Standing Up for What’s Right - Reflections on Leadership, Resilience & Change

December 8, 2023

The Empire Club of Canada Presents

Standing Up for What’s Right: Reflections on Leadership, Resilience & Change

Chairman: Sal Rabbani, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Distinguished Guest Speakers
The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Vice-Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets
The Honourable Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, Government of Ontario
Mike Van Soelen, Past President, Empire Club of Canada, Managing Principal, Navigator Ltd.

Head Table Guests
Richard Lyall, President, Rescon
Victoria Mancinelli, Director Public Relations, Marketing, Strategice Parternships, LiUNA
Paolo Abate, CEO, HAVEN Developments
Marc Porcelli, Founder, Curate Mobile Ltd.
Shalini Sheth, Director of Operations and Supply Chain of Surati Canada and COO of Surati USA,
Purvi Bhayani, Owner, My First Montessori

Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here at the Empire Club of Canada today, which is arguably the most famous and historically relevant speaker’s podium to have ever existed in Canada. It has offered its podium to such international luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi, and closer to home, from Pierre Trudeau to Justin Trudeau; literally generations of our great nation's leaders, alongside with those of the world's top international diplomats, heads of state, and business and thought leaders.

It is a real honour and distinct privilege to be invited to speak to the Empire Club of Canada, which has been welcoming international diplomats, leaders in business, and in science, and in politics. When they stand at that podium, they speak not only to the entire country, but they can speak to the entire world.

Welcome Address by Sal Rabbani, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Empire Club of Canada, Canada's go-to forum for conversations that matter for 120 years now. My name is Sal Rabbani, and it's an honour to stand before our community, both in person and virtually, as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Empire Club. Thank you for joining us. It's always a pleasure to have you here, where we hope to spark meaningful connections and a productive dialogue, by giving you access to this nation's diverse wealth of knowledge and leadership.

We're gathering today on the traditional and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the homelands of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples. We encourage everyone to learn more about the Traditional Territory on which you work and live. This is an essential first step to understanding the Indigenous People's stewardship of this land, their profound cultural heritage, and immense contributions. This is an essential first step to understanding Indigenous People's stewardship of this land, their profound cultural heritage, and immense contribution.

We have the privilege to welcome the Honourable Steven Lecce, Minister of Education for the Government of Ontario, for a fireside chat with the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Vice-Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets. Today, we'll hear about the work that the minister and his team have done to set Ontario students for success, and ensure they have the skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing, complex, economic and job market. Education is our best bet on a better future. Good education is the strongest ally, and the most important tool that we have—and that we've always had—for a future of change and progress. In our schools, we're preparing, educating, and empowering our children and youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. There are two million students in elementary and secondary schools in Ontario, from kindergarten to grade 12, plus another one million students enrolled in post-secondary education—this is universities and colleges. Three million agents of change. Three million people who can take our province toward a better tomorrow. Three million people who, in a pretty immediate future, with the right knowledge and tools—that is, with good education—will help solve some of the wicked, complex problems of our times: climate change, inequality, and social justice, responsibly and ethically managing the intersection between artificial intelligence and humanity.

You know, if sometimes you feel overwhelmed by how complex and fast-paced our world has become, brace yourself. It's poised to become even more complicated. So, we ask the question: how are we helping our children and our youth get ready for the unknown? How does our Ontario educational system encourage critical thinking and creativity, and one of the most important things, in my opinion, adaptability to change. In front of an acute labour shortage and increased global competition for talent, is our educational system ready to prepare students for the future job market and technological advancements? Today is about all of us, about our children, our youth, and our future generations.

For those joining us online today, if you require technical assistance, please start a conversation with our team using the chat button on the right-hand side of your screen.

The Empire Club is a not-for-profit organization, and we'd like to recognize our sponsors, who generously support the club, and make these events possible and complimentary for our online viewers to attend. Thank you to our VIP Reception Sponsors, LiUNA, and the Residential Construction Council of Ontario; and thank you to our Supporting Sponsor, the Greater Toronto Sewer and Water Main Contractors Association; thank you, also, to our Season Sponsors, AWS Amazon Web Services, Bruce Power, and Hydro One.

With a commitment to reform and accountability, Minister Lecce has spearheaded transformative initiatives, such as abolishing seniority-based hiring in schools. His leadership extends to overhauling the entire curriculum, mandating financial literacy, and introducing critical subjects like coding, robotics, and mental health education. He aims to equip students with essential life and job skills by emphasizing a return to basics, ensuring they graduate as well-rounded folks, leaders poised for success in tomorrow's world. Join me in welcoming to the stage Minister Steven Lecce, as he shares his insights and experiences with us today.

The Honourable Steven Lecce, Minister of Education, Government of Ontario
Well, good afternoon. Thank you so much Sal, for that very kind welcome—I'd say perhaps a future Minister of Education if you want it, Sal—but thank you so much to the Empire Club. It's an honour to be here. I want to give a shout out to LiUNA, to RESCON, the Greater Toronto Sewer and Water Main Contractors Association for your sponsorship and support. I also want to give a shout out to my dear friend, Jill Dunlop, who is with us, the Minister of Colleges and Universities, an incredible leader in this province, and my seatmate—so, she has to endure sitting with Steven Lecce each and every day. So, we pray for you, Jill, and we love you. Lisa Raitt, the amazing Lisa Raitt, former Minister, Member of Parliament for Milton, an incredible leader in our country. Thank you so much. And a treat of Peter Kent, the former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Member from Thornhill, a Principal Conservative. Thank you, sir, for being here.

