Cabinet shuffle is shameless-and revealing

Once upon a time, Tories believed in lean, clean government.

- MARTIN REGG COHN

Premier Doug Ford listens to then-housing minister Steve Clark in 2023, shortly before Clark resigned from cabinet over the Greenbelt scandal. Clark is now back as house leader, overseeing a bloated cast of ministers that is just another sign of Ford's hubris, Martin Regg Cohn writes.

Now, not so much. Behold Doug Ford’s new-look cab

inet, not merely rebranded but expanded — bigger than ever before: 36 ministers of the Crown, each with a salary premium.

And yet, while in opposition a decade ago, Progressive Conservatives promised to cut the Ontario cabinet from 27 down to 16 ministers if they ever won government. The premier has now exceeded that erstwhile, worthwhile target by 20 ministers.

Six years ago, when he first came to power, Ford made a point of slashing the size of Toronto city hall from 47 to 25 councillors in his quest for greater efficiency. Now, you can comfortably fit all of city council into the historic cabinet room at Queen’s Park, while Ford’s full parade of overpaid ministers might have the fire marshal worrying about overcrowding.

How did this happen? How did the Tories overshoot from 16 ministers to 36?

Hubris. The old apoplectic Ford would be crying “hypocrisy” were he still in opposition. But six years in power does something to some people.

It makes them shameless. They drop all pretence.