Lisa Thompson (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Lisa Thompson

| caption = Thompson in 2024

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| honorific-suffix = MPP

| image = Lisa Thompson.png

| office = Minister of Rural Affairs

| premier = Doug Ford

| term_start = June 6, 2024

| term_end =

| predecessor = Ernie Hardeman

| successor =

| office1 = Minister of Government and Consumer Services

| premier1 = Doug Ford

| term_start1 = June 20, 2019

| term_end1 = June 18, 2021

| predecessor1 = Bill Walker

| successor1 = Ross Romano

| office2 = Minister of Education

| premier2 = Doug Ford

| term_start2 = June 29, 2018

| term_end2 = June 20, 2019

| predecessor2 = Indira Naidoo-Harris

| successor2 = Stephen Lecce

| parliament3 = Ontario Provincial

| term_start3 = October 6, 2011

| term_end3 =

| predecessor3 = Carol Mitchell

| successor3 =

| riding3 = Huron—Bruce

| party = Progressive Conservative

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1965}}

| birth_place = Wingham, Ontario, Canada

| residence = Teeswater, Ontario

| spouse = Dennis Schiestel

| occupation = Dairy Goat cooperative General Manager

}}

Lisa M. Thompson (born {{circa|1965}}) is a Canadian politician who serves as Ontario's Minister of Rural Affairs. She has represented the riding of Huron—Bruce in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2011.

She previously served as Ontario Minister of Education from 2018 to 2019, as Minister of Government and Consumer Services from 2019 to 2021, and as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from 2021 to 2024.

Background

Thompson was born in Wingham, Ontario. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph. Prior to her election as an MPP, she worked as the general manager of The Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative, and as a Rural Community Advisor for OMAFRA. She lives near Teeswater, Ontario with her husband Dennis.{{cite web|title=Meet Lisa |url=http://www.lisathompsonmpp.ca/lisa-thompsons-biography |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128090836/http://www.lisathompsonmpp.ca/lisa-thompsons-biography |archive-date=28 January 2013 }}

Politics

Thompson ran in the 2011 provincial election as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Huron—Bruce. She defeated Liberal incumbent Carol Mitchell by 4,479 votes.{{cite news |title=Thompson brings rural experience |author=Dale Carruthers |newspaper=The London Free Press |date=12 October 2011 |url=https://lfpress.com/news/ontarioelection/2011/10/07/18796331.html |access-date=October 4, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222132841/http://www.lfpress.com/news/ontarioelection/2011/10/07/18796331.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |title=Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=2014-03-02 |page=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2013 }} She was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Colleen Schenk by 3,865 votes,{{cite web|title=General Election by District: Huron-Bruce |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 12, 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=034 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702080331/http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=034 |archive-date=July 2, 2014 }} and in the 2018 provincial election, defeating Jan Johnstone of the NDP by 12,320 votes.

She served as the party's critic for Environment and Climate Change, critic for Energy (Green Energy Act) and critic for Small Business and Red Tape. In February 2017, she was appointed as the PC party's Critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and Critic for International Trade.{{cite web|url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_detail.do?locale=en&ID=7179&detailPage=members_detail_career|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131081158/www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_detail.do?locale=en&ID=7179&detailPage=members_detail_career|archive-date=2018-01-31|title=Lisa M. Thompson, MPP (Huron—Bruce)}}

In January 2018, after party leader Patrick Brown stepped down and was replaced by Vic Fedeli, Thompson was chosen as the party's new caucus chair.{{Cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3995267/ontario-progressive-conservative-shuffle/|title=Ontario Progressive Conservatives shuffle critic roles after Patrick Brown resignation|date=January 30, 2018|work=Global News|access-date=January 30, 2018|agency=The Canadian Press|language=en}}

Following the 2018 provincial election, Lisa Thompson was named Minister of Education in Premier Doug Ford's cabinet.{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=Peter |title=Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson Named Ontario Education Minister |url=http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=102633 |access-date=29 June 2018 |publisher=Bayshore Broadcasting |date=29 June 2018 |archive-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629215657/http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=102633 |url-status=dead }} On June 20, 2019, she was reassigned as Minister of Government and Consumer Services.{{cite news |last=Powers |first=Lucas |date=June 20, 2019 |title=Fedeli, MacLeod, Thompson all demoted in major Ontario cabinet shuffle by Ford |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-cabinet-shuffle-live-polling-1.5182720 |url-status=live |work=CBC News |location=Toronto, Ontario |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102173113/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-cabinet-shuffle-live-polling-1.5182720 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |access-date=June 10, 2024}} In June 2021, Thompson became Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.{{cite news |last=Kerr |first=Pauline |date=June 24, 2021 |title=Lisa Thompson named Ontario's new agriculture minister |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/lisa-thompson-named-ontario-s-new-agriculture-minister/article_b66d87ac-5c42-585a-bfca-aeabca0e109c.html |work=Toronto Star |location= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=}} In June 2024, she became Minister of Rural Affairs after the June 6 Cabinet Shuffle split her ministry into two. Rob Flack took over as Minister of Farming, Agriculture and Agribusiness.{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Allison |last2=Casey |first2=Liam |date=June 6, 2024 |title=Ontario Premier Doug Ford shuffles cabinet |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-premier-doug-ford-shuffles-cabinet-1.7227377 |url-status=live |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press |location=Toronto, Ontario |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607004859/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-premier-doug-ford-shuffles-cabinet-1.7227377 |archive-date=June 7, 2024 |access-date=June 7, 2024}}