dodging basic questions. All in the most expensive front bench in the province’s history.”
Here is the full list of the new cabinet:
- Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
- Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
- Doug Downey, Attorney General
- Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services
- Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
- Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security
- Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
- Paul Calandra, Minister of Education
- Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines
- Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
- Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance
- Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation and the Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire Economic and Community Partnerships
- Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure
- David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
- Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care
- Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources
- George Pirie, Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth
- Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement
- Andrea Khanjin, Minister of Red Tape Reduction
- Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs
- Raymond Cho, Minister of Seniors and Accessibility
- Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General
- Neil Lumsden, Minister of Sport
- Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming
- Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation
- Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Francophone Affairs
- Michael Tibollo, Associate Attorney General, as part of the Ministry of the Attorney General
- Zee Hamid, Associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform, as part of the Ministry of the Solicitor General
- Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries, as part of the Ministry of Energy and Mines
- Kevin Holland, Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products, as part of the Ministry of Natural Resources
- Graydon Smith, Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as part of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, as part of the Ministry of Health
- Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business, as part of the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
- Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, as part of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services