Premier Mike Harris leads the Progressive Conservatives (PC). The PC party was elected June 8 1995 when they got eighty-two out of one hundred and thirty ridings (During Harris' term, the number of ridings changed from one hundred and thirty to one hundred in three; it is believed to be in his own interest). That would be the biggest Majority Government ever. The Tories have been in Power for a great Part of the History of Ontario. The Progressive Conservatives were once known as the Conservatives. Since 1943, the PC has held office except for a period from 1985 to 1995 when Liberal David Peterson and New Democrat Bob Rae held office.
Michael D. Harris was born in Toronto in 1945. He was in the tourism and recreation buisness prior to becoming a politician. And he was formerly a teacher and he spent seven years in the Nipissing board of Education. He was first elected to the Ontario Legislature as MPP for Nipissing in 1981. He became leader of the PC Party in 1990 just before the Election. He was leader of the Opposition until he was sworn in as Premier of Ontario after the 1995 election.
The Harris Government has, from 1995 to 1998, cut taxes about 70 times. The Income tax has been reduced by 30%, which is the biggest tax cut in the history of Ontario. The Tories claim that 540,000 new jobs were created because of these tax cuts. The Tory Government plans to keep cutting taxes - mostly income tax - and reduce the property tax by twenty per cent. Landlords will then be required to lower rent.
The Harris Government plans to motivate people on welfare to go to work. The Tories claim that four hundred thousand people got off welfare and found jobs during this term. It would be the fastest drop in welfare dependency recorded in Canada.
Harris wants to change the way politics were done when it comes to Education. Prior to the Tory Government, Premiers have made but short-term decisions in the educational domain. The Tories plan to create a strong Educational System.
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