The Harris ministry was the combined cabinet (formally the Executive Council of Ontario) that governed Ontario from June 26, 1995, to April 14, 2002. It was led by the 22nd premier of Ontario, Mike Harris. The ministry was made up of members of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party), which commanded a parliamentary majority.
The ministry replaced the Rae ministry following the 1995 Ontario general election. The ministry governed through the 36th Parliament of Ontario and the first several years of the 37th Parliament.
After Mike Harris resigned as Premier April 14, 2002, he was succeeded as Premier of Ontario by PC Party colleague Ernie Eves.
History
The Harris Cabinet is formed There were only nineteen cabinet members in the Harris ministry at first.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Pages 107-114. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 Only five of them had any cabinet experience at all: Norm Sterling, who had accumulated the most experience, served for over four years (1981–1985) under Premier Bill Davis, who led the first of the two most recent previous PC Party ministries; Premier Harris himself, Ernie Eves, Bob Runciman, and Noble Villeneuve had each accumulated only a few months of experience in 1985 under Premier Frank Miller, who had led the second of the two most recent previous PC Party ministries. (Sterling had not served under Miller).
The highest profile portfolios were held by future Premier Ernie Eves (as Minister of Finance, Deputy Premier, and briefly House Leader), David Johnson (as Chair of Management Board of Cabinet and subsequent House Leader), Jim Wilson (as Minister of Health), and 2002 PC Party leadership candidate Elizabeth Witmer (as Minister of Labour), veteran Norm Sterling (as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, and Bill Saunderson (as Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism. These six formed the members of the vital Priorities and Planning Committee of Cabinet, the crucible of decision making in the Harris ministry.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Page 152. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 Harris's only rival in the 1990 PC Party leadership contest, Dianne Cunningham, was marginalised,Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Page 112. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 being named Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. John Snobelen served as Minister of Education and Charles Harnick as Attorney General.
Harris informed the members of his first cabinet that he and his political staff intended to be the agents of control in his Premiership, and that ministers should not consider themselves sovereign over their portfolios.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Page 101, 114. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 Rather than appoint caucus members to cabinet positions commensurate to their areas of experience and expertise, Harris often appointed significantly less qualified ministers. Rather than appoint eminently qualified Al Leach, former commissioner of Toronto Transit Commission, to the position of Minister of Transport, he named Al Palladini, an owner of an automobile dealership;Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Page 108. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 rather than appoint Diane Cunningham, former chair of London Board of Education, to the position of Minister of Education, he appointed John Snobelen, a high school drop-out.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Page 112. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 Ministers were often forced to publicly defend a bill they had little involvement in developing and didn't understand.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Pages 145. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 Frequently the Premier's office would seize control of a controversy or an initiative and face serious negative political blowback.Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Pages 146. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8
There were two instances of ministerial portfolio reorganisation as Premier Harris took over from the Rae ministry: Three portfolios (Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and Ministry of Citizenship) were reorganised into two: the "Ministry of Culture, Citizenship and Recreation" (assigned to Marilyn Mushinski) and the "Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism" (assigned to Bill Saunderson). Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Ministry of Housing were reunited into Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (and assigned to Al Leach). Ministry of Northern Development and Ministry of Natural Resources were combined into "Ministry Natural Resources, Northern Development and Mines" (and assigned to Chris Hodgson).
Thus the nineteen cabinet members served in one of eighteen discrete portfolios (including the Premiership; there was also a minister without portfolio, Cam Jackson). Premier Harris did not serve in any other portfolio, nor would he for the duration of his ministry.
The number of ministers climbed to 20 with a minor shuffle August 16, 1996, which involved, among other changes, Janet Ecker joining cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services (and the addition to cabinet of a second minister without portfolio, Rob Sampson). David Johnson also took over the duties of House Leader from Eves. UnderachieversIbbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Pages 181-187. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 David Tsubouchi (shuffled to Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations) and Brenda Elliott (dropped from the ministry entirely) were casualties of the shuffle.
1997 Shuffle The first of three major cabinet shuffles occurred October 10, 1997, a few months after the midterm point of the 36th Parliament.
Five new members joined cabinet, including 2002 PC Party leadership candidates Tony Clement (as Minister of Transportation) and Jim Flaherty (as Minister of Labour). Two established cabinet members were dismissed from minor portfolios.
