Ernie Eves | |
|---|---|
| 23rd Premier of Ontario | |
| In office April 15, 2002 – October 22, 2003 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | James Bartleman |
| Preceded by | Mike Harris |
| Succeeded by | Dalton McGuinty |
| 5th Deputy Premier of Ontario | |
| In office June 26, 1995 – February 8, 2001 | |
| Premier | Mike Harris |
| Preceded by | Floyd Laughren |
| Succeeded by | Jim Flaherty |
| Leader of the Opposition in Ontario | |
| In office October 23, 2003 – September 28, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Dalton McGuinty |
| Succeeded by | Bob Runciman (interim) |
| Leader of the Ontario PC Party | |
| In office March 23, 2002 – September 18, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Harris |
| Succeeded by | John Tory |
| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament | |
| In office May 2, 2002 – January 31, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | David Tilson |
| Succeeded by | John Tory |
| Constituency | Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey |
| In office June 3, 1999 – February 8, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Norm Miller |
| Constituency | Parry Sound—Muskoka |
| In office March 19, 1981 – June 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Lorne Maeck |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Parry Sound |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ernest Larry Eves June 17, 1946 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse |
Vicki Eves
(m. 1976; div. 1999) |
| Domestic partner | Isabel Bassett (1999–) |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto Osgoode Hall Law School |
Ernest Larry Eves OOnt KC[1] (born June 17, 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 23rd premier of Ontario from 2002 to 2003. A Progressive Conservative, he took over the premiership upon Mike Harris's resignation as party leader, but the party was defeated in the 2003 election by the Liberals, under Dalton McGuinty.
Eves was born in Windsor, Ontario, to a working-class family. He studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School and practised law in his own firm, Green & Eves. He was elected in the northern Ontario riding of Parry Sound in 1981 by a margin of six votes but retained the seat for 20 years. He served briefly as a cabinet minister in the short-lived government of Frank Miller in 1985, but he was consigned to the opposition benches when the Tories were defeated in a motion of no confidence by an alliance of the opposition Liberal and New Democrats. He remained in opposition until 1995, when the Tories returned to power under Mike Harris, who appointed Eves as his Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. Family tragedy and marital problems led to his resignation from the legislature in 2001.
After a brief return to the private sector, Eves returned to politics when Harris resigned in 2002. He won the party leadership and regained a seat in the legislature after winning a by-election in the central Ontario riding of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey. His tenure as premier was short, as his party was defeated 16 months later in the 2003 election, which saw the PC party lose 35 of its 59 seats. He resigned as leader in 2004 and retired from the legislature on January 31, 2005.
In 2007, Eves was appointed as Chairman of Jacob Securities Inc., a Toronto-based financial services company. He served in that position until July 2012.[2]