York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney stepping down from Ford’s cabinet next month

Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leadership candidate Caroline Mulroney appears at a event in Toronto on Monday, February 5, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

Ontario Treasury Board President and Francophone Affairs Minister Caroline Mulroney says she is stepping down from cabinet and will resign as the MPP for York-Simcoe next month, ending eight years in provincial politics.

In a letter shared to social media Monday, Mulroney said the decision came after major personal milestones, including the death of her father, former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, two years ago and becoming an empty nester with her husband Andrew.

“Serving as your Member of Provincial Parliament for York-Simcoe and as a member of the Ontario government for the past eight years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” she wrote, adding that she is “genuinely excited” for the next chapter.

Mulroney said that she informed the premier of her decision on Sunday and will resign on Fri., June 5.

She was first elected in 2018 as the MPP for York-Simcoe and held several positions under Premier Doug Ford, including attorney general, transportation minister, president of the Treasury Board and minister of Francophone affairs.

Ford complemented Mulroney’s “calm and steady leadership” on X Monday, highlighting her role in securing funding for major public transit expansion projects, maintaining fiscal policies and supporting Ontario’s Francophone community.

“Caroline is more than a colleague: she is a close personal friend,” Ford said in a statement. “I will miss seeing her sitting across from me at the Cabinet table and in caucus meetings,” adding, “politics is in Caroline’s blood.”

“We are deeply saddened by the departure of Minister Caroline Mulroney, although we fully understand her personal decision. She has been an outstanding Minister of Francophone Affairs since 2018,” added Dominic Giroux, president and CEO of Montfort, Ontario’s Francophone academic hospital. “We want her to know that she is always at home at Montfort.”

Ford also confirmed Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy will fill in on an “interim basis” as Treasury Board president after Mulroney’s departure next month.