Here are Ontario’s most influential government staffers according to QP Briefing’s 2026 Survey
In a statement to Queen’s Park Briefing, the office of Solicitor General Michael Kerzner criticized Ottawa’s buyback effort, saying it misdirects policing resources and failes to address the real drivers of gun violence.
Having already revealed the ministers wielding the most influence inside the Ford government, we now look across the aisle at the opposition critics ranked as most effective at challenging that power, as well as rising stars in the legislature.
The move comes as governments across Canada face mounting pressure to strengthen domestic military production in face of geopolitical instability, NATO spending demands and growing concerns about supply-chain security. Barrie is betting municipalities will play a growing role in where that investment lands.
Among his proposals is a tax cut targeted at adults under 27, which he says would help young people struggling to establish themselves amid rising rents, high home prices and stagnant wage growth.
“I grew up in an Ontario that worked on a simple deal. You show up, you work hard, and Ontario gives you the opportunity to build a good life,” he says, before formally declaring his bid to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.
Over the coming days, QPB will roll out rankings across multiple categories. We begin with the ministers respondents viewed as the most influential and effective members of Premier Doug Ford’s government.
Under Bill 9, Ontario municipalities will move from a patchwork of locally designed ethics frameworks to a standardized code of conduct applied across the province’s 444 municipalities. The law would also create, for the first time, a mechanism to remove municipal politicians from office in the most serious cases.
