An Ontario Minister Says He's Stepping Down So More Women Can Be In Cabinet

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said she's looking for gender parity in her cabinet.

An Ontario minister says he will resign from Premier Kathleen Wynne's cabinet to "make room at the table" for more women.

Ted McMeekin / Facebook

Ted McMeekin, Ontario's minister of municipal affairs and housing, wrote in a Facebook post that he will step down as minister as soon as a replacement is named.

Wynne is expected to shuffle the top jobs in her government very soon, and she said in late May that she wants to have an equal number of men and women in her cabinet.

"I have three daughters, all confident and accomplished young women. With my wonderful wife, they are the joy of my life," McMeekin said. "Thinking of them, I’ve often dreamed of a day when the question of gender parity wouldn’t even arise, because it would just be taken for granted."

Facebook: ted.mcmeekin

McMeekin said he proudly considers himself a feminist and that he has tried to work for equality.

"But sometimes the best way for a man to advance the equality of women may be to step back and make room at the table," he wrote. "For me, this is such a time."

McMeekin was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2000, and he has served in cabinet under Wynne and her predecessor Dalton McGuinty.

"Ultimately, I support the Premier’s leadership in this matter and I want to do what I can to help her achieve it."

Ted McMeekin / Facebook

Ontario's cabinet is currently heavily male. Only 8 out of 27 members are women, including the premier.

If she does put together a gender-balanced cabinet, she will be following in the footsteps of her federal counterpart. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made international headlines last year when he built the first federal cabinet with an equal number of men and women. When asked why, he replied: "Because it's 2015."