Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin is moving on up.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced changes to his cabinet Friday, including naming the local politician as minister of the environment, conservation and parks.
Khanjin replaces David Piccini as environment minister. He now heads up the Ministry of Labour.
She was also involved in a Labour Day shuffle, getting an expanded role as deputy government house leader.
Khanjin was first elected in 2018 in the riding of Barrie-Innisfil, where she received 22,121 votes, and defeated the Liberal incumbent by more than 16,000 votes. She was re-elected in the 2022 Ontario general election, garnering 18,225 total votes.
Khanjin has held several roles during her tenure, ranging from parliamentary assistant to the minister of the environment, conservation and parks (June 29, 2018 to June 1, 2022), deputy government house leader (Feb. 11, 2020 to May 3, 2022), parliamentary assistant to the minister of intergovernmental affairs (June 29, 2022 to Sept. 22, 2023), deputy government whip (June 30, 2022 to Sept. 22, 2023) and deputy government house leader (June 30, 2022 to present), a role she will retain in addition to her new portfolio.
Khanjin told BarrieToday she is grateful for the premier’s faith in her with such a high-profile portfolio.
“It reminded me how grateful I am for the privilege to serve as the MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. I wouldn't be able to be a minister if it weren’t for the people of Barrie and Innisfil who first put their trust in me to serve as their member of provincial parliament," she said.
“The environment touches so many parts of not just our province, but (also) people’s lives, and I am just really looking forward to leaning in on the file and being able to not only help progress our economy, but also help people with what they sometimes feel is out of reach for them ... and ensure we continue to have a beautiful province to live in,” Khanjin added.
“Our government’s approach to the environment has been an approach that doesn’t come at the cost of the cost of living. I think we’ve been able to show we can have an environmental policy that is not a tax policy and doesn’t put the burden of a carbon tax on Ontarians when they can’t afford the skyrocketing prices.”
Khanjin said she is excited to be back at the Ministry of Environment, having served as a parliamentary assistant for nearly four years.
“I was able to see different parts of the province, see different provincial parks and see how our government is building on creating a great environment, but not at the cost of our economy. Our government has proven over the last five years that we are able to balance both, all while listening to the people," she said.
"We understand there are a lot of pressures in our economy -- the cost of living, people who can’t put a roof over their heads -- and those things are just as important as ensuring we are growing our green space," the MPP added.
Locally, Khanjin said she is looking forward to building on the positive work that’s already been done concerning Lake Simcoe.
“We have had some positive effects on the state of the lake in terms of bringing back the coldwater fishery which has been great, and really ensuring we are doing what we can to keep Lake Simcoe in good condition for future generations,” she said.
“It’s something that attracts a lot of people to live and work in Simcoe County and certainly that’s going to build on our efforts there,” Khanjin said, adding she’s excited to continue the work on the creation of the phosphorus treatment plant and working with Holland Marsh farmers and other partners moving forward.
The new portfolio, she acknowledged, won’t come without its challenges, but noted a big part will be building on the legacy that her government has already set out.
“We have announced a new park, more green space …We are really good at ensuring we build a strong economy and we can marry that with a strong environment at the same time.”
Khanjin is already busy bringing herself up to speed on the file, telling BarrieToday she officially started the new role Friday and would spend a large part of the weekend in briefings -- in between attending several local events she’d committed to prior to Fridays’ announcement.
“Monday, the legislature goes back, so that will be the first in-session day of the job, but the job has started as soon as I got sworn in by the premier and lieutenant governor.”
This now makes four Simcoe County politicians to hold key positions within the Ford government: Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey serves as the attorney general, Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop hold the role of minister of colleges and universities, and York-Simcoe’s Caroline Mulroney, who was appointed the president of the provincial Treasury Board earlier this month.
“As a government, we always function as a team, no matter what our roles are. It’s nice to be recognized at the local level and I think it’s great for the region. It just speaks volumes about how we all work as a team,” said Khanjin.
In a Sept. 22 social media post, Downey congratulated his colleague on what he called a “well-deserved appointment.”
“She’s passionate about her community and province — I know first-hand that she will do excellent work in her new role,” he said.
