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“We need to make our economy more competitive by cutting red tape, speeding up approvals to make Ontario the best place in the world to invest, create jobs and do business,” the premier said.

“The last few months and the next few years are going to challenge our friendship with the United States like we’ve never seen before,” he warned.

“Chaos and uncertainty are causing global investors to second guess investments in the American economy and if this continues, when President Trump proceeds with more tariffs, factory floors and assembly lines across the American Rust Belt will close down, causing mass layoffs.”

To signal certainty to Ontarians, Ford kept in their posts Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma, Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney, Attorney General Doug Downey and Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli, among others.

The biggest change was Paul Calandra becoming education minister to replace Jill Dunlop, who was demoted to minister of emergency preparedness.

Calandra, Ford’s Mr. Fix-It after the Greenbelt land swap scandal, had been municipal affairs and housing minister.

That key job will now be done by Rob Flack, a rising star first elected in 2022. Flack’s successor as minister of agriculture is Trevor Jones.

Amid the tariff war with Trump, Ford emphasized he wants more of a focus on resource development in his cabinet to take advantage Ontario’s wealth of critical minerals.

That’s why Energy Minister Stephen Lecce, one of his top performers, will be now also responsible for mining, which had been the purview of George Pirie, who was moved to northern economic development.

“This is going to be Canada’s moment to seize an opportunity when it comes to creating more value-added jobs, re-onshoring businesses and building and buying Canadian,” said Lecce.

Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Minister Greg Rickford also takes on responsibility for the Ring of Fire chromite mining project.

In contrast to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s lean federal cabinet, which has 24 members, the premier will continue with the largest executive council in Ontario history, with 37 ministers including himself.

There are 28 men and nine women in the provincial cabinet, and 13 ministers changed portfolios from before the election. No one was dumped, but former multiculturalism minister Michael Ford did not seek re-election.

As evidence of how closely Ford is working with Carney’s federal Liberals, who are expected to be facing voters as early as Sunday, the premier personally invited Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland to the swearing in.

“He and I have had a great relationship since we worked together during COVID — that’s when we called each other each other’s therapists,” Freeland told reporters at the museum, recalling their daily and nightly pandemic phone calls.

“It’s important for Canadians to see that we are able to work across party lines. It’s important to see a strong partnership between the federal government in Ontario,” she said, adding she had “a great cup of coffee with the premier yesterday” at his Etobicoke home.

Freeland said she is working with Ford and the other premiers — including Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston, whom she met with earlier Wednesday — on getting rid of interprovincial trade barriers.

“I never thought I would say this phrase, but … interprovincial trade has become sexy in Canada right now. Prime Minister Carney is right that we need one economy, not 13. He’s right that the best response to President Trump is for us to make ourselves stronger and more resilient,” she said.

There is only one newcomer to cabinet. Milton MPP Zee Hamid, first elected in a byelection last spring, becomes associate minister of auto theft and bail reform.

The rest of Ford’s cabinet consists of: Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa; Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho; Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister Graham McGregor; Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn; Environment Minister Todd McCarthy; Labour Minister David Piccini; Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta; Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris, Jr. (son of former premier Mike Harris); Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford; Red Tape Reduction Minister Andrea Khanjin; Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson; Seniors Minister Raymond Cho; Solicitor General Michael Kerzner; and Sports Minister Neil Lumsden.

Charmaine Williams is associate minister of women’s social and economic opportunity.

Other associate ministers are: Graydon Smith, who was demoted from being minister of natural resources, to housing; Michael Tibollo at attorney general; Sam Oosterhoff at energy; Kevin Holland at MNR; Vijay Thanigasalam at health; Nina Tangri at economic development.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles stressed “at this critical moment for Ontario, this is not the time for more of the same.”

Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said Ford “put his biggest disasters in cabinet again.”

The legislature resumes April 14 with the election of a new Speaker, followed by a speech from the throne outlining the third-term PC government’s agenda.

In the 124-member house, there are 80 Tory MPPs, 27 New Democrats, 14 Liberals, two Greens and one Independent.