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Green Party of Ontario Leader, Mike Schreiner, issued the following statement on the swearing-in of Premier Ford:
“Congratulations on being sworn in as 26th Premier of Ontario and to your cabinet ministers who will be stepping into important positions of responsibility. I am ready to work with you across party lines to build Ontario up in a way that protects the people and places we love.
I look forward to finding common ground with you and your caucus, while holding you accountable on issues that my constituents in Guelph and people across Ontario care deeply about.
This includes showing leadership on climate change with a real plan to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, create jobs in the clean economy and help people and businesses save money by saving energy. I hope your decision to remove ‘climate change’ from the Ministry of the Environment is not an indication of your commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
I hope you will also agree that strengthening our relationships with First Nation, Metis and Inuit people is critical for our province and country. I am concerned that your decision to assign the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs to a Cabinet member responsible for other ministries could divert attention away from achieving true reconciliation.
While your cabinet brings together many accomplished individuals, it is notable for its lack of diversity. There is only one member from a visible minority group, which is in stark comparison to the four million Ontarians who identify as such.
All governments should strive for gender parity, so it is unfortunate that just 7 of of the 21 ministers named today are women. This is made more troubling by the fact that you have have reduced the Ministry of the Status of Women to a non-portfolio responsibility and unnecessarily changed the name to Women’s Issues.
I believe that, together, all MPPs at Queen’s Park can cooperate on sensible solutions that will benefit families, our economy, and our irreplaceable natural environment. I look forward to working with you and holding you accountable in the years ahead.”