Todd Smith resigns as MPP and Ontario education minister
Ontario Education Minister Todd Smith has announced that he is resigning “effective immediately.”
In a statement posted to social media on Friday morning, the Bay of Quinte MPP said that he has made the “very difficult” decision to leave politics to accept a position in the private sector.
“I have spoken to Premier Ford and let him know that I am resigning my seat and stepping down from my cabinet duties effective immediately and that I will not be seeking re-election,” he wrote. “I also want to thank Premier Ford for the opportunity to serve in his cabinet for more than six years and for entrusting me with a number of important files.”
Smith served as Ontario’s energy minister for three years before taking over the education portfolio following a cabinet shuffle in June.
He was active in that role as recently as yesterday when he announced a new funding formula for childcare operators that would cap the daily fee that parents pay at $22 as of January.
In his statement, Smith did not elaborate on his reasons for leaving politics but did concede that “the life of a politician is hard and takes its toll” while thanking his family for their support.
“Especially when I was away from home as often as I have been over the past 13 years. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system at home,” he said.
Smith was first elected as an MPP in 2011.
His resignation on Friday comes just a few weeks before Ontario’s public school students head back to school.
“He leaves politics with a record that he can be incredibly proud of, including and especially fixing the previous government’s energy policies and bringing electricity prices down for hardworking families and businesses,” Premier Doug Ford said in a message posted to social media on Friday. “Todd will always be a friend and I can’t wait to watch his every success as he starts this next chapter of his life.”
At this point it is not clear when a new education minister will be named.
Speaking with CP24 on Friday, CTV political analyst Scott Reid said that Ford will want to have someone in place as soon as possible given the significance of the portfolio.
As for Smith’s departure, Reid called it “dramatically sudden.”
“Yesterday Todd Smith as education minister was out making an announcement about childcare, he has only been in the portfolio for two months so obviously whatever has come about in terms of that job opportunity has arisen just in that crease of a couple months since then,” he said., “It is definitely sudden and it is also significant. There are four big ministers in any provincial government – finance, health, education and energy. Todd has held two of those.”