Now, the Empire Club has a long history of hosting Ontario's Ministers of Education, including Robert Pyne in 1909, George Drew in 1945—while he was also Premier, he did a dual shift—and to Bill Davis in 1966, and the late, great Betty Stevenson in 1985. And I feel like I am humbled to be in good company.

Now, friends, I am incredibly optimistic about the future of our province and our people. But friends, let us be under no illusions. To seize our potential, to live up to our country's heritage of freedom and opportunity, and to ensure your kids have a fighting chance to live the Canadian dream, we must act. We must act in defence of our values. And it's more obvious than ever that we, as a country, must get serious—as a province, too. To be bold, as a people, we must be ready and willing to disrupt static systems that often serve perhaps their own self-interest, rather than the welfare of children in this province, and we must be ready to confront the economic and social difficulties on the horizon.

And one of the greatest actions governments of all levels can take is to combat the failing productivity growth that we're seeing in this province and country in recent decades, and around the entire industrialized world. But in this province, we have a plan for today's workers and tomorrow's innovators, a plan to boost higher levels of innovation that drives growth in productivity. Specifically, it means better jobs and bigger paychecks, as well as increased living standards for all Ontarians. A plan to boost growth across the economy.

Our government is not hoping for the best; we are changing the economic landscape of this province by attracting game-changing investments in sectors such as life sciences, electric vehicles, and EV battery production, and advanced manufacturing. But if we want to grow these sectors, and attract these multi-billion-dollar investments that create jobs, and get our young people working, Ontario must have an educated, skilled workforce, and its education system must reflect the needs of our ever-changing labour market. You know, as my old hockey coach reminded me—invoking a little Gretzky—"Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." And since day one, my mission has been to stand up for what is right. And part of that leadership matrix includes the ability to think ahead, and to build for the future, to usher in reform because change is necessary, even if it may be hard.

Over these past four-and-a-half long years as your Minister of Education, we've made some of the most significant changes to modernize our education system. And many of you ask me, why? Why take these hits? Why would you disrupt the status quo? Just let it be, they say. Less is more, they say. When it comes to your kids, and the future prosperity of our country, we need to be bold. We need to be dreamers again. We need to unapologetically elevate the standards and outcomes and ambitions of children, east and west, north, and south—in all parts of this province. Because I got into politics as a generational Conservative, because I believe in the potential of the next generation to build this country, so that Canada endures for another 156 years. To safeguard and defend our country, our economy, our security, and civil society, so that for another 156 years, our country can remain the True North, Strong and Free.

Now, we don't have to go back to the 1860's as a case study; we could go back to 2018, when Premier Ford and our government were-elected, and the education system was failing to prepare so many students for their future. And in doing so, was failing to ensure and secure our long-term prosperity as a province and country. It was especially alarming to learn that 52 percent of grade 6 students were not meeting provincial standards in math, according to EQAO data in 2018-'19. Now, we knew instinctively, as every parent in this province knows to today, that we had to go back to the basics. And that started with removing the former government's discovery math, which had been in place since 2005.

Now, friends, just to create a case study for the need for change, the math curriculum, the science curriculum, grades 1 through 9, had not been updated in 10 and 15 years, respectively. And yet, the world was changing around us at such a fast pace. The first iPhone had yet to be marketed, YouTube had not been launched, Twitter had not been released, and yet our curriculum remained static. We need to have a sense of commitment to innovation, so that we keep up with the ever-changing global economy. We give our kids a competitive advantage when they graduate in this province. And we know math skills are foundational in economy, and in one's life. It's why we introduced a new math curriculum in 2020, so that every student, now required by mandate to learn about mathematical modeling, coding, financial literacy, and basic money skills in every grade, as well as how mathematics integrates with other STEM disciplines. Folks, this means, for the first time, your kids are learning how to save for a home, learning about mortgages, and credit, and debt, and personal responsibility. Because if someone in this room knows—be it Lisa Raitt or Peter Kent—they know that budgets do not balance themselves,. And so, we need to have that personal responsibility enshrined in these young people to save and to plan ahead.

We also know that illiteracy costs our economy billions in lost productivity. But even to decouple the numbers, just the mental health, the confidence of these kids, and their ability to seek meaningful employment. It is for them that we must do more. And it's why we pursued and followed the science of reading. We unveiled a landmark plan to raise literacy rates in this province by overhauling the language curriculum in both English and French. We're the only jurisdiction on the continent to be screening kids, early reading screening for every child in senior kindergarten, grade 1, and 2, because I believe we need to have a measurement tool to assess progress. And if some of those kids are falling behind, we now have more supports to put in place to help them catch up; get to the averages we expect in Ontario. And we went back to the basics. We listened to parents. We re-introduced phonics, and cursive writing, and brought in digital literacy.

You know, these are time-tested strategies that worked for generations. I cannot speak to why we got rid of them. But we're bringing them back, because the evidence tells a story. We also introduced critical thinking skills. Because I believe, more than ever, we need to teach kids how to think, not what to think, in Ontario's publicly-funded schools.

