In May, we met with former Premier Mike Harris. Harris was Premier from 1995-2002, he campaigned under the slogan of the “Common Sense Revolution” focusing on balancing the budget and cutting taxes. The meeting with Mike Harris was our final former Premier meeting, meaning we have met with every living former Premier in Ontario during our OLIP year.
In our meeting, Mr. Harris told us about his work to balance the budget and he lauds it as one of his greatest achievements. He said that many people did not believe that he would be able to balance the budget if he also cut taxes, but he did for several years in a row and was very proud of this achievement. Harris believes that his push towards the private sector allowed more jobs to come into the province, and more innovation to happen in Ontario. He thinks it is important that we as a province do not spend more money than we have so that our future generations can sustainably grow in Ontario.
Mr. Harris is now busy in the Fasken Law Firm in downtown Toronto and working with many stakeholders on projects like healthcare, insurance, and corporate law.
Thank you to his assistant Elaine for setting up the meeting and Mr. Harris for taking the time to meet with us and share his insights on his time in provincial politics.
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