Stephen Lecce is out as education minister in a major shuffle of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet.
Lecce, who has served in the role since 2019, will now serve as energy and electrification minister in a swap with Todd Smith.
“It’s been a singular honour to serve the two million children in Ontario’s publicly-funded schools,” Lecce told reporters after the announcement was made. “My new mandate is about bringing that energy into a new ministry and helping to ensure that we can build an infrastructure, the largest infrastructure program in Ontario and Canadian history, but we have to have the energy to do it.”
Other highlights of the shuffle include the introduction of former housing minister Steve Clark as government house leader. Clark resigned from his cabinet position in September amid the fallout of the Greenbelt land swap scandal.
Key members of Ford’s cabinet, including Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra, remain in place.
The shuffle came on the same day the legislature rose for an extended summer break.
ome ministries, such as the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, have been split in two and others have been renamed.
Stan Cho is being moved off the long-term care file and will now serve as minister of tourism. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, a registered nurse, will take his place.
Mike Harris, son of the former premier of the same name, becomes the new minister of red tape reduction.
A number of new associate minister positions were also created and bring the size of Ford’s new cabinet to 36.
The province confirmed earlier in the day that legislators will return to Queen’s Park on Oct. 21.