Premier Doug Ford announced a number of changes to his cabinet on Monday following Steve Clark’s sudden resignation from his long-held housing minister role.
Paul Calandra, who formerly served as Minister of Long-Term Care, will assume the role of Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing going forward, according to a press release from the province.
As well, Rob Flack will step into the role of Associate Minister of Housing “with a specific mandate on attainable housing and modular homes.” He will report to Calandra.
Monday’s release also specifies the appointments of Stan Cho to Minister of Long-Term Care, Prabmeet Sarkaria to Minister of Transportation, Todd McCarthy to Associate Minister of Transportation, Nina Tangri to Associate Minister of Small Business, and Caroline Mulroney to President of the Treasury Board,
While Calandra will continue to serve as Government House Leader, Andrea Khanjin will be stepping into an “expanded role and will assume additional responsibilities as Deputy Government House Leader,” says the Province.
All other ministers will maintain their existing portfolios.
“As our province’s population and economy grow, it’s never been more important for us to build Ontario,” said Ford on Monday. “As we continue to attract billions of dollars in new investments to create better jobs with bigger paycheques, we have the right team in place to get it done. We’ll never stop working on behalf of the people of Ontario to build the homes, highways, and public transit our growing communities need.”
Ford’s cabinet shake-up closely follows a slew of bad press for the province. Most recently, a report from Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner made public on Wednesday found that Clark violated multiple sections of the Members' Integrity Act during the Greenbelt land selection process, and called for the MPP to be reprimanded.
In the immediate aftermath of the report, Clark seemed unwilling to step down from his post, however, things took a turn yesterday morning. In a letter addressed to Ford and also shared on Clark’s Twitter account, the MPP confirmed his resignation from his position as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
"Although my initial thought was that I could stay in this role and establish a proper process so that these mistakes don't happen again, I realize that my presence will only cause a further distraction from the important work that needs to be done and that I need to take accountability for what has transpired," wrote Clark, who also confirmed that he will stay on as the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
