Lisa Thompson, who was ag minister at dissolution, won her riding
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Premier-elect Doug Ford and his cabinet will be sworn in at Queen’s Park on Friday.
Ford’s cabinet at dissolution consisted of 28 members.
His Progressive Conservatives won 83 seats on election night on June 2, giving him more people to consider for cabinet positions.
From an ag perspective, the ag minister at dissolution won her seat.
Reducing costs for farmers can help raise the value of ag products, said Lisa Thompson, the MPP for Huron-Bruce.
“Bring food closer to home…what’s driving up inflation? Transportation, and the cost of gasoline,” she said, Country 104.9 reported on June 6. “Let’s bring the food production closer to home.”
Another name Ford could tap for the ag portfolio is Ernie Hardeman.
The MPP for Oxford served as Ford’s ag minister from 2018 to 2021, and as ag minister in the Harris government from 1999 to 2001.
One certainty is some cabinet positions will have new faces.
Christine Elliott, the minister of health when the election was called, did not seek re-election in Newmarket-Aurora.
Sylvia Jones, who recently served as the solicitor general, could take the health portfolio, CBC reported.
Prabmeet Sakaria, the MPP for Brampton South, is considered a frontrunner to replace Elliott, CityNews reports.
CityNews also reported Lisa Macleod, the MPP for Nepean and minister of heritage, sport and tourism, won’t be returning to cabinet.
The swearing-in ceremony for the government begins at 11:15 a.m. Friday.
Interested Ontarians can watch it on the Premier’s official YouTube channel.