Now, these skills have become necessary because the global economy is increasingly digital. We get that. An estimated 40 percent of jobs in the province are going to be disrupted by technology,. And so, policymakers have to think ahead. And we know, with the population growing at a minimum of 500,000 people per year—and we estimate as much higher in this province—that we already have a challenge of access to skilled labour. And we're in the middle of an acute skilled labour shortage, with 370,000 jobs that are unfilled, and another 100,000 additional trade workers required over the next decade. This is an opportunity. And I will say to you, as the son of immigrants—part of one of the few Conservative movements in the entire world that is pro-immigration—I'm proudly for immigration. I want to see more skilled labour and families come to this province to pursue the dream. But we must be prepared for it, and plan ahead for it. And we're taking action to solve the skilled labour shortage. And I'm very proud of this, for the advocacy partnership between school boards, federations, private sector, public sector, all of us together doing something that is necessary to ensure every child in this province is required, in grade 9 or 10, to take a technological education course—I knew RESCON would be pleased with that. But, you know, look, when 20 percent of jobs will be in the skilled trades, it just makes sense to introduce every child, to require every child to take these courses. Particularly girls, who are disproportionately underrepresented in the skilled trades. And this is well beyond plumbing or welding. There are so many diversified courses that give a spectrum of opportunity, including communications technology. There's an opportunity for every child. And this will, therefore, give every child the prerequisite to pursue skilled trades, should they want to do so later in their career.

It's why our government has expanded co-ops and hands-on learning. It's what our employers want, and frankly, it's what many of our educators are calling for: more integrated learning where young people get to apply that theory, that application, right in a business or nonprofit. It's why we're working together with Minister Piccini, and Dunlop, and so many others, to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, and the Dual Credit Program, and expanded the Specialist High Skills Major program. That means that our schools must be designed, and must be built for skills trades, and technological education. Therefore, we must, and we will, build modern schools in fast-growing communities, with skilled trades classes built within them. Because while we know the previous government—I mean, it must be said—there were 600 schools closed, as a matter of fact, I'm proud to say, under our government and the Premier's leadership, we're investing $15 billion to build new schools over the next decade. A hundred schools are active as we speak, underway, under construction, two hundred more in the pipeline. And soon enough, I will be unveiling a plan to supercharge construction, so that it does not take a decade to build a standard school in this province. Like, I cannot imagine the frustration of a parent living in a community waiting so long for a school to be built. And this requires all of us, particularly our municipal partners, to play a role, and to step up. And in the days ahead, we'll unveil a plan to do just that.

It's going back to the thesis of today. It's about driving change, disrupting tired systems, and demanding better for the people we represent, and building better and faster, particularly on completion of our construction timelines—yes, for parents, and kids, and staff, but also for the taxpayers who are footing the bill. Now, families pay the bills, so they deserve schools that are close to home, just as they deserve greater accountability from school boards and other institutions. And we value our partnership with our school boards. And one of the first principles both of us share is that kids must be safe. And it's why, some years ago, I reformed the Ontario College of Teachers, bringing it in line with other professional regulatory bodies, by removing the teacher majority on the college, whereby teachers regulated teachers. And again. this institution was not necessarily built through the lens of the public interest. And I simply cannot stand for that. So, we brought in greater safety to our classrooms, by introducing, for the first time, a zero-tolerance policy. And under these reforms, any educator who has a serious criminal conviction or charge against them will no longer be able to be in the front of class, part of a new lifetime ban from teaching. We're the only province who have imposed sexual abuse prevention training on every teacher, every early childhood educator in the province.

Now, it must be said, it must be said, that the overwhelming majority of educators got into this enterprise because they love kids, and they're amazing at what they do. We celebrate their work. I'm proud of them. But of course, there are bad actors in any profession—and I want the message to be zero tolerance in any publicly funded school. So, those individuals will never work with children again. And we also know, we have now publicly posted the names of those convicted with serious criminal offenses. Because it is about the kids. If it's about the kids, as they say, then it's not about protecting one's behind—it's about ensuring parents have a right to know. So, that's why we pursued that reform in the interest of children. And talking about upholding that public interest, last June, we introduced the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, or Bill 98. And this is a transformational bill. It is about repatriating power back to parents. It's about levelling up, it's about setting higher ambitions and standards for your kids, and it's fundamentally refocusing schools on academic achievement, on those foundations of learning that actually matter most to you—to families, and to employers, and to our educators, too—reading, writing, math, and other STEM disciplines. That is our priority in this province.

And for the first time, the Ministry has binding power to mandate provincial priorities dealing with academic achievement on every school board, ensuring metrics to measure progress. Because the thrust of this bill is to create a coherent vision in our education system. Currently, every school board has their own approach. And yet, the provincial government is responsible for education. I face the music every single day, and yet I really didn't retain the power to inform that change. And as the Minister of Education, I felt that we needed power to drive systemic improvement, and that's why we passed Bill 98—and I will say we had bipartisan support for that bill. And now, for the first time, we will have, now, directors of education involved in performance assessments. We've empowered the voice of parents in our school system. We've increased transparency on how we spend tax dollars, and to ensure schools are being built faster, and end the territorialism that sometimes can exist between various entities in the education system, where they don't want to partner for the good of the child.

