Wikipedia

Stephen Lecce

Stephen Francis Lecce MPP (Italian: [ˈlettʃe]; born November 26, 1986) is a Canadian politician and Ontario's current minister of energy and electrification. Lecce served as the Ontario minister of education from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Lecce is the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for King—Vaughan, representing the riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since his election in 2018. Before running for office, Lecce worked in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as the director of media relations during Stephen Harper's tenure.

The Honourable
Stephen Lecce
MPP
Lecce in 2022
Ontario Minister of Energy and Electrification
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 6, 2024
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byTodd Smith
Ontario Minister of Education
In office
June 20, 2019 – June 6, 2024
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byLisa Thompson
Succeeded byTodd Smith
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Infrastructure
In office
June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019
PremierDoug Ford
Succeeded byStephen Crawford
Deputy Government House Leader
In office
July 23, 2018 – June 20, 2019
PremierDoug Ford
Succeeded byAmy Fee
Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier
In office
July 31, 2018 – June 20, 2019
PremierDoug Ford
Succeeded byWill Bouma
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for King—Vaughan
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byRiding established
Personal details
Born
Stephen Francis Lecce

(1986-11-26) November 26, 1986 (age 37)
Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Residence(s)Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
Occupation
  • Politician
  • consultant
WebsiteCampaign website
Constituency website

Early life

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Lecce was born in Vaughan, Ontario, the son of Italian immigrants who came to Canada in the late 1950s.[1] At age 13, he worked for then-PC MPP Al Palladini's successful re-election campaign in 1999.[2]

Education and early career

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Lecce attended St. Margaret Mary Catholic Elementary School in Woodbridge, St. Michael's College School in Toronto, and later the University of Western Ontario (UWO), completing a Bachelor of Arts in political science. There, he was elected and served as president of UWO's University Students' Council.[3] While studying at UWO, he was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity, eventually serving as the UWO chapter's president.[4]

After graduation, Lecce joined the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under Stephen Harper. Lecce was hired following a personal interaction with Harper in his capacity as president of UWO's Students' Council.[5] At the PMO, Lecce served as deputy director of communications before being promoted to director of media relations.[6][7]

Lecce owns a public relations consultancy firm.[2]

Political career

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Lecce ran as a Progressive Conservative in King—Vaughan and won with 29,136 votes (56.62%).[2][8] On June 29, 2018, Lecce became the parliamentary assistant to Monte McNaughton, the minister of infrastructure.[9] On July 31, Lecce became parliamentary assistant to the premier.[10]

On June 20, 2019, he was sworn in as Ontario's minister of education.[11] Beginning in October 2019,[12] labour disputes between the provincial government and Ontario's four largest teachers' unions (ETFO, OSSTF, OECTA, and AEFO), have caused rotating strike action. A joint strike by all four unions on February 21, 2020, marked the first province-wide closure of schools since 1997 strikes against the Harris government.[13] Earlier that month, on February 4, New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath called for Doug Ford to fire Lecce as education minister;[14] however, Ford assured that Lecce would remain in office.[15] On February 12, Lecce called the decision for the four largest teachers' unions to hold the joint strike an "irresponsible choice".[16]

On March 12, 2020, Lecce announced that all publicly funded schools in Ontario would be closed for two weeks after March break due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario,[17] however, the schools did not reopen as planned.[18] On May 19, Lecce announced that schools would not reopen until the following school year in September.[19] On July 30, Lecce announced a $309 million plan for the resumption of public education in September.

Lecce introduced Bill 28, known as the Keeping Students in Class Act,[20] which was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on November 3, 2022, amid ongoing labour negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).[21] CUPE had given notice of job action on October 30 after negotiations broke down with the Ministry of Education and would have been in a legal strike position on November 4.[22] Bill 28 imposes a contract on CUPE, and makes it illegal to strike, setting fines of $4,000 for workers.[22]

The bill invokes the notwithstanding clause, shielding it from being struck down by the courts by allowing the bill to operate despite the right to collective bargaining granted by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[22][23] The legislation was widely condemned, including by opposition parties, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti, the Ontario Bar Association, and other unions including those which had previously endorsed the PC Party.[23][24][25]

Despite Lecce's bill, CUPE went on strike anyway, resulting in province-wide protests in support of education workers against the government,[26][27] and the government challenging CUPE at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.[27] On November 7, 2022, Premier Doug Ford announced that the PCs would rescind Bill 28.[28] It was announced that a tentative deal with CUPE was reached on December 11, 2022.[29]

