| Cabinet Name: | Rae ministry |
| Cabinet Type: | ministry |
| Cabinet Number: | 21th |
| Jurisdiction: | Ontario |
| Flag: | Flag of Ontario.svg |
| Flag Border: | true |
| Government Head Title: | Premier |
| Government Head: | Bob Rae |
| Deputy Government Head Title: | Deputy Premier |
| Deputy Government Head: | |
| State Head Title: | Monarch |
| State Head: | |
| Represented By Title: | Lieutenant Governor |
| Represented By: |
|
| Political Party: | NDP |
| Opposition Party: | Liberal |
| Opposition Leader: |
|
| Election: | 2003 |
| Legislature Status: |
|
| Incoming Formation: | 1990 Ontario general election |
| Outgoing Formation: | 1995 Ontario general election |
| Predecessor: | Peterson ministry |
| Successor: | Harris ministry |
The Rae Ministry is the name given to the Executive Council of Ontario under the leadership of Bob Rae, the 21st premier and president of the executive council.
The Executive Council (commonly known as the cabinet) was made up of members of the Ontario New Democratic Party which held a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The cabinet was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on the advice of the premier. Members of the council are styled "the Honourable" only for the duration of their membership, not for life.
Rae assembled a cabinet of 26 ministers, which was sworn in October 1, 1990. None of the newly appointed cabinet ministers had any ministerial experience; this was the second time such a situation occurred in recent history, as the Peterson ministry was also initially composed entirely of novices when it formed five years previously.
High-profile portfolios went to Marion Boyd (as Minister of Education), Evelyn Gigantes (as Minister of Health), Howard Hampton (as Attorney General), Frances Lankin (as Chair of Management Board of Cabinet and Minister of Government Services), Floyd Laughren (as Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister of Economics), Bob Mackenzie (as Minister of Labour), and Allan Pilkey (as Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology).
Eleven of the newly appointed cabinet ministers were women, several of whom were appointed to high-profile portfolios, such as the aforementioned Boyd, Gigantes, and Lankin, as well as Shelley Martel (appointed House Leader) and Shirley Coppen (as Chief Whip). Anne Swarbrick was appointed Minister Responsible for Women's Issues.
There were 28 portfolios at the beginning of the Rae ministry (including the Premiership). There was only one instance of ministerial portfolio reorganisation as Rae took over from Peterson:
Four cabinet members were appointed to multiple portfolios: Premier Rae himself (Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs), Richard Allen (Ministry of Skills Development and Ministry of Colleges and Universities), Peter Kormos (Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations and "Minister of Financial Institutions"), and Frances Lankin (see above). Meanwhile, there were two ministers without portfolios: the aforementioned Shirley Coppen and Anne Swarbrick.
The first big change to come to the Rae ministry was the departure of Peter Kormos as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations and Minister of Financial Institutions on April 18, 1991, just past the six month mark of the mandate. Kormos had been tasked to implement a public auto insurance system, one of the promises of the recent election campaign, but partly because Kormos was such a disruptive presence in the ministry,[1] [2] and partly because the party would soon abandon that promise, Kormos was dismissed from the ministry. He was succeeded at Consumer and Commercial Relations by Marilyn Churley and at Financial Institutions by Brian Charlton, both newly appointed cabinet ministers. Kormos would be a strong critic of his former ministry moving forward.
A month later, on April 18, 1991, Evelyn Gigantes became the second high-profile departure,[3] stepping down after violating the confidentiality of an Ontarian seeking treatment outside of Canada. She was replaced as Minister of Health by Frances Lankin, who surrendered her Ministry of Government Services portfolio to newly appointed cabinet minister Fred Wilson.
A small shuffle occurred July 31, 1991, involving six established cabinet members, most notably Ed Philip, who took over as Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology. There were also three newly appointed cabinet ministers, most notably future leadership candidate Tony Silipo, who was assigned to Chair of the Management Board); these three newcomers filled the vacancies left by three dismissed cabinet members.
There were two instances of ministerial portfolio reorganisation:
There were still 28 portfolios in the Rae Ministry at this point, but the membership had swelled to 28 cabinet members (the highest number of cabinet members in the duration of the ministry). Premier Rae (Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs) and Richard Allen (Ministry of Skills Development and Ministry of Colleges and Universities) were now the only cabinet members to helm multiple portfolios at this point; Shirley Coppen and Anne Swarbrick remained the only ministers without portfolios.