So, now this bill gives us the power. And in fact, it sends the cultural signal to our partners that we're going to be building schools, joint project schools, joint-use schools. We're going to be building schools in residential condominiums, because vertical growth and critical communities are where many families are living. We're going to synergize with community organizations like the YMCA, and so many other wonderful partners who are here today. In fact, because we believe we can build better quality educational facilities if we leverage community and leverage our coterminous school board partnerships. Because, as I said earlier, those families deserve better, and ultimately, they deserve to be in the driver's seat of their child's education.

And I will add to that [single clap from audience]—thank you to that one. I thought that was a unifying message, but—[applause]. Fundamentally, when we think about the last few months, and the last year, and how kids are doing, they are doing well. It's a challenging environment, don't get me wrong, but they deserve a normal, uninterrupted school year. Through my tenure, I've been through two rounds of collective bargaining with public sector unions; some of them are present with us today, and I appreciate, honestly, their presence today. Almost 18 deals later—I've got a few more to go, but I think we'll get to the finish line in collaboration and good faith.

But we're really committed to reaching these deals, not just because in the abstract it's just good politics, but because it's actually good to ensure stability for children. And they're so much better off when they're in front of their teacher, when they're with their friends, when they're doing clubs, and sports, and extracurriculars, and art, and music. These things enrich the well-rounded journey of learning for our kids. And I know so many kids [sic] want to end that sense of disruption that really hurts their kids. We know stability leads to higher success and graduation rates, we know it leads to better jobs. And the research is also clear: the quality of an educator can literally change the course of a child's life. Quality, experience, leadership in the classroom, that's what I believe should matter most. I never thought it would be a radical concept to declare that our kids deserve the best teacher in front of their class, period. And it's why, some years ago, we revoked a regressive regulation under the former Liberals, brought in by then Minister Wynne, to end the promotion and hiring of educators that was based historically on their seniority, instead reverting to a meritocracy, where their qualification triumphs, and is the first and most important consideration in hiring in this province. Because you want the best person in front of your child.

Now, we're driving transformational change. We're giving young people some sense of hope to prepare for this changing economy. We want students to feel confident about getting a job, raising a family, being able to afford a home. That should not be abstract for our kids, and we believe that Ontario's education system has a key role to play in helping them to become good Canadian citizens. Part of that is also the importance of making sure that they're okay, and mental health is essential; it is existential to their success, their academic journey. It's why our government has increased funding in schools for mental health from roughly 18 million in 2018, to $114 million today; over a 500 percent increase in funding and services for your kids when compared to when we started in 2018.

And part of that [applause]—thank you—part of that actually comes from my colleague, my friend in, from Burlington, Natalie Pierre, who introduced mandatory mental health courses to help students recognize the signs of mental distress. She had her own experience with her own son. And in his honour, we brought forth new mandatory learning, where every child has a toolkit of knowledge, developed in partnership with the Hospital for Sick Children and School Mental Health Ontario, to give kids the ability to grow up with confidence that they have supports, the individual tools, and they know how to navigate a system; that they always know that they are supported, they are loved.

Another important part of our responsibility is to uphold the values that unite us as Canadians. And I believe it is so important that we really emphasize the critical necessity of civic engagement, and civic responsibility. It is why Ontario led the nation in the introduction of mandatory learning on Holocaust Education and the Holodomor because I believe, because I believe that students must recognize the horrors of totalitarian regimes and, and political extremism. Be on the far left or far right, it undermines our democratic character and our social cohesion as a nation. Our message to our children is, never be a bystander in the face of hate and division. That's a critical message now more than ever.

Now, as I concluded—I think we're looking forward to Lisa's role, here—I just want to say, I'm often told by many Tories, Conservatives say, you know, education isn't, quote, a "winning issue" for us, so we shouldn't therefore speak less about it. Honestly, I disagree. I believe parents support common sense reforms to our system, and frankly, they want more of it, with an emphasis on back-to-basics, focus on strengthening those life and job skills, so that students graduate as financially literate, technologically savvy, emotionally intelligent leaders that are ready for the jobs of tomorrow. And that is our mission. And I pledge to you, I will remain unyielding in our focus on delivering for your children, yes, resilient leadership that is unapologetically driving change in this province. As Church Hill used to say, "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." So, I hope you will join me in how we continue this work to drive common sense change in this province. I'm so grateful for your participation. I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah for those that celebrate. And now, for the best part, Lisa rate. Thanks so much

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Okay, good. I just said to Sal, "You don't have to introduce me formally. We're just gonna get down." So, Minister.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Hi Lisa.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
We had a phone call last night, and you told me that I could ask you anything.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I don't remember that, actually. But...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. And now,...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...okay.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...your staff are looking at me saying, "No, we had an agreement." But we don't have an agreement....

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Okay.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...I'm just going to tell you that. So, I've got some stuff written down that I really wanted to ask you about. In fairness, Minister Lecce and I go way back. In fact, you served with us in Parliament, and—well, you weren't an MP, but you thought you were, you thought you were, some days....

