Conservative strategists expect status quo cabinet from re-elected Ford government

Shawn Jeffords · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Premier Doug Ford's caller furniture volition beryllium sworn successful Wednesday, and immoderate blimpish strategists expect acquainted ministers to beryllium sitting astir that array arsenic the re-elected Progressive Conservatives effort to task stableness successful the look of U.S. tariffs. 

Ford told reporters connected Tuesday that his furniture volition bespeak what helium heard from the radical of the state during the drawback predetermination past month. They expect him to support pushing backmost against the tariffs but besides beryllium acceptable to supply targeted alleviation for businesses and workers if necessary, helium said.

"I person to marque definite I enactment the due furniture ministers successful based connected the mandate we received from the people," Ford said. 

The premier's PCs won their 3rd consecutive bulk authorities connected Feb. 27. Members of provincial parliament are being sworn successful this week astatine Queen's Park and furniture members volition instrumentality their oaths during a 90-minute ceremonial astatine the Royal Ontario Museum. 

Headed into the election, Ford had 1 of the largest cabinets successful the past of the state with 37 members. Conservative strategists accidental they're not expecting immoderate melodramatic changes to its constitution and that the premier volition apt instrumentality galore of his cardinal ministers to their portfolios.

"We person to admit that helium ran fundamentally connected a connection of presumption quo and dependable arsenic she goes. That makes maine consciousness that we're not going to spot that galore changes successful cabinet," said Laryssa Waler, laminitis of Henley Strategies.

WATCH | Ford, LeBlanc hopeful aft U.S. tariff talks but Trump says helium won't bend:

Waler, who is besides a erstwhile spokesperson for Ford, said it takes clip to physique relationships with stakeholders successful immoderate of the biggest furniture portfolios. And with the uncertainty created by U.S. President Donald Trump, present whitethorn not beryllium the close time to name idiosyncratic caller to an important post, she said.

"For a caller curate to presume a file, it takes a agelong time," she said. "That's wherefore you usually don't spot idiosyncratic ascending from the backbench close into 1 of the apical ministries, due to the fact that determination is specified a learning curve."

Conservative strategist Shakir Chambers said helium besides expects Ford to instrumentality with the squad helium had up of the election. It's not conscionable ministers who necessitate clip to get up to speed, it's besides their teams, helium said.

"Ministers are lone arsenic bully arsenic their staff," said Chambers, a vice president astatine the Oyster Group. "These folks are going to instrumentality rather a portion not lone to cognize their files, but to physique relationships with the authorities officials and the bureaucrats."

"I deliberation it's conscionable that downstream effect of really shuffling important portfolios that volition origin longer-term headaches for the government," helium added.

Important to combat tariffs, but awesome provincial focus

Loyalist Strategies founding spouse Dan Mader said nary substance who ends up successful what chairs astatine the furniture table, helium expects Ford volition proceed to instrumentality the pb connected the commercialized war. With that successful mind, he'll privation to support his apical fiscal ministers — Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli — in their portfolios, Mader said. 

Mader expects Stephen Lecce volition stay vigor curate successful airy of that position's value to the tariff fight.

"A immense magnitude of it's going to travel retired of the premier and his office," helium said.

But Mader said it volition besides beryllium important for Ford's furniture picks to awesome that they haven't taken their absorption disconnected issues astatine home.

"They're doing a batch of things," helium said. "The prime of our schools continues to beryllium hugely important, having a reliable vigor supply, building retired much transit infrastructure, much transport infrastructure, these are truly important things to the radical of Ontario."

NDP Leader Marit Stiles, who volition erstwhile again beryllium person of the Official Opposition, criticised Ford for the size of his erstwhile cabinet. She said successful the past helium has utilized it to springiness his MPPs a raise, with ministers making arsenic overmuch arsenic $50,000 much with a furniture post.

"Doug Ford has tried his champion to springiness his ain MPPs a benignant of sneaky rise by creating each of these furniture positions and parliamentary adjunct positions," she said.

"And let's not forget, it's not conscionable astir the wealth they make, it's astir the squad astir them. That's a batch of Ontario payer dollars being spent to prop up those MPPs, truthful I person concerns."

The Ontario legislature is acceptable to resume connected April 14, with a throne code from the Ford authorities expected the adjacent day.