Mike Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Mike Harris OOnt ECO
Harris in 2014
22nd Premier of Ontario
In office June 26, 1995 – April 14, 2002
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Hal Jackman Hilary Weston James Bartleman
Preceded by	Bob Rae
Succeeded by	Ernie Eves
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
In office May 12, 1990 – March 23, 2002
Preceded by	Andy Brandt (interim)
Succeeded by	Ernie Eves
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Nipissing
In office March 19, 1981 – April 14, 2002
Preceded by	Mike Bolan
Succeeded by	Al McDonald
Personal details
Born	Michael Deane Harris (1945-01-23) January 23, 1945 (age 80) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouses	Mary Alyce Coward (m. 1967, div.), Janet Harrison (m. 1974, div.), Laura Maguire (m. 2005)
Relations	2 sons with Janet Harrison, including Mike Harris Jr.

Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian politician who used to be the premier of Ontario. He served as the 22nd Premier from 1995 to 2002. He was also the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Harris is known for his "Common Sense Revolution" plan. This plan focused on conservative ideas like lower taxes and less government spending.

Harris was born in Toronto but grew up in North Bay. Before politics, he worked as a ski instructor and a teacher. He became a school board trustee in 1974. In 1981, he became a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Nipissing. He became the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1990.

In the 1990 provincial election, his party gained some support but stayed in third place. However, five years later, he led the PCs to a big win in the 1995 election. They formed a majority government. He led the party to another majority win in 1999.

After leaving office in 2002, Harris started working in the private sector. He also became a fellow at the Fraser Institute, a research group that supports conservative ideas.

Early Life and Career

Harris was born in Toronto, Ontario. His parents were Hope Gooding and Sidney Deane Harris. He spent his childhood in North Bay. His father ran a fishing camp called Wasi Falls Resort. Harris went to Waterloo Lutheran University but left after one year.

When he was 21, Harris moved to Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, for two years. He became a ski instructor there. Later, he went to Laurentian University and North Bay Teacher's College. He earned his teaching certificate and taught math to grade seven and eight students in North Bay. He also continued to work as a ski instructor on weekends and at his father's fishing camp in the summer. Eventually, he left teaching to manage the Pinewood Golf Club in North Bay.

Entering Politics

Harris first got involved in public office in 1974. He was elected as a school board trustee. In 1981, he entered provincial politics. He won against the Liberal MPP in Nipissing. Harris later said he wanted to enter politics because he disagreed with the policies of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

From 1981 to 1985, Harris was a regular member of the PC government led by Bill Davis. He supported Frank Miller to become the new party leader in 1985. Miller became Premier of Ontario on February 8, 1985. He appointed Harris as the Minister of Natural Resources.

In the 1985 election, the PC party won fewer seats. They became a minority government. Harris was re-elected easily in his own riding. He kept his role as Minister of Natural Resources. On May 17, 1985, he also became Minister of Energy. However, the Miller government soon lost a vote of no confidence. This meant the Liberals and NDP took over.

For the first time in 42 years, the Tories were in opposition. Miller resigned, and Larry Grossman took over. Grossman led the party to a very poor result in the 1987 election. Harris was re-elected again without trouble.

Becoming Party Leader

Larry Grossman lost his seat in the legislature. So, Andy Brandt became the "interim leader" in the legislature. Harris was chosen as the PC house leader. By 1989, he was the party's main voice in the legislature. Harris ran for the party leadership in 1990. He won a province-wide vote against Dianne Cunningham. This made him the official leader of the party.

The 1990 provincial election happened soon after Harris became leader. He worked with former leader Larry Grossman. Harris promised tax cuts and less government spending. He even got support from some local teachers' union members. The election was won by Bob Rae's NDP. The Conservatives increased their seats from 17 to 20 out of 130. Harris kept his own seat.

The 1995 Election

On May 3, 1994, Harris introduced his "Common Sense Revolution" plan. This plan called for big cuts to spending and taxes. It also aimed to get rid of the province's large $11 billion debt.

By the 1995 election, the NDP government and Premier Bob Rae were not very popular. This was partly because of Ontario's economy and its large debt. The Liberals, led by Lyn McLeod, were expected to win. However, they started losing support because of some policy changes and a campaign that didn't excite voters.

A key moment in the election was Harris's performance in the televised leaders' debate. Harris spoke directly to the camera. He explained his party's Common Sense Revolution plan clearly. Many union workers, especially men, switched their support from the NDP to the PCs. This helped the PCs win many new areas. The PCs went from 20 seats to 82 seats in the 130-seat legislature. This gave them a large majority government.

Premier of Ontario (1995–2002)

First Term (1995–1999)

Common Sense Revolution Changes

After becoming Premier in 1995, Mike Harris's government started making big changes. They wanted to cut the large provincial debt left by the previous government. One of their first major decisions was to cut social assistance rates by 21.6%. The government believed that too many people were relying on this program. They also introduced "Ontario Works," which required people receiving welfare to participate in training or job placements.

Provincial income taxes were cut by 30%. This brought them back to levels seen before 1990. A new "Fair Share Health Levy" was also created. This was charged to people with high incomes to help pay for healthcare costs.

Soon after taking office, the Harris government announced that hundreds of nurses would lose their jobs. This was done to cut costs in healthcare. The government also closed and combined some hospitals. Harris compared the laid-off hospital workers to people who lost jobs when the hula hoop trend ended. He said, "restructuring sometimes is painful."

The Harris government also cut funding for big city projects. For example, they stopped funding for the Eglinton West subway line in Toronto. This line was meant to connect the city's main subway line with the suburbs and airport.

To help with healthcare, Harris's government introduced Telehealth Ontario. This is a 24-hour phone line where people can talk to registered nurses.

