Cabinet shuffle doesn't surprise local MPP
By Bill Rea

Premier Dalton McGuinty promoted 10 new people to the cabinet he unveiled last week, and shifted the responsibilities of a couple of his veteran ministers.

Even York-Simcoe MPP Julia Munro, who is watching the new group of ministers from the opposition benches, credited the premier with trying to strike a balance between old and new. But she added she wasn't particularly impressed with size of the cabinet. She pointed out former premier Mike Harris was able to run the province with 10 fewer ministers.

"The cabinet has certainly grown significantly," she said.

Munro seemed ready to pull her punches when it came to criticizing the cabinet, observing it's easy to be an "arm-chair quarterback."

But she did ask if citizens of Ontario have better access to services, or just more bureaucracy to get through with a bigger cabinet. Some of the appointments made sense to Munro. She said she understood why Madeleine Meilleur was kept in the Community and Social Services portfolio.

John Gerretsen's move from Municipal Affairs to the Environment also made sense, since so many municipal issues are involving the environment these days. She added his municipal experience should come in handy.

Some might view Michael Bryant's move from Attorney General to Aboriginal Affairs as a demotion, but Munro wasn't sure about that. She pointed to the ongoing situation in Caledonia, as well as other issues.

"I think there's a real need to get serious about what the government's role is," she said, adding it could be an opportunity for Bryant to "carve a new direction and provide leadership in a badly needed area."

Munro added her position in the opposition benches for the new legislature hasn't been determined yet. She's still critic for community and social services, but she expects that will change in the next week or so.