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Phillips, who resigned his post of finance minister after his trip to St. Barts in December, is back in the cabinet as the new nursing minister

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June 18, 2021 • 1 day ago • 3 minutes read • 54 comments Former Treasury Secretary Rod Phillips was vacationing in the Caribbean while the province faced a lockdown. Former Treasury Secretary Rod Phillips was vacationing in the Caribbean while the province faced a lockdown. Photo by Chris Young / The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford reshuffled his cabinet on Friday, introduced new members, ousted several others and brought back a minister who resigned last year after violating pandemic travel policies.

Ford said the changes – which will come less than a year before the next provincial elections – were made as its progressive Conservative government focuses on the province’s recovery from COVID-19.

“Our renewed team is well positioned to address the priorities that are important to Ontarians including getting more people back to work, affordability of living, supporting businesses and job creation and building transport infrastructure” he said in a statement.

Rod Phillips, who gave up his role as Treasury Secretary after traveling to St. Barts against public health rules in December, was particularly back in the cabinet as the new Minister for Long-Term Care.

His vacation, when the government advised against all non-essential travel, sparked a political storm in which Ford was criticized for having done nothing when he first found out about the trip. Phillips called his outing a “major error of assessment”.

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He now replaces Merrilee Fullerton, who became Minister for Children, Community and Social Services.

Fullerton has been heavily criticized for the devastation COVID-19 has in long-term care – 3,794 nursing home residents have died from the virus and thousands more have been infected. A damning report released earlier this spring found that the neglected sector was not prepared for a pandemic.

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Five ministers left the cabinet when it was renamed on Friday, including former Environment Minister Jeff Yurek and former Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott.

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Several younger caucus members have since been promoted to more prominent portfolios.

David Piccini became Minister of the Environment and Kinga Surma took over the infrastructure file.

Parm Gill was the first minister to take over the new portfolio of citizenship and multiculturalism.

Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria has been named as the new President of the Treasury, which was split off from the Financial Record, while Lisa Thompson replaced Ernie Hardeman in agriculture, food and rural affairs.

Health Secretary Christine Elliott, Secretary of Education Steven Lecce, Attorney General Sylvia Jones, Attorney General Doug Downey and Treasury Secretary Peter Bethlenfalvy remained in their prominent positions.

Bethlenfalvy is also taking on the province’s digital government strategy.

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Meanwhile, John Yakabuski was out as Minister for Natural Resources as that act went to Greg Rickford, who took on a merged role as Minister for Northern Development, Mining, Natural Resources and Forestry, and Indigenous Affairs Enhancing Development Potential and Sustainability in the North.

Todd Smith was appointed to the Department of Energy, which split off from Rickford’s former portfolio.

Jill Dunlop, a former assistant secretary, became secretary of colleges and universities when Ross Romano moved to government and consumer services.

The opposition NDP expressed concern about Phillips’ new role, saying that families affected by the burden of long-term care from the pandemic are looking for accountability. Vice-Chair Sara Singh said the Phillips vacation scandal suggests he is not the right person.

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“I think it doesn’t restore the trust of families who want to make sure our long-term care system is improved,” said Singh, who also criticized Fullerton’s new role.

“We have seen nearly 4,000 seniors and employees lose their lives under her leadership,” she said. “I am very concerned about families with children with autism, families with children in care. Are you getting the support you need? “

Provincial Liberals highlighted the retention of ministers who played key roles in the government’s pandemic response, particularly in the areas of education and health.

“By leaving Christine Elliott and Stephen Lecce in place, Ford is rewarding the two people who share responsibility for one of the most incompetent responses to COVID-19 in the western world,” said liberal Stephen Blais.

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The primary school teachers’ union also criticized the decision to keep Lecce in office.

“By keeping Minister Lecce in his role as Education Minister, who since March 2020 no longer deals meaningfully with educators and their unions, Prime Minister Ford has again demonstrated his disregard for public education,” it said in a statement.

As part of the renaming, several newcomers also took on the files of associated ministers, with Stan Cho for transportation and Jane McKenna for children’s and women’s affairs.

Nina Tangri will become Assistant Minister for Small Business and Bureaucracy, while Kaleed Rasheed will become Assistant Minister for Digital Government.

The lieutenant governor signed all cabinet changes on Friday afternoon. A swearing-in took place virtually.

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