Part of the Common Sense Revolution was to sell off government-owned businesses. The biggest ones were Ontario Hydro and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. These were not fully sold, but Ontario Hydro was split into five companies. The plan was to sell them later. In 1999, Highway 407 was leased to a private company.

Harris's government also reduced the number of MPPs from 130 to 103. They changed the riding boundaries to match federal election areas.

The government also merged many municipalities between 1996 and 2002. The number of municipalities in the province went from 815 to 447. The biggest merger was in Metro Toronto. All the individual cities were combined into one large city. The government said this would avoid repeating services and make things more efficient. They also shifted the cost of some social programs to municipalities.

The Harris government also passed a law in 1996. It required the government to publish lists of public employees earning over $100,000 per year. This was done to increase accountability.

Education Changes

The Harris government made several changes to education. They removed the fifth year of high school in Ontario, called the OAC year. This meant two groups of students graduated in 2003. Harris introduced a law that required a standard curriculum and province-wide tests for students. This included Grade 3 and 6 EQAO tests for math and reading. There was also a Grade 10 Literacy test. High school students also had to complete 40 hours of community service to graduate.

In 1999, they introduced "teacher testing." This required teachers to take exams regularly. Principals and vice-principals were also removed from the Ontario Teachers' Federation.

The Safe Schools Act was introduced in 2000. This law had a strict approach to school discipline. It led to mandatory suspensions and expulsions for certain rule breaks. This policy was criticized for affecting Black students more often.

Also, the practice of grouping students by their perceived ability, called academic streaming, was in place. This was criticized for often placing Black students in lower academic paths. This limited their chances to go to university. This streaming practice continued until 2020.

Ipperwash Crisis

Soon after becoming Premier, Harris faced a difficult situation. Protesters, who were fighting for land claims, took over a provincial park. During a confrontation, a police officer shot and killed a protester named Dudley George. The Ipperwash Inquiry later looked into this event. The inquiry found that Premier Harris's comments and his desire for a quick end to the occupation created an atmosphere that limited other solutions.

Second Term (1999–2002)

In 1999, the Harris government was re-elected for a second term. They won another majority government. This was largely due to strong support from suburban areas around Toronto.

The Harris government balanced the provincial budget in 1999. Supporters pointed out that government income increased from $48 billion in 1995 to $64 billion by 2001.

In 1999, Harris also announced a program called Ontario's Living Legacy. This added 378 new parks and protected areas. This brought the total in Ontario to 650. It increased Ontario's protected areas to more than 95,000 square kilometers.

A serious event happened in 2000. The town water supply of Walkerton became infected with E. coli bacteria. Seven people died, and hundreds became sick. Provincial water testing had been privatized in 1996 by Harris's first government. An inquiry found that the local official responsible for water quality had not done his job properly. It also noted that changes to water quality testing and cuts to the Ministry of the Environment were contributing factors.

The Harris government reduced the number of people on welfare by 500,000. Critics said this led to more homelessness and poverty. Supporters argued that high welfare rates discouraged people from finding entry-level jobs. They also noted that employment rates increased a lot in the late 1990s. The government also changed labor laws. They required secret ballot votes before workplaces could form unions.

Other changes by the Harris government included standardized math and reading tests for students. These are known as EQAO tests. They are given in Grade 3, 6, and 9. High school students in Grade 10 must pass a literacy test to graduate. A new way of funding school boards was also introduced. This took away the local boards' power to collect taxes.

In 2001, the Harris government proposed a plan to give tax credits to parents. This was for parents who sent their children to private schools. Supporters said it was fair because Catholic schools already received public funding. Opponents worried it would take money and students away from the public school system.

Harris resigned as Premier and MPP on April 14, 2002. His long-time friend and finance minister, Ernie Eves, took over as PC leader and Premier.

After Politics (2002–Present)

After leaving office, Harris joined a law firm in Toronto called Goodmans LLP. He worked there as an advisor until 2010.

In 2002, Harris also joined the Fraser Institute. This is a research group that supports free-market ideas. He became a senior fellow there. He also served on the board of directors for the Manning Centre.

In January 2003, Harris joined the board of directors for Magna International. He later stepped down from the board in 2012.

In May 2014, Harris helped lead a Canadian mission. They observed the Ukrainian presidential election.

In the 2018 Ontario general election, his son, Mike Harris Jr., was elected as an MPP. He is also a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Today, Harris is the Chair of the Board for Chartwell Retirement Residences.

Ipperwash Inquiry (2005–2007)

An inquiry was held after the Ipperwash Crisis. It found that while some protesters had rocks and sticks, none had firearms. The confrontation started when police clashed with a protester. The government and police said there was no political involvement in the shooting. However, some politicians suggested the Premier's office might have given orders.

On November 28, 2005, former Attorney General Charles Harnick testified at the inquiry. He said Harris had made strong comments about wanting the protesters out of the park. Other witnesses disagreed with this. Harris himself denied it in his testimony on February 14, 2006.

The Ipperwash Inquiry found that the police, the provincial government led by Premier Mike Harris, and the federal government all shared responsibility for the events that led to George's death. The report also asked the federal government to apologize and return the land to the First Nation. The report noted that Premier Harris's comments and his desire for a quick end to the occupation limited the government's options. This prevented the situation from becoming stable at the park.

Awards and Recognition

• Honorary doctorate, Nipissing University (2010)
• Member of the Order of Ontario (2020)

See also

In Spanish: Mike D. Harris para niños

• Common Sense Revolution
• Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
• Ipperwash Crisis
• Walkerton tragedy
• Life Under Mike – A documentary about the effects of the Common Sense Revolution.