With about a year left before a provincial election, Premier Doug Ford is shuffling his cabinet to replace MPPs who have resigned, those that aren’t running again, and changing the roles of others.
Of particular note, current Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Ernie Hardeman has been replaced by MPP Lisa Thompson, who represents Huron-Bruce.
Thompson is currently Minister of Government and Consumer Services, and has been an MPP since 2011.
A long-time proponent of agriculture, Thompson was speculated to be a front-runner to be named to the agriculture file in 2018. Instead, it was Hardeman who has fulfilled the role as minister of OMAFRA since 2018.
In past parliaments, Thompson has served as critic of Environment and Climate Change, Environment and Cap-and-Trade, and Green Energy Act.
More to come…