Alas, in the months to come, more members were step down: Zanana Akande[4] [5] resigned in a conflict of interest scandal October 10, 1991; newly appointed cabinet minister William Ferguson resigned February 12, 1992 from his post a Minister of Energy from her post as Minister of Community and Social Services amid allegations of having committed a sexual assault while working as a correctional officer at a girl's reform school in the 1970s[6] (he was later acquitted); and Peter North resigned on November 13, 1992 from his post as Minister of Tourism and Recreation amid allegations of having offered a job to a person he was hoping to start a relatiosnjhip with .[7] In each instance, the vacated portfolio was handed over to an established cabinet minister, sometimes involving a minor shuffling of cabinet; thus would Tony Silipo, Ed Philip, and Dave Cooke join Premier Rae in helming multiple portfolios.
The February 3, 1993 cabinet shuffle saw no newly appointed cabinet ministers join the ministry, though David Christopherson had joined a few months earlier (September 23, 1992) as Minister of Correctional Services, in a move in which that portfolio had been briefly separated from the position of Solicitor General.
High-profile changes include Marion Boyd taking over as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (as the portfolio was renamed; Boyd was the first and last to hold the position who wasn't a lawyer) and Ruth Grier taking over as Minister of Health. Dave Cooke, Frances Lankin, and Brian Charlton also received important new assignments (see below).
There were several instances of ministerial portfolio reorganisation:
With the ministry slimmed to only 21 portfolios (including the Premiership), Premier Rae still kept the number of cabinet members at 25 because he carried five ministers without portfolios at this point in his ministry: Richard Allen, Shirley Coppen, Karen Haslam, Allan Pilkey, Fred Wilson; a few months after the shuffle, Mike Farnan returned to cabinet as minister without portfolio (June 17, 1993), replacing a departing Karen Haslam; he would be the last person to join the Rae ministry. Premier Rae held the Premiership as well as the position of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
By the time the 1995 Ontario general election was held June 8, 1995, there were only 22 cabinet members in the Rae ministry. Bob Mackenzie had left October 20, 1994 from the vital portfolio of Minister of Labour, a position he had held for the duration of the ministry; Evelyn Gigantes and Shelley Martel were also late departures. Each of their portfolios were taken over by an established cabinet minister without portfolios (Shirley Coppen, Mike Farnan, and Richard Allen; thus going into the election the last remaining ministers without portfolios were Allan Pilkey and Fred Wilson.
Only eleven cabinet members held their seats (including three of the contestants of the soon to be conducted 1996 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election, Tony Silipo, Frances Lankin, and the winner of that contest, Howard Hampton) and the NDP caucus shrank from 74 to 17.
33 people served in the Rae ministry. Eighteen served for the duration, including Elmer Buchanan (as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), Floyd Laughren (as Treasurer/Minister of Finance, and Elaine Ziemba (as Minister of Citizenship) who served in the same position for the duration, while Marilyn Churley (as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Shelley Martel (as Minister of Northern Development (and later mines) and Bob Mackenzie (as Minister of Labour) both accumulated over four years in their positions.
Thirteen were women. Marion Boyd (as Minister of Education) and Attorney General) and Frances Lankin (as Minister of Health and Minister of Economic Development and Trade) were the standouts.
Zanana Akande was the only person of colour to serve; she was Minister of Community and Social Services from October 1, 1990 to October 10, 1991. She was the first woman of the African Diaspora to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada at any level, and the first such person elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. After she stepped down, the Rae ministry was all-white; June 25, 1995 was the last date that Ontario had an all-white ministry.
Everyone who served in the cabinet was culturally Christian; this was the last time Ontario had an all-Christian ministry. Bob Rae has strong family ties to the Jewish faith (including a Jewish wife, Arlene Perly Rae), and he is a member of Holy Blossom Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in Toronto,[8] but he was raised Anglican and has never formally converted to Judaism.
