Sandra Pupatello has become Ontario's minister of international trade as Premier Dalton McGuinty shuffles his cabinet to deal with a slowing economy.
Pupatello's job will be to attract job-creating investments into Ontario from around the world.
"Every time she comes back from a trip, she tells me about all the opportunities that are to be had out there. And she needs to spend more time out there," McGuinty told a news conference at Queen's Park on Thursday.
She will also sell potential investors on "the magnificent strength of our highly educated and skilled workforce," he said.
Pupatello, a Windsor MPP, had been economic development minister. Michael Bryant, former attorney general and aboriginal affairs minister, takes over responsibility for the ministry. He will remain as government house leader.
CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss said Bryant will focus on promoting growth, investment and jobs within Ontario.
Toronto MPP Brad Duguid moves from labour to aboriginal affairs, and fellow Toronto MPP and former Olympic runner Peter Fonseca moves from tourism to labour.
Monique Smith of North Bay will take over tourism. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan will take on her revenue portfolio in addition to his current responsibilities.
McGuinty last shuffled his cabinet in June. He moved George Smitherman into an energy and infrastructure "super ministry" will David Caplan took over the health portfolio.
McGuinty's freshly-configured cabinet will first face the legislature next Monday.
McGuinty has taken fire from the opposition over the province's economic performance, particularly the loss of 200,000 manufacturing jobs. They accuse the premier of not having a real plan to restore prosperity.
Bliss said the opposition is wondering, in the wake of the shuffle, how the revamped cabinet will help -- especially with those who have already lost their jobs.
Duncan said Wednesday he's worried about a prolonged slowdown rather than a recession.
Other factors
Some analysts note the province's economy has been hurt by the high value of the Canadian dollar in recent years relative to the U.S. greenback, something that has particularly hit export-oriented businesses like manufacturing and forestry.
Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Business, said Thursday that Ontario companies "under-invest" because of the province's high business taxes.
"What we need to do is make sure Ontario is a place where businesses have the strongest possible encouragement to invest, and that has a lot to do with our marginal effective tax rates on investment, which are among the highest in the world," said Martin.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Conservative MP for Whitby-Oshawa, said in late February that Ontario was "the last place" in Canada to start a business and urged the McGuinty government to cut its business taxes.
McGuinty said on March 19 that Ontario couldn't afford major business tax cuts, saying the move would force the province to close schools and hospitals.
The premier has tried to make the fairness of the federal equalization system an issue in this federal election, saying Ontario sends $20 billion more to Ottawa than it gets back.
With files from The Canadian Press
