Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott is Ontario’s new Minister of Labour.
Scott was sworn into the position at a public ceremony earlier today (June 29) at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
The Kinmount native was re-elected to Queen’s Park for the fifth time this year, having previously served as the official opposition critic for community safety and women’s issues.
Prior to entering politics, she worked as a registered nurse, including at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. Her late father was a local federal MP for 28 years.
Scott is one of seven women in the 21-member Cabinet.
While not appointed to Cabinet, rookie Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini was named Parliamentary Assistant to Merrilee Fullerton, the new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and the MPP for Kanata-Carleton.
The other two MPPs for the Kawarthas — Hastings, Lennox and Addington MPP Daryl Kramp and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith — will be backbenchers.
This is a significant change for Peterborough-Kawartha, which has had an MPP in Cabinet for the past five years, with former Liberal MPP Jeff Leal serving most recently as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Minister Responsible for Small Business.
Premier Ford’s new leaner Cabinet means that several ministries have merged and changed names.
For example, the former Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is now Environment, Conservation, and Parks. It is unclear whether “Parks” refer to Ontario provincial parks and protected areas, which are currently the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek was named the new Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, which has a large office located in downtown Peterborough.