The Rae ministry began with 26 cabinet members and ended with 22; it began with 27 portfolios and ended with 21. It is unusual for ministries to shrink in size in either respect.
| Minister | Tenure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| Premier of Ontario | Bob Rae[9] | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Deputy Premier of Ontario | Floyd Laughren[10] | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 | |
| House Leader | Shelley Martel[11] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 | |
| Dave Cooke[12] | July 31, 1991 | April 28, 1995 | ||
| Chief Whip | Shirley Coppen[13] | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Fred Wilson[14] | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | ||
| Minister | Tenure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||
| Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Frances Lankin[15] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Tony Silipo[16] | July 31, 1991 | September 23, 1992 | |
| Dave Cooke | September 23, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Brian Charlton[17] | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | Elmer Buchanan[18] | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Attorney General | Howard Hampton[19] | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| Marion Boyd[20] | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Citizenship | Elaine Ziemba[21] | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Ministry of Colleges and Universities | Richard Allen[22] | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| merged with Education and Training | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Community and Social Services | Zanana Akande[23] | October 1, 1990 | October 10, 1991 |
| Marion Boyd | October 15, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Tony Silipo | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations | Peter Kormos[24] | October 1, 1990 | March 18, 1991 |
| Marilyn Churley[25] | March 18, 1991 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Culture and Communication | Rosario Marchese[26] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Karen Haslam[27] | July 31, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| merged with Tourism and Recreation | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Education | Marion Boyd | October 1, 1990 | October 15, 1991 |
| Tony Silipo | October 15, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Dave Cooke | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Energy | Jenny Carter[28] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Will Ferguson[29] | July 31, 1991 | February 13, 1992 | |
| Brian Charlton | February 13, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | |
| merged with Environment | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of the Environment | Ruth Grier[30] | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| merged with Energy | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Bud Wildman[31] | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Finance | Floyd Laughren | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Minister of Financial Institutions | Peter Kormos | October 1, 1990 | March 18, 1991 |
| Brian Charlton | March 18, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| merged with Chair of Management Board | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Government Services | Frances Lankin | October 1, 1990 | April 22, 1991 |
| Fred Wilson | April 22, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| merged with Chair of Management Board | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Health | Evelyn Gigantes[32] | October 1, 1990 | April 18, 1991 |
| Frances Lankin | April 22, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Ruth Grier | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs | Bob Rae | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology | Allan Pilkey[33] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Ed Philip[34] | July 31, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Frances Lankin | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Labour | Bob Mackenzie[35] | October 1, 1990 | October 20, 1994 |
| Shirley Coppen | October 20, 1994 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing | Dave Cooke | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Minister of Municipal Affairs | merged with Housing | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Dave Cooke | July 31, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Ed Philip | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Housing | merged with Municipal Affairs | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Evelyn Gigantes | July 31, 1991 | August 18, 1994 | |
| Richard Allen | August 22, 1994 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Natural Resources | Bud Wildman | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| Howard Hampton | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Northern Development | Shelley Martel | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| merged with Mines | July 31, 1991 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Mines | Gilles Pouliot[36] | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| merged with Northern Development | July 31, 1991 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Northern Development and Mines | Shelley Martel | July 31, 1991 | October 7, 1994 |
| Gilles Pouliot | October 7, 1994 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister Responsible for Disabled Persons | Elaine Ziemba | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs | Gilles Pouliot | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Minister Responsible for Native Affairs | Bud Wildman | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| Howard Hampton | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister Responsible for Seniors | Elaine Ziemba | October 1, 1990 | June 25, 1995 |
| Minister Responsible for Women's Issues | Anne Swarbrick[37] | October 1, 1990 | September 11, 1991 |
| Marion Boyd | September 11, 1991 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Revenue | Shelley Wark-Martyn[38] | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| merged with Finance | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Ministry of Skills Development | Richard Allen | October 1, 1990 | February 3, 1993 |
| merged with Colleges and Universities | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Tourism and Recreation | Peter North[39] | October 1, 1990 | November 13, 1992 |
| Ed Philip | November 13, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | |
| Anne Swarbrick | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Minister of Transportation | Ed Philip | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Gilles Pouliot | July 31, 1991 | October 21, 1994 | |
| Mike Farnan[40] | October 21, 1994 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Ministers Without Portfolios | Shirley Coppen | October 1, 1990 | October 21, 1994 |
| Anne Swarbrick | October 1, 1990 | September 11, 1991 | |
| Richard Allen | February 3, 1993 | August 18, 1994 | |
| Karen Haslam | February 3, 1993 | June 14, 1993 | |
| Allan Pilkey | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Fred Wilson | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |
| Mike Farnan | June 17, 1993 | October 21, 1994 | |
| Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services | Mike Farnan | October 1, 1990 | July 31, 1991 |
| Allan Pilkey | July 31, 1991 | September 23, 1992 | |
| Allan Pilkey (only Solicitor General) | September 23, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | |
| David Christopherson[41] (only Correctional Services) | September 23, 1992 | February 3, 1993 | |
| David Christopherson | February 3, 1993 | June 25, 1995 | |