Janet Ecker

Janet Ecker
Ontario MPP
In office 1999–2003
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	Wayne Arthurs
Constituency	Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge
In office 1995–1999
Preceded by	Jim Wiseman
Succeeded by	Riding dissolved
Constituency	Durham West
Personal details
Born	October 18, 1953 Simcoe, Ontario
Political party	Progressive Conservative Party
Occupation	Management Consultant

Janet Ecker (born October 18, 1953) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a senior cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.

Background

Ecker grew up in Exeter, Ontario. Her father was a family physician. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario. In 1985, Ecker served as Director of Communications at the Ontario Treasury. She worked as a Government Relations Consultant with Public Affairs Management from 1987 to 1991, and was Director of Policy for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario from 1991 to 1995.

Politics

Ecker was also involved with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario during these years. A Red Tory, she supported Larry Grossman at both of the party's 1985 leadership conventions, and served as Assistant Executive Director of the Ontario PC Party from 1985 to 1987.

She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995, defeating Liberal Joe Dickson and incumbent New Democrat Jim Wiseman by a significant margin in the riding of Durham West, east of Toronto.^[1] After the election she was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services. On August 16, 1996 she was promoted to cabinet and named Minister of Community and Social Services.^[2]

1999 election

In the provincial election of 1999, she was re-elected by a comfortable margin in the redistributed riding of Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge.^[3] After the election, she was named to the senior portfolio of Minister of Education.^[4] Ecker also served as Government House Leader after February 8, 2001.^[5] In 2000, she supported Hugh Segal's bid for the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservative Party.

Ecker's best-known controversy as Education Minister was not with the legislative opposition or the teaching community, but with Jim Flaherty, another cabinet minister in the Harris government. In 2001, Flaherty announced that the government planned to introduce a tax credit for parents choosing to send their children to private and denominational schools. Flaherty's announcement broke a 1999 campaign pledge from Harris not to introduce such legislation. Flaherty reportedly did not consult with Ecker prior to making his statement. Ecker opposed this shift in policy, and according to some accounts was initially prepared to quit cabinet over the issue. She was persuaded to stay, but remained on very poor terms with Flaherty. As a result of this controversy, Ecker became a leading spokesperson for "moderate conservative" positions in her party, against the right-wing views of Flaherty and Harris.

When Harris resigned as party leader in 2002, many anticipated that Ecker would join the contest to replace him. Instead, she supported the candidacy of Ernie Eves, who won by defeating Flaherty in the second round of balloting. Ecker was named Minister of Finance on April 15, 2002.^[6] Shortly after being named as Finance Minister, Ecker announced that the Eves government would postpone the previously-announced private-school tax credit.

Ecker also introduced the Eves government's Keeping the Promise for a Strong Economy Act (Budget Measures), 2002.

In 2003, Ecker delivered her provincial budget at an auto parts factory owned by Magna International, rather than in the legislature. The move was widely criticized, even by some members of the Progressive Conservative party. Despite her previous opposition, Ecker re-introduced the private-school tax credit in this budget.

The Eves government was defeated in the provincial election of 2003, and Ecker herself was narrowly defeated by Wayne Arthurs of the Liberal Party.^[7]

Cabinet positions

After politics

Ecker is an advisor with Tramore Group, a Toronto-based program management professional services firm.^[8] She also teaches public administration at Queen's University in Kingston. In 2004, she supported Belinda Stronach's unsuccessful campaign to lead the new Conservative Party of Canada.^[9] In 2005 she was named as president of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance.^[10] She supported Christine Elliott (spouse of Jim Flaherty) during the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election, 2009 and served as her campaign chair.^[11]

References

1. "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. June 8, 1995. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
2. Walker, William (August 16, 1996). "Tsubouchi demoted in Harris shuffle". Toronto Star. p. A1.
3. "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. June 3, 1999. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
4. "Ontario Cabinet". The Spectator (Hamilton, Ont). June 18, 1999. p. C8.
5. "Flaherty to be new Ontario finance chief". Sudbury Star. February 8, 2001. p. A5.
6. "Ont-Cabinet". Toronto, Ont: Canadian Press NewsWire. April 15, 2002.
7. "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
8. Bitti, Mary Teresa (September 26, 2007). "Soft skills are part of equation". National Post. p. WK1.
9. Robert Benzie; Bruce Campion-Smith (January 20, 2004). "Stronach will be cast as 'working mother'; Harris, senators are key backers To launch bid at union hall today". Toronto Star. p. A6.
10. McNish, Jacquie (February 18, 2005). "Ecker picked to head Toronto business group". The Globe and Mail. p. B8.
11. Cowan, James (April 2, 2009). "Flaherty's wife joins Ontario PC race; June 27 Convention". National Post. p. A4.

External links

• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History