One of the most thrilling aspects of participating in OLIP is getting the opportunity to speak with former leaders at Queen’s Park. Not only do speakers get to share their nostalgia of the past, but we get a peek at Queen’s Park from before our time. It was an honour to meet with former premier Ernie Eves who took us through his time in Ontario provincial politics.
Mr. Eves served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance in the Harris Government, and as Premier of Ontario between 2002 and 2003. We were very interested to hear about his experience as Minister of Finance and his philosophy behind budget decisions. In addition, Mr. Eves described the importance of trust between the Premier and the Minister of Finance, and the value in surrounding oneself with advisors who are prepared to voice their opinions, even if this means disagreement.
It’s meetings like the one with Mr. Eves which remind us of the importance of civic engagement. On behalf of OLIP, we want to sincerely thank Mr. Eves for taking the time to meet with us.