Less than three months after being shuffled out of Ontario’s Ministry of Energy and into Education, Todd Smith has announced his resignation from Cabinet and as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Bay of Quinte. 

First elected in 2011 as an opposition MPP to then Premier Dalton McGuinty, Smith has played a number of roles in the provincial legislature. After Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives (PCs) came to power in 2018, he was first appointed Minister of Government and Consumer Services and Government House Leader. Smith would later be moved to Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Children, Community and Social Services — what some PCs have controversially dubbed the “Ministry of Tears — and Energy, before finally landing in Education.

Widely regarded as competent, Smith was often tasked with executing the more ambitious aspects of his government’s policy agenda, particularly in energy — something he referenced in his resignation letter. 

…“Over the past three years as Minister of Energy I had the honour of releasing Powering Ontario’s Growth – our plan to build the largest expansion of clean electricity generation and transmission in decades – including the first expansion of nuclear energy in a generation.”…

Internal PC sources have suggested that Smith’s sudden departure from politics was partially motivated by his shuffle out of the energy file, a role that he, as well as the stakeholders he worked with, had grown fond of. 

Being moved to Education in particular — a file the Ford government has been roundly criticized on since they took office — was also seen as a potential liability to Smith’s reputation, with one PC insider commenting that “no Conservative would be happy [in Education].” 
Smith has indicated that he will be returning to the private sector and is succeeded by Jill Dunlop, former Minister of Colleges and Universities.

This piece was originally published on pvbuzz|media.