Born in Toronto, Harris grew up in North Bay and worked as a ski instructor and schoolteacher before becoming a school board trustee in 1974.

He continued in his previous occupation as a ski-instructor at Nipissing Ridge on weekends as well as working at his father's fishing camp during the summer season.

[10] The Miller government was soon defeated on a motion of no confidence by David Peterson's Liberals and Bob Rae's New Democratic Party (NDP).

Harris entered the 1990 leadership race, and defeated Dianne Cunningham in a province-wide vote to replace Grossman as the party's official leader.

With help from past leader Larry Grossman, Harris managed to rally his party's core supporters with pledges of tax cuts and spending reductions.

Due to his teaching background, Harris was personally endorsed by several local members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF).

[13] By the 1995 election, the governing New Democratic Party and incumbent Premier Bob Rae had become unpopular with the electorate, partly due to the state of the Ontario economy and its record debt and deficit amidst a Canada-wide recession.

The Rae government had previously lost much of its base in organized labour, due in part to the unpopularity of its "Social Contract" legislation in 1993 (which Harris, after some initial vacillations, eventually voted against).

[15] Harris's opposition to Rae's affirmative action measures helped him to capture some unionized-worker support during the election, particularly among male workers.

[16] In addition roughly half of the PCs seats came from the suburban belt surrounding Metro Toronto, often called the '905' for its telephone area code.

Aimed to promote workplace diversity by addressing systemic barriers faced by women, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, and individuals with disabilities.

The government argued that the Employment Equity Act imposed unnecessary burdens on businesses and conflicted with the principle of hiring based on merit rather than quotas or targeted diversity initiatives.

Critics pointed out that the removal of employment equity legislation disproportionately impacted racialized communities and women, further entrenching systemic discrimination in hiring practices.

The government also introduced "Ontario Works", frequently referred to as "workfare", a program that required able-bodied welfare recipients to participate in either training or job placements.

Shortly after assuming office, the Harris government announced that several hundred nurses would be laid off to cut costs in the health sector.

Opposition parties were strongly opposed to the move; the NDP took the unusual step of attempting to filibuster against the bill by reading out the name of every street in Toronto.

Harris introduced Bill 160, (the Education Quality Improvement Act), which mandated a standardized curriculum and province-wide testing for students.

[31] Harris introduced a requirement for High School students to complete a mandatory 40 hours of volunteering in community service in order to graduate.

This policy led to mandatory suspensions and expulsions for certain infractions, disproportionately affecting Black students and contributing to their disengagement from the education system.

Members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied Ipperwash Provincial Park outside of Grand Bend, protesting a protracted land claims process.

[43] The inquest into the tragedy found that the government cuts to inspection services and their privatization had created a situation in which future water safety could not be guaranteed.

The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and other activists, including MPP of Toronto Centre, George Smitherman, protested the Harris ministry policies that were resulting in the transfer of wealth to the welathy from everyone else.

[45] Harris's government reduced Ontario welfare rolls by 500,000 people;[46] critics contend these cuts led to a rise in homelessness and poverty.

Supporters argued that high welfare rates had created disincentives to find entry-level jobs, and that poverty levels remained relatively unchanged between 1995 and 2005.

[49] In 2001, the Harris government introduced a plan to give a tax credit for parents who send their children to private and denominational schools (despite having campaigned against such an initiative in 1999).

[54] In 2012, Harris indicated that he would step down from the board of directors at Magna International after completing a process to collapse the company's dual-class share structure that he helped begin in 2010.

[65] The government and the OPP maintained that there was no political involvement in the shooting, but inside the Legislature where parliamentary privilege outweighs any civil claims, several opposition politicians suggested that the attack may have been ordered by the premier's office, and called for an independent judicial inquiry.

The report also called on the federal government to issue a public apology and return Camp Ipperwash – along with compensation – to the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation.

"[67]: 392 The Premier's determination to seek a quick resolution closed off many options endorsed by civil servants in the Ontario government, including process negotiations, the appointment of mediators, and opening up communication with the First Nations people.

[69] During his time as premier, Harris was frequently cited as someone who could "unite the right" in Canada, and lead a merged party of federal Progressive Conservatives and Reform/Canadian Alliance supporters.