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I was a wannabe.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...because tried to tell us what to say all the time...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I did, yes.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...quite frankly. We didn't always listen to you.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I know.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
But nonetheless, you gave some good advice. But we've known each other for years. But what I didn't realize is that you're a first-generation Canadian. So, tell me how that has kind of shaped your view of policy.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
You know, it's very humbling. Like, I think for a lot of people, we forget sometimes the crazy stories of humility that overwhelms a family.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
M'hm (affirmative)

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I think about my parents, you know, my mom and dad both are immigrants. They, my mom came to Canada in the late '50's, '57, through Halifax, Pier 21. She literally remembers the ice caps and the distance—also, as an aside, why did every immigrant come to Canada in January and February? I don't actually get this. But it's the same story. She remembers that. My father, through Ellis Island.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And so my grandmother, my grandmother literally remembers seeing Lady Liberty, as she referred to it, in the horizon. And it's very powerful to think that one generation ago, my parents came on a boat with no language skills, literally no money, they didn't know anyone. It's literally the story that we all have, for those of us who are immigrants—of course, with the exception of First Peoples. But otherwise, we have the same story and the same ambitions. They came here so that their kids would have a better life. And for me, that's the driving force behind my existence, this sort of sense of responsibility. You know, when I think of what they overcame, the adversity, the discrimination in the early '50's and '60's, the economic hardship, the fact that they had literally three or four families living in a home—which is the story of new Canadians today—it reminds me that we cannot lose the dream of this country. We've got to keep pursuing the values of our forefathers and mothers, because they're wholesome values, they're hard work, it's staying close to family, and loving your country. They raised me to be proud Canadians. They raised me to recognize, yes, I'm proud of my heritage, totally—I'm a shameless Italian, as every single one of you knows this, proud of my heritage—but I have a deep fidelity to this country because it gave my family the opportunity to, for their son or daughter, one generation later, to get elected...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...and to get appointed to a cabinet. And it's just, it's a great story of what's possible through hard work in this country.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And to work for the Prime Minister of Canada.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yes.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Like, don't, don't forget about that. Now, oftentimes, I'm asked by younger folk—I used to think you were young. You're not young anymore, eh? So....

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
No. Thanks, Lisa.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
You're welcome. I went from being called bright to being called wise, and it was a bad day in my life, I have to say. So, I know that when I have young folks come up and talk to me, oftentimes they'll ask me for some advice, and I actually steer them towards working for a minister or partaking in an election, because it turbocharges your career. You see stuff that you had never anticipated or even thought of in your life.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Right.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
So, what did you take from your time with Prime Minister Harper with you, now that you serve as a minister? What did you, what were some lessons that you took from that time?

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
You know, I was very honoured to work for Prime Minister Harper, the 22nd Prime Minister. This is a guy who met me when I was the president of the university, and hired me almost on the spot....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
President of the university of students...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Students council, yes.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...yeah. You're not president of the university.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Well, I mean, we don't have to go that granular. I'm trying to—the objective today is to build me up, Lisa. Okay? But, okay, so. I guess....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Fact check. Fact check.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
People surmised that based on my age. But thank you, Lisa, for sharing that.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
You asked me to do this.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I know I did. But, um, I met him. And honestly, you have to appreciate, like, how radical an idea that I, a person like me, from a family that's not connected; they're not donors, they weren't influencers, they've never been to a political event—we didn't talk politics at my dinner table.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Right.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Like, I wasn't raised to be political.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Right.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Maybe to pursue entrepreneurship, which is the small business reality my father pursued. But so, working for him, I think, was a massive opportunity for me to appreciate the fragility of our values...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...and of the freedoms we enjoy. Like, I remember travelling with him to the G7. We were in Ukraine immediately following the...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Crimea.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
... original invasion of Crimea. The first....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Were you with him when he threatened Putin?

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
No. But I was doing the comms back home for that.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Okay. That must have been fun.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
It was a "Get-out-of-Ukraine," it wasn't a threat. But it was a, it is a reminder of what principal leadership can look like. And the point is, is when abroad, when I was in Ukraine meeting Ukrainians thanking Canada for having the moral courage to stand up for our values.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
This speaks about maybe my, my lack of social life back in the day—but when I vacationed, when I worked for Prime Minister Harper, I went to do democracy promotion in North Africa after the Arab Spring, after the uprising. And I was in Tunisia twice, actually. And I met this—I'll never forget—I was there with an institution, the International Republican Institute created by Ronald Reagan to promote democracy. And the point is, I was meeting this young woman in a hijab, and she was so emotional, because I was literally doing debate sessions with her.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
But they've never debated. They never had the ability to express freely. And so, it was so radical for me to be like, oh my goodness, like, we're doing the basics here. And I thought, my God, we are so privileged to be a Canadian. We are so privileged to live—yes, we have challenges, today especially. But we are still living in the best country on Earth. We still have so much to fight for. And appreciating that the values of democracy, of freedom, of human rights, of the rule of law, the things that should unite us as Canadians. For me, it was the penultimate reminder that this flag represents something very strong abroad. And going back to that young woman, you know, I remember she spoke French as well. But she said "shukria," thank you, in Arabic, and that's where I learned the word. And I just, I'll never forget the power of a Canadian to go abroad, to advance our values, to share those principles, and to hope for human dignity for every single citizen. And that was my sort of case study for why we live in the best country on Earth.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. And that's why people should go and work for politicians because they can get an experience that you read about, but you necessarily can't get. You touched on, a little bit about how kids these days have access to a lot of information.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
M'hm (affirmative)

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And we just touched on conflicts around the world. But what we're seeing now is, look, they carry the world in their pocket.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Right.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
They can get any piece of information they want. They're getting all kinds. It's like, wars that are across the world are now on our shores. But they're also in our streets, and conflict's also in our schools.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
M'hm (affirmative).

