Vaughan Liberal MPP to drive transportation file as first-time minister

YorkRegion.com
June 26, 2014
Adam Martin-Robbins

Vaughan Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca has been at Queen’s Park less than two years, but his political career is already on the fast track.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced Tuesday that Del Duca will serve as the province’s next Transportation Minister.

“It’s been a great number of days now,” the 40-year-old Woodbridge resident said in an interview Tuesday. “Obviously, on June 12, with the overwhelming mandate that I was given by the people of our community, which was very humbling. And then to learn, within the last 24 hours, that I was going to be given the opportunity to serve as Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, it has just been a very gratifying, very humbling, very overwhelming 24 hours.”

Del Duca was first elected in a September 2012 byelection and was appointed parliamentary assistant to the finance minster two months later.

He followed that up with a resounding win over Progressive  Conservative candidate Peter Meffe in the general election two weeks ago that saw the Liberals form a majority government.

In his new role, Del Duca will be responsible for driving his party’s plan for a $15-billion transit investment in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, as well as the $14 billion in new transportation infrastructure in the rest of Ontario.

“I’m really delighted to have the opportunity to serve our government, to serve the people of Ontario, to make sure that we get the positive results that I’ve managed to deliver for Vaughan spread right across this province on the transportation and transit file,” he said. “As the premier said in her remarks today (Tuesday), during the swearing in ceremony, this is at the very heart of our government’s ambitious agenda to make sure that the province moves forward, that the economy of the province continues to move forward.”

Del Duca’s appointment was part of a major cabinet shuffle that saw other York Region representatives land important portfolios.

Research and Innovation Minister Reza Moridi, who represents Richmond Hill, will now also run Training, Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Helena Jaczek, MPP for Oak Ridges-Markham, was promoted from the backbenches to take over responsibility for Community and Social Services.

Markham-Unionville MPP Michael Chan moves to Citizenship, Immigration, and Trade from Tourism, Culture and Sport.

—With files by Torstar News Network