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My best role models growing up were my parents. My mom worked hard to take care of people as a nurse. My dad was a dedicated teacher — and an entrepreneur — who was humbled when the people of Ottawa South chose him as their representative at Queen's Park.
My parents had great values. They worked hard and believed, above all, that giving back to your community isn't just an obligation — it's an honour. And I can think of no higher honour than serving the people of Ontario as Premier to make our province a better place.
My goal as Premier is to ensure Ontarians have the opportunity to succeed. That's why we're building opportunity by strengthening the education and skills, health and prosperity of our people. For Ontario to be at its best, we need every Ontarian to be at their best.
Health
Ontarians look out for one another. We care about each other. That's why health care is delivered based on how much you need care, not how much money you have.
Our public health care system is one of Ontario's competitive advantages when it comes to attracting jobs and investment. Other places have to cope with the high cost of private health insurance. Ontario doesn't — and that gives us an edge.
But we can't take this advantage for granted. We need to continue investing in our health care system to make sure our people get the care they need, when and where they need it.
We're working together to expand access to doctors and nurses and reduce wait times for key procedures.
And we're doing this the Ontario way — we're improving access and bringing down wait times for everyone — not just those who can afford to buy their way to the front of the line.
Education
When you think about it, nothing is more important to our families, or our future, than education and skills.
We want Ontarians to have a fair opportunity to succeed.
That's the right thing to do for our families. And it's the smart thing to do for our economy, because Ontario's competitive edge is our people.
That's why we're reducing class sizes in the early grades, improving student achievement in reading, writing and math, helping struggling students so they complete high school, and working to ensure our young people keep learning beyond high school, in high-quality universities, colleges and apprenticeship programs.
Economy
Like most kids, I had a summer job. Mine was working at a summer camp my family started. My father decided the best way to find jobs for his 10 kids was to create jobs. It was a lot of a fun and a lot of work, too. Those summers taught us about the rewards of entrepreneurship and the value of working and building together.
For Ontario to succeed, we need every Ontarian at his or her best. We need to ensure each Ontarian has the education and skills he or she needs to get the best jobs — or create the best jobs.
We live in a hyper-competitive, truly global economy. The best jobs will go to places that invest in their people. That means investing in people's health, education and skills to build prosperity.
Public Safety
Terri and I have four kids. Actually, they're not kids anymore. They're young adults now. And yet we still worry about them — every day.
Most families are the same way. The same is true of our communities. We want to know that our people — all of our people — are safe.
We want our children to be safe from bullies, our loved ones to be safe from crime, and our streets to be free of gangs and guns.
That's why we're working with communities and neighbourhoods to be tough on crime — and tough when it comes to preventing crime in the first place. We're hiring more police officers and prosecutors — and working to give our young people positive alternatives and real opportunities.
Strong Communities
We're focused on the education and skills, health and prosperity of Ontarians.
But the foundation for those things is the communities in which we live — including the infrastructure that supports those communities.
That's why, together, we're investing in strong and modern infrastructure — safe and efficient roads and bridges, public transit systems that keep our air clean and our families moving — and doing what's necessary to ensure a reliable supply of clean and affordable electricity.
It's also why we're working with our cities and towns, treating them as mature partners — because working together is the best way to deliver the results that Ontarians deserve.
Environment
Before I became Premier, I was a practising lawyer. But my first love was science, and my undergraduate degree is a science degree in biology from McMaster University.
I've always cared deeply about our natural environment. Some of my fondest memories are of summer canoe trips I've taken with my sons in Algonquin Park. And some of our proudest achievements, as a government, involve protecting our health and quality of life by protecting our environment.
That's why we've taken action to clean up the air we breathe, to protect the water we drink, and to preserve millions of acres of greenspace for future generations.
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