She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.
[2] The Tories won a majority government in this election under Mike Harris's leadership, and Elliott was appointed as Minister of Environment and Energy on June 26, 1995.
[3] Due to Elliott's background in the environmental movement, many believed she would be a strong advocate for "green" policies in the Harris cabinet.
[citation needed] Elliott was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election for the redistributed riding of Guelph—Wellington by about ten thousand votes.
[6] When Ernie Eves replaced Mike Harris as Premier of Ontario in 2002, he named Elliott as his Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services.