He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1990, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.
[5] The Liberals formed a minority government under David Peterson after this election, and Keyes was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Correctional Services and Solicitor General on June 26, 1985.
He stepped down as Solicitor General on December 3, 1986 while the matter was investigated by Toronto police, and was re-instated on January 9, 1987.
On another occasion, he provoked controversy by suggesting that some police services in Ontario were using hollow-tipped bullets, contrary to provincial law.
In 1998, he chaired the International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show in the neighbouring riding of Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.