Elgie was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1977 and sat as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for York East until 1985.
A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Elgie served in the provincial cabinet from 1978 to 1985, notably as Minister of Labour.
He was supported by the province's unions, and passed amendments to Ontario's Human Rights Code and Occupational Health and Safety regulations which were favourable to labour interests.
When Frank Miller replaced Davis as Premier of Ontario on February 8, 1985, he named Elgie as his Minister of Community and Social Services.
He was re-elected with a reduced majority in the 1985 election, as the Progressive Conservatives won a narrow minority government under Miller's leadership.
Elgie had little interest in serving on the opposition benches, and soon accepted an appointment by new Liberal Premier David Peterson as chair of the Workers' Compensation Board of Ontario.
[1] After leaving the WCB, he moved to Nova Scotia, and served as the founder first director of Dalhousie University's Health Law Institute from 1991 until 1996.
Elgie helped create a loving home and taught his children that those who are born into affluence are expected to give back to society.
[8] His eldest son, Stewart, is an environmental advocacy lawyer, founder of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, and a professor at the University of Ottawa.