Oosterhoff named assistant to education minister
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff will take on an additional role with the provincial government, after being named a parliamentary assistant for the minister of education.
Premier Doug Ford announced the parliamentary assistant assignments on Friday after he and his executive council of 21 ministers were sworn in three weeks after defeating Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals. Oosterhoff is among 26 MPPs who were announced as holding additional responsibilities, serving as parliamentary assistant to HuronBruce MPP Lisa Thompson, the Minister of Education. Parliamentary assistants support ministers with legislative and committee matters, and work with community partners and industry groups.
Oosterhoff said when he received the call from the premier’s office about the opportunity, he was surprised, but humbled to have the chance to serve with additional responsibilities.
“I said I would be honoured to get to work and deliver on our promises to Ontario’s students, parents, teachers and families,” Oosterhoff said Friday. “I feel honoured and privileged to have this opportunity to work alongside Lisa Thompson to fulfill our promises and ensure we’re improving education across Ontario.”
Oosterhoff said he is meeting with the Thompson and is looking forward to seeing where he can be of assistance.
“There are a lot of different things to look at and work on,” he said, adding his efforts will be at the discretion of the premier and the minister.
Some of those tasks include addressing key issues that were brought up on the campaign trail, including changes to Ontario’s health and physical education curriculum, which includes sexual education.
“(Premier Ford) has made clear commitments to repealing and replacing the sex ed curriculum. We are going to make sure we go back to the drawing board,” said Oosterhoff. “We want to recognize the realities of the world kids are growing up in, but also include the parents. We need to listen to educators, parents and students themselves.”
There’s also more that can be addressed, he said, suggesting that topics such as online luring, bullying and human trafficking
might be appropriate in that conversation.
Oosterhoff said other plans include an overhaul of the province's “discovery math” curriculum and reforming standardized testing “to make sure it’s more effective”. He said he hopes it will also include a look at school closures, an issue that has affected his riding, along with other areas of Niagara.
“There’s a lot of different things to look at,” he said. “I want to make sure we are listening to the front-line educators. The front-line workers have an important role to play.”
Oosterhoff said he is anxious to move forward on delivering the “positive change” Ontarians called for on election day, congratulating his fellow MPPs on their roles as ministers, or parliamentary assistants.
“We are ready now to provide the leadership and direction that are needed in our province,” he said.