There’s a new person in charge of holding the provincial purse strings, and it’s none other than local York—Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney.
Mulroney was appointed the president of the provincial Treasury Board as part of a cabinet shuffle that saw her hand off the role of transportation minister to Brampton South MPP, Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, on Monday Sept. 4.
“I am honoured to continue serving the people of Ontario in my new role as president of the Treasury Board. I want to thank Premier (Doug) Ford for entrusting me with this important job,” Mulroney said via email.
The Treasury Board manages the government’s fiscal plan, oversees labour relations between the government and the Ontario Public Service and broader public sector and performs internal audits among other things.
She will remain minister of francophone affairs.
While Mulroney did not provide direct answers to questions submitted to her office about the most important component of her new position, her greatest accomplishments as transportation minister or the challenges that remain on the road ahead for the Bradford Bypass, she did provide a statement.
“Our government is delivering the most ambitious capital plan in Ontario’s history. I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we’re supporting Ontario’s growing population by building critical highways, roads, and transit. We’re the only government that’s saying yes to building the Bradford Bypass, which is an important project for the people of York-Simcoe,” she said.
When it comes to the new ideas or perspectives she brings to the Treasury Board or the challenges she expects to tackle in that role, her statement continues.
“As president of the Treasury Board, I will continue to stand up for taxpayers as we build on our record of responsible and prudent fiscal management. Ontario continues to face economic and geopolitical uncertainties, which is why I’ll ensure our government makes targeted investments to support Ontarians while laying a strong fiscal foundation for future generations,” she said.
Premier Doug Ford shuffled his cabinet on the evening of Labour Day after Steve Clark sent a letter announcing his resignation as municipal affairs and housing minister that morning in the wake of two damning reports on the government’s decision to open some Greenbelt land for development.
That same morning, Clark shared the letter that he had written to Ford.
“Since the Integrity Commissioner’s report was released, I have continued to reflect on my role and my obligations to the people of Ontario,” Clark wrote in the letter he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In the letter dated Sept. 4 that Clark posted, he wrote that “as someone who has given my life to serving the people through our democratic institutions, I feel that it is my responsibility to adhere to the principles of Ministerial accountability” by resigning as minister of municipal affairs and housing.
Paul Calandra takes on Clark's role. The former federal MP has stepped into politically challenging roles for Ford before, including the long-term care portfolio after the sector was devastated during the pandemic.
With files from Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton, The Trillium
