Cabinet clues
Speaker scoop
ABOVE THE FOLD
Queen’s Park will be a flurry of action today as front-benchers and party leaders take their oaths. Unlike this newsletter is about to do, DOUG FORD didn’t give away any major hints at his impromptu scrum at the Leg yesterday — but he did hold forth on a smorgasbord of other issues. Before we dig in: I’ve got another scoop on the Speaker’s race.
First in Observer — JENNIFER FRENCH is gunning for Speaker. Behind closed doors, the longtime NDP rep for Oshawa has been lobbying her fellow MPPs in the hopes of winning their vote for Speaker, a.k.a. the referee of the Legislature.
French, who has served as Deputy Speaker, was also a teacher — so her days in the classroom may make her well suited to keeping raucous MPPs under control during Question Period and debates.
The vote for Speaker is a free-for-all: It’s pretty much the only secret ballot in the House, which made for a dramatic affair in the last round. MPPs do not need to vote along party lines and it’s relatively tricky to whip this vote — but that didn’t stop the NDP from accusing the PCs of pushing their own pick for Speaker at the time.
Numbers-wise, the Speaker’s race could come down to Opposition and rural MPPs.
French is expected to face off with at least one Tory contender: DONNA SKELLY (Flamborough-Glanbrook), who sources tell me has also quietly been making calls and campaigning for the gig. Skelly was also a Deputy Speaker and is a former broadcast journalist — so she knows a thing or two about herding rowdy politicians.
Either way: Staffers on all sides of the aisle are stoked about the prospect of a woman in the Speaker’s seat for the first time.
As for today’s Cabinet-swearing in and shuffle: Don’t expect any major shakeups, sources tell me. As I suggested yesterday, Ford campaigned as the steady hand during uncertain times, so it wouldn’t exactly be the best optics if he rejigged the most crucial files like Finance and Energy.
At Tuesday’s presser, he was more cagey than he’s been in the past, when he’s said he doesn’t believe he’ll pare down his 36-member executive council, the biggest-ever in provincial history. Asked yesterday if there will be any major moves, the Premier would only say he’s “blessed” with “the best caucus, the best cabinet.”
He did, however, shoot down the notion of a standalone tariff-fighting minister, saying he’ll head up that file himself along with relevant ministers such as Trade. (What’s the over/under on us getting a peek at their mandate letters?)
Speaking of tariffs…