Seven established cabinet members in total were involved in the shuffle, most notably Elizabeth Witmer, who took over as Minister of Health, and David Johnson, who took over as Minister of Education. Norm Sterling took over for Johnson as House Leader. Eleven established cabinet members were unaffected by the shuffle, including Premier Harris himself, and Ernie Eves remained as Minister of Finance.
There were two instances of ministerial portfolio reorganisation: Ministry of Energy and Environment was divided into the "Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology" (assigned to Jim Wilson) and the "Ministry of the Environment" (assigned to the incumbent of the previous combined portfolio, Norm Sterling). Ministry of Natural Resources, Northern Development and Mines was divided into the "Ministry of Natural Resources" (assigned to John Snobelen) and the "Ministry of Northern Development and Mines" (assigned to the incumbent of the previous combined portfolio, Chris Hodgson).
Hodgson also took on the cabinet level position of Chair of Management Board of Cabinet; this was the only instance of a member of the Harris cabinet holding two portfolios for the duration of the ministry. Thus, the cabinet swelled to 23 members (including now four ministers without portfolios, with the additions of Margaret Marland and David Turnbull), serving in twenty ministries (including the Premiership).
1999 Shuffle The second major shuffle occurred June 17, 1999, soon after the 1999 provincial election. The PC Party performed very well in this contest, achieving results similar to the 1995 provincial election, (they won about 45% of the popular vote in each contest) but returned with a much smaller caucus (shrinking from 82 PC Party MPPs to 59) in an extensively redistributed district map and a much smaller provincial parliament at Queen's Park. Isabel Bassett, Noble Villeneuve and David Johnson all went down to defeat at the polls, while Al Leach and Charles Harnick decided not to run. Thus, though no one was dismissed from the ministry, five vacancies opened up in the Harris ministry.
These vacancies were filled by the addition of seven new cabinet members, including 2002 PC Party leadership contender and incumbent Speaker Chris Stockwell, 2004 and 2009 PC Party leadership contender Frank Klees, and 2009 PC Party leadership victor Tim Hudak; Stockwell, notorious as Harris's biggest critic within the party caucus,Ibbitson, John. (1997). Promised Land: Inside the Mike Harris Revolution. Pages 191. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. ISBN 0-13-673864-8 was named Minister of Labour in the highest profile appointment among the seven rookies.
Thirteen established cabinet members swapped portfolios, including Jim Flaherty, who took over as Attorney General, and Janet Ecker, who took over as Minister of Education. Only five cabinet ministers were unaffected by the shuffle, including Premier Harris himself, John Snobelen, Jim Wilson, Margaret Marland, and, once again, Ernie Eves.
There were four instances of ministerial portfolio reorganisation: Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism was divided into the "Ministry of Tourism" (assigned to Cam Jackson), and the "Ministry of Economic Development and Trade" (assigned to the incumbent of the previous combined portfolio, Al Palladini). Ministry of Education and Training (as it was actually called) was divided into the "Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities" (assigned to Dianne Cunningham), and the "Ministry of Education" (assigned as previously mentioned to Janet Ecker). Solicitor General and Correctional Services was divided into the position of "Solicitor General," (assigned to David Tsubouchi), and the "Ministry of Correctional Services," (assigned to Rob Sampson). Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was created by combining the Ministry of Health with the Ministry of Long-Term Care (which was actually a fairly new ministry itself, having only been created between shuffles July 27, 1998, and had been assigned to established cabinet minister Cam Jackson). The new ministry remained with Elizabeth Witmer, while Jackson moved on to Tourism, as mentioned previously.
Thus the number of cabinet ministers swelled in number to 25 (the number of ministers without portfolios dropping to two, Margaret Marland and Frank Klees), while the number of ministries (including the Premiership) grew to 23. No cabinet members helmed more than one portfolio.
2001 Shuffle The third and final shuffle occurred February 8, 2001, a few months before the midterm point of the 37th Parliament, triggered by the resignation of first Al Palladini as Minister of Economic Development and Trade, then of Ernie Eves as Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier. Eves was the only cabinet member besides Harris himself to still be in his original role in the ministry, having not yet been involved in a shuffle.
All told, four cabinet members left cabinet, while four new members joined, most notably David Young as Attorney General.