We had the pleasure of meeting Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy, and Parliamentary Assistants MPP Michael Parsa and MPP Will Bouma for a wonderful discussion about public finance in Ontario.
Given the Minister’s varied career experiences, he noted the differences between working in the banking sector and being the Minister of Finance. The province has a $200 billion budget which far exceeds any private sector company, and the services delivered by the government are far more complex. He recognized what a privilege and great responsibility it is to be seated in the Ontario Legislature and serve the public when only a few thousand have ever had the honour of serving throughout the province’s history.
It was intriguing to learn about leadership in a global pandemic. Minister Bethlenfalvy mentioned that the Ministry’s primary focus was to keep citizens safe at any cost, which meant providing some financial support for small businesses and families. The Minister, along with MPP Parsa and MPP Bouma, also spoke about their future vision for Ontario as it recovers from the pandemic. They believe that the jobs of tomorrow lie in the skilled trades and technology sectors.
It was a fascinating conversation and we learned so much. We want to sincerely thank the Ministry of Finance for arranging this meeting, and Minister Bethlenfalvy, MPP Parsa and MPP Bouma for taking the time to speak to us.