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Mike Harris

Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC Party to the right, he is noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his government's program of fiscally conservative policies.

Born in Toronto, Harris grew up in North Bay and worked as a ski instructor and schoolteacher before becoming a school board trustee in 1974. In 1981, he became a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Nipissing. He became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1990 leadership election. That same year, a provincial election was called in which Harris led the PCs to a modest boost in support, though they still remained in third place. However, five years later, he led the PCs to a strong majority government in the 1995 provincial election. He led the party to a second majority in 1999.

As party leader and premier, Harris shifted the historically centrist PC Party to the right by embracing the Common Sense Revolution, which emphasized lower taxes, deficit reduction, cuts to public spending, and privatization. His government reduced personal income taxes by 30 percent, privatized Highway 407, and privatized provincial water testing which was viewed as controversial especially after the Walkerton ''E. coli'' outbreak. He oversaw cuts to healthcare, infrastructure, and education spending, the last of which led to the 1997 Ontario teachers' strike, the largest teachers' strike in Ontario history. In 1999, Harris' government balanced the budget. In administrative policy, his government reduced the number of MPPs from 130 to 103 between 1995 and 1999, and oversaw the Amalgamation of Toronto. In his final years in office, his government introduced a tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools.

In 2002, Harris retired as premier and PC leader, and was succeeded by Ernie Eves in both capacities. After leaving office, Harris went into the private sector and became a fellow at the Fraser Institute, a conservative think tank. Provided by Wikipedia