A year into her first term in office, Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop has received a big promotion.
During Premier Doug Ford’s shuffle of his Progressive Conservative cabinet Thursday, Dunlop was named associate minister of children and women’s issues.
She received a call Tuesday morning, informing her she had been selected to serve as an associate minister; she just didn’t know what ministry she’d be leading.
When she was told she’d be at the helm of children and women’s issues — an arm of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services — she was “honoured.”
“I’m thrilled,” Dunlop told OrilliaMatters. “As a woman and a mom, I think it’s perfect.”
She couldn’t say specifically what her priorities would be, as she hadn’t been briefed or met with staff. That meeting was to take place later Thursday afternoon.
“To actually get in there and see how we can focus on moving forward with that specific part (children and women’s issues) will be interesting,” she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting with the team to be briefed on everything they’re working on.”
Dunlop is among a few backbenchers who were promoted during the shuffle, which saw cabinet increase from 21 to 28 ministers and associate ministers.
The growth of Ford’s cabinet comes at a time when the government is looking to amalgamate agencies such as health units, and after the premier ordered Toronto city council to cut the number of councillors. However, Dunlop does not see the increase in the size of cabinet as contradictory to those other moves.
“When we came into power last year, we reduced the size of cabinet significantly and reduced the number of ministries,” she said, adding the changes announced Thursday put additional focus on areas that deserve more attention.
A number of high-profile ministers were demoted during the shuffle, including Vic Fedeli (finance), Lisa Thompson (education) and Lisa MacLeod (children, community and social services), but Dunlop said those changes are “not at all” reflective of a poor job performance on their part.
“I’m sure it’s just strategic,” she said. “It’s typical of governments to shuffle cabinet.”