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
So, tell me a little bit about how you're approaching that phenomenon that is...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yeah.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...what we're experiencing here in Canada.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
You know, while we don't want to import the challenges abroad, we must not be naïve. I mean, there's challenges happening. These are issues that are being debated in our schools today and in our societies. And that's okay, in the abstract. Conversation is important, so long as we're listening to each other, not speaking through each other.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Right.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And I'm seeing—and this is not a comment on young people; it's a comment on society, where we've become so siloed. Where we're speaking, you know, we're not trying to emancipate our values or our knowledge; we're just trying to lecture, and yell, and point fingers. So, we all—I would say, political actors especially—have to set the tone of civility.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
M'hm (affirmative)

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I think how I combat that challenge, that's a big macro existential challenge for our country, our economy, our democracy. But how we fix it, I think, is through education. I actually believe the greatest weapon against this division is education and the promotion of Canadian values. And that's why we revised and overhauled the civic education.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
That's right.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Honestly, Lisa, I think one thing we all would agree with is, like, civics, careers, these were like "bird courses," as they used to say, Lisa, in my generation. And they should not be. That's a serious threat to Canada. We need young people to have a sense of duty, and responsibility, and almost a forward obligation to want to leave this country better than how they inherited it. That's the heritage of freedom, of opportunity I spoke about. So, civic education is critical. Critical thinking skills...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
... important, teaching kids about disinformation, misinformation. You know, just a few weeks ago, I joined friends in the Ukrainian community and many other communities afflicted by totalitarian regimes. You may say, why? Like, why are we teaching about communism? How is that a threat today? It's the concept that ideological extremism, far-right, for the fascists, and the Communists, and the Marxists, and the extremities that are taking hold and becoming mainstream, in some ways, is a threat to democracy. It's a threat to our country,. And so, I think we’ve got to teach about both. That's why we introduced mandatory learning in Holocaust education. It's why I led a campaign across the country to say to other provinces, you should do the same. And I'm proud. And I will give credit: a New Democratic government in BC...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yep.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...adopted Holocaust ed two months ago. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and just yesterday, the Territory of Yukon, have signed up to teach civic and Holocaust education.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Good for [indiscernible]. That’s great.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
For me, that is how we combat this threat. Because it teaches kids to never be bystanders, to be active participants in the fight against hate.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And I think that that concept is critical.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.
The Hon. Stephen Lecce
It really is.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
So. Minister, as a lot of people in the room know, in 2016, right when I was in the middle of my career as a politician, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And it, you know, those kinds of things in your life really put a shock in your system. You don't anticipate it, but you got to deal with it.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yep.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And you, coming up to a really high point in your life, and your mom died. So, I learned a lot of lessons from my experience with, with that. Anything that you can share that you may have learned from that experience?

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
You know, I think, first off, it's fair to say, you know, like, politics is such an emotional roller coaster. So, like in May of 2019, very tragically and rather quickly, my mother had passed away from cancer. And then, like, 20 days later, the premier called me to be, "Do you want to be the Minister of Education?" You know, do you want to be appointed to Cabinet at the tender old age of 32.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And it's just crazy to think of, like....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Okay, now he's trying to make me feel old.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
No, I'm not. But, you know, that was a difficult time.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I think, for me, being grounded in the values that I was raised with, by my mom particularly, that really helped to sustain me. I have amazing friends and a wonderful family. I also believe that values, memories, these things endure through the generations. And the one thing my mom was big on was just the idea of working hard, and being kind. And I try to bring those values with me. I try to make sure my brother and I, for his children, they live through them. You know, we all go through loss. I mean, this is not unique to politicians. Every one of us has faced adversity. The question is, how do we get back up again?

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
How do we demonstrate an element of resilience. Not for the sake of being resilient, but for the sake of demonstrating to those we love that we're not going to give up. And, you know, we also, like, we are on platforms where we have to sort of lead by example.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
We do.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And it's not about leading by example just because we're supposed to; it's because we want to.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
We want to show people that you can overcome difficulty, and you can build a support network of kindness and love, and you can get through literally anything. If I can get through that, I'm telling you...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...it has built up a sense of strength, and a fidelity to my principles, and to the memory of my mom, and to all those that we've lost that, you know, you can go forward, and you can do it in a positive, productive way. And I would just say, you know, the big thing for me is just also making sure I carry on some of the tradition.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
M'hm (affirmative).

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
My mom did the big dinners for Christmas and all those things. While I perform a very mediocre version of a Christmas dinner—like, I'm now hosting family, and doing these types of things, and trying to keep her spirit alive. And I think we could all do that for those we love, and I hope you do. Because these things endure, and values carry on.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. Very true. So, I was minister for seven years. You're coming up to four-and-a-half years.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Right.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
But you'll recognize that you pack a lot into that time. It felt like 15 years for me, and it ...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
45 for me.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...looked like it was 15 years for me.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you, though.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
It feels, it feels really long. But what advice—I'm going to ask you to take a moment to reflect, you never get time to reflect—but what advice would you give a young minister coming into government today? Any government, anywhere. What advice would you give them, knowing what you've known. Because you haven't had a straight path.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
No, that's a—nope.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Like you, I shared a couple of....