On June 6, 2024, Lecce was appointed Minister of Energy by Premier Doug Ford.[30] Lecce was Ontario's longest-serving Minister of Education since Bette Stephenson.[citation needed]

Electoral record

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2022 Ontario general election: King—Vaughan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Stephen Lecce 23,439 57.31 0.69
Liberal Gillian Vivona 11,658 28.51 5.16
New Democratic Samantha Sanchez 2,840 6.94 −8.45
New Blue Michael Di Mascolo 1,400 3.42  
Green Ren Guidolin 1,104 2.70 −0.71
Ontario Party Neil Killips 309 0.76  
Moderate Tatiana Babitch 147 0.36 0.07
Total valid votes 40,897 100.0  
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 228
Turnout 41,125 39.79
Eligible voters 101,572
Progressive Conservative hold Swing −2.23
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
2018 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Stephen Lecce 29,136 56.62 24.34
Liberal Marilyn Iafrate 12,012 23.34 -27.97
New Democratic Andrea Beal 7,921 15.39 3.70
Green Greg Locke 1,754 3.41 0.43
Trillium Roman Evtukh 252 0.49
Libertarian Yan Simkin 235 0.46
Moderate Tatiana Babitch 151 0.29
Total valid votes 100.0  
Source: Elections Ontario[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Stephen Lecce, Stephen Harper's Boy Wonder, Comes Of Age Under Doug Ford". msn.com. December 27, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Kopun, Francine (June 7, 2018). "King-Vaughan picks PC candidate Stephen Lecce". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Believin' in Stephen". usc.uwo.ca. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018.
  4. ^ "News Briefs". usc.uwo.ca. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "Q&A: Ontario education minister Stephen Lecce". Toronto Life. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  6. ^ "Harper's Boy Wonder Comes Of Age Under Ontario Premier Ford". HuffPost. December 26, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ontario PCs nominate ex-Harper adviser in controversial nomination". www.ipolitics.ca. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Election Night Results /Résultats du soir de l'élection". Elections Ontario. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Walsh, Marieke. "Former federal MPs appointed to cabinet and parliamentary assistant posts under Ford". iPolitics. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Doug Ford on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  11. ^ "Rookie MPP Stephen Lecce Takes on a Tough Education File". thestar.com. June 20, 2019.
  12. ^ "CUPE education workers, Ontario government reach tentative deal to avoid strike". globalnews.ca. October 6, 2019.
  13. ^ Alphonso, Caroline; Gray, Jeff (February 20, 2020). "Ontario's teachers' unions walk off job together in provincewide strike". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "Horwath calls on Ford to hit the reset button on education, fire Stephen Lecce". ontariondp.ca. February 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Doug Ford urged to fire education minister as teachers escalate job action". thestar.com. February 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Ontario's 4 major teachers unions to hold joint 1-day provincewide strike on Feb. 21". cbc.ca. February 12, 2020.
  17. ^ "Ontario to shut down publicly funded schools for 2 weeks after March Break over COVID-19 concerns". cbc.ca. March 12, 2020.
  18. ^ "Ontario schools will not reopen April 6, premier says". March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ontario shuts schools until September because of COVID-19 pandemic". cbc.ca. May 19, 2020.
  20. ^ "Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  21. ^ "Ontario education workers set to strike Friday despite new law making it illegal". CP24. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c "Ontario government tables legislation to prevent strike by CUPE education workers". CBC News. October 30, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Can anyone block Ontario legislation designed to impose a contract on education workers? | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  24. ^ "'They're wrong': Union that supported Ford speaks out in defense of education workers". toronto.citynews.ca. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  25. ^ "Canadian bill would fine workers $4,000 for each day they strike". the Guardian. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  26. ^ "Ontario CUPE strike: Day 1 of strike draws in solidarity for education workers, backlash against Ford and $100,000 donation". ca.style.yahoo.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Strike or political protest? Ontario takes education workers' union to labour board amid Friday walkout". CBC News. November 4, 2022.
  28. ^ "CUPE announces end to strike after Doug Ford offers to rescind education law". CTV Toronto. November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  30. ^ Tsekouras, Phil (June 6, 2024). "Lecce out as education minister in major Ontario government cabinet shuffle". CBC News. Toronto, Ontario. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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Ontario provincial government of Doug Ford
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Predecessor Office Successor
Lisa Thompson Minister of Education
June 20, 2019 - June 6, 2024 		Todd Smith
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