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Well, I think you were appointed, and two days later Lac-Mégantic....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
No, no. Mégantic happened, and then I was appointed.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Two, a few days later? Okay.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Three days later.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Okay, yeah.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And you forbid me from going, but I still went.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I did not. That's a lie. But I think the answer to your question is to chill out. Which may be a counterintuitive answer. But for anyone who's worked with me, the first years—I think my first chief-of-staff, Phil Lawford, is literally laughing right now—you have to appreciate, though, for all the haters and laughers in the room here, like, I was very young when I was appointed to cabinet.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yes.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I was self-aware. I didn't expect to be in cabinet, certainly did not expect to be in education. I wasn't petitioning for any role, but I certainly was not asking for that one...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...you know, in the abstract, any of the big ones. But the reason why I say that is because, first of all, there's an element of ageism that can take place.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
M'hm (affirmative).

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I feel like I had something to prove. I was a younger guy in this business, and I felt like every moment of every day had to be such an intense enterprise. And, you know, that seriousness is a good thing, if it's channelled productively. I've learned to sort of learn how to breathe. I've learned how to focus, and frankly, how to remind myself that in the business, in the space we live in and operate in, it's such an echo chamber, sometimes, politics. Like, sometimes politicians obsess about Twitter, which is literally the most disproportionate, unrepresentative focus group on Earth.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. So true. So true.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yeah. So, I have learned through the School of Hard Knocks that, you know, I trend on Twitter, like literally #FireLecce almost each and every day—I'm looking at my federation partners for that one, thank you, Merry Christmas, folks, I know. But I will say to them, you have helped me learn about what matters most, which is, the audience that matters are the silent majority, the people, the parents, the taxpayers. When I go to the grocery store, or like, go to Home Depot to grab stuff, it's like people just coming up to me to share their aspirations, maybe their concerns, and their gratitude.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
That's a huge, amazing experience for me. And while I still do social media, I still check it, all that stuff. I've learned to focus on what matters. And I think it's a better version of myself. And I'm a big believer—like, I'm a big believer in continuous learning. I'm grateful for the mentors in my life, the people who've worked with me, my teams over the years who have endured me. Because I've learned from them too. And we've got amazing public servants in our ministry.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
We do.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
We have amazing political staff...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...particularly in our Ministry of Education. They are awesome. And they're value-based people, who are in it for the right reasons. So, when you surround yourself with greatness and shared values, I really believe you can unleash a potential that is unstoppable.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And that's sort of how we feel. We feel like we're doing a lot of good, and we've got more to do.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. And, and it's really a team sport.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yes.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
I know we're running short on time. I'm sorry. You answered all my policy questions in your speech, so I don't have to ask any policy questions. But I had one last question for you. And it's kind of along the line—you mentioned that I had the responsibility for Lac-Mégantic. I did, right afterwards.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Right.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And that really was everything that I did as Minister of Transport after that. But if I look back and think of something that I'm proud of—Lac-Mégantic was important...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yes.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...but oddly enough, I would tell you the thing I'm most proud of, in a weird kind of way, is the fact that I was the minister that allows you to use your phone on an airplane, and you don't have to stow it before you're landing anymore.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
I was the one that brought that, that small little regulation.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Well....

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
See, people like it, right?

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yeah, it's—thank you for bringing Canada into the 21st century, Lisa. We value that.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
And it...

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Yeah.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
...listen, it took nine months. It was not an easy thing to do. But do you have anything from your career so far that you look back on and you think, it may not have gotten the headlines, it may not have gotten all kinds of attention, but man, I'm really glad I did that?

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
I mean, there's a few things. I mean, we're in such a busy media environment where, like, you know, you get 24 hours at best, and people move on and people forget.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
So, honestly, the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, I spoke a bit about it, like that is game-changing in this province. We have a system of education, it's our governance reality, where every school board—and it's not a criticism at all of them, it's just the nature of, frankly, provincial government decisions—where a lot of power is devolved. So, you sort of have 72 school boards, you know, aligned broadly, but sort of doing their own thing. Different priorities, different emphasis, different standards, different performance appraisals for staff, different hiring systems for directors—they're just very different and disparate. And I would submit, like, I am the Minister of Education. So when people are like, "Oh, you're the Minister of Education. Education and Health, these are the big ones." Like, maybe. But I feel like I'm the least powerful minister on Earth. Because all the power is outside of my control. I don't hire staff. I'm not the employer. People are like, "You need to fire this person." Like, I cannot do that. I can't even call their—like, I just can't hire, I can't fire, so, don't call me about any of your kids looking for a job, I, but I just, I can't. Like, and so, I felt like this is such a bizarre world, where there's no cogent macro lens applied to our system of education. And yet I'm the minister. I'm responsible, legally, under the Education Act, and the duty I signed when I swore an oath. And yet, I can't really operationalize that. So, the power to centralize and create coherence, to require accountability on school boards on academic achievement, like a binding requirement that all boards will do. Now, they were all doing it. But it's creating some vigour and standardization, where reading, writing, and math, STEM disciplines, matter most. I'm often reminded it's not a basic world. There's so much more to learn, and I agree.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
We're going well beyond reading, writing, and math. But I believe, fundamentally, as a Progressive Conservative and just as a cabinet minister, if we don't master the fundamentals, if there's not mastery of foundational skills, these young people will not be set up for success, both economically, and even in their quality of life. So, this bill creates that authority. It reimagines how we build, requiring and encouraging school boards to synergize, coterminous boards, meaning a Public or a Catholic board building together—or, perhaps a bad example, of an English board and a Catholic board working together. There's so many examples where we could have schools built with YMCA, schools built in condos. I'm the first minister...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. I like that.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
...to build a school in a condominium.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
I like that idea.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
But, you know, that's where the future is in vertical communities.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah. Absolutely.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
And so, we need to be bold, we need to be ready to disrupt—not to be annoying, but to be constructive...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
... and reformist. We also have to be ready to demand better. And part of this bill is about elevating our standards for our kids. I really mean this. We've seen systematically the watering down of quality in schools. That's not good for anyone. That's just not, that's not an inclusive instinct, is to reduce the future income potential and confidence of these young people—we need to be levelling up. That's what we aspire to do. And the other component of the bill that I think is really important is that it really does empower parental voices.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
M'hm (affirmative)

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
They're not to be sort of that annoying community that, you know, you've got to deal with. The instinct is you want to deal with them, you want to learn from them, and we want to extract some of their good ideas. And some of their best ideas are the ones we've adopted in our government, including launching the largest and only publicly-funded tutoring program to level up on reading, writing, and math, which so many kids benefited from. But that idea didn't come from me.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
It didn't come from Patrice, my Parliamentary Assistant. It came from parents, who were like...

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
"You know what would be really great? If you created an opportunity for my kids to zero in on the learning that matters."

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Yeah.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
So, I'm going to continue to take the best ideas from the people we represent, continue to try to be forward-looking, positive in my disposition, and just grateful to be able to do this. You know, like sometimes people say, like, "Do you enjoy what you do?" And while I often make this joke—and he knows I will say this—like, "I want to know what I did wrong to Doug Ford to become the minister of education for four-and-a-half years." But, and I say this loosely, because I'm actually grateful. I never thought I would love this. I love what I do. I love who I serve. And it's been a real roller coaster, but an opportunity for learning and for public service. And I hope other young people feel inspired that no matter where they came from, they can lead, they can make a difference, and they can leave a legacy of hope. And that's a positive thing, I think, for this country.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Thank you, Minister. Appreciate that.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Very true.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
So, I want to thank the minister, I want to thank the Empire Club. But to your point about, you know, asking what did you ever do to Doug for to become the minister of Education. I, I don't know if you remember this, but I once said in a speech after I was coming up to my third year as the Minister of Labour—a long time in labour—that "It's cruel and inhumane punishment to leave a woman in labour for three years."

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Ha, ha.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
So, I don't think you liked that joke when I said it at the time.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
No.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
But Minister, I want to thank you very much. And by the way, I said that he told me I couldn't go to Lac-Mégantic. You weren't that one. It was somebody else who suggested it.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
I know. That wasn't you. You helped me a lot with responding to auditor general reports, actually. So, that I really appreciate your time on that.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you.

The Hon. Lisa Raitt
Thank you so much. Good to see you again.

The Hon. Stephen Lecce
Thank you, Lisa. Thank you all. Appreciate it.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you to The Honourable Lisa Raitt and Minister Lecce for your insights today. I like to welcome my friend, Mike Van Soelen, Past President, Director of the Empire Club of Canada, Managing Principal of Navigator, to the stage for the appreciation remarks. Mike.

Note of Appreciation by Mike Van Soelen, Past President, Empire Club of Canada, Managing Principal, Navigator Ltd.
Well, thanks so much. This has been a wonderful event, and it's a great opportunity. My first job here is to thank Minister Lecce, but I will not pass on the opportunity to thank Lisa Raitt, The Honourable Lisa Raitt, as well. I was a young—well not as young as Stephen—but I was a young staffer in the Harper government. I got to see a front-row seat to see the great leadership she provided this country. So, to Lisa, please. And it's also an honour to see Minister Lecce here. And I see all the qualities that I think have made you such a—and I, you know, as a keen observer of provincial and federal politics, I say, I think one of the real true talents in working in politics today, in government leadership, you've arguably had the, you know, one of the most difficult jobs in this country of the last five years. And I think you've done it with courage, conviction, and drive. And I heard that in your remarks today. Thank you very much.

I'll also say as a, you know, son of an immigrant family as well, and an entirely blue-collar family—I'm the only one in my family who doesn't pull on shoes that have steel toes each morning—I also appreciate what you're doing with the trades. That is vitally important to this economy. I know there's a lot of people in this room who are thinking about those issues, as well. So, thanks to your leadership that you're bringing that, as well.

So, finally, on behalf of the Empire Club of Canada, thanks for coming out. Your remarks and your comments have been deeply deserved. You said to me up there that you, you lead with conviction, and you're trying to do what's right, and I think that truly did come across today. Thanks again.

Concluding Remarks by Sal Rabbani
Thank you, Mike, and thanks again to all our sponsors for their support, and everyone joining us today in person or online. As a club of record, all Empire Club of Canada events are available to watch and listen to on demand. The recording of this event will be available shortly, everyone registered will receive an email with the link.

On Monday, December 11th, we're welcoming to the podium The Honourable Todd Smith, Ontario's Minister of Energy. I'm also proud to announce the recipient of the 2023 Nation Builder of the Year award, Mr. Wesley Hall, Canadian businessman, entrepreneur, author, Dragon Investor. We'll be recognizing and celebrating Mr. Hall with a formal luncheon on January 25th. We hope you'll join us to honour him, a True Canadian Trailblazer.

Thank you for your participation and support. This meeting is now adjourned.