Births on January 23

Mike Harris, Canadian politician, 22nd Premier of Ontario

Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time as party leader, he heavily nudged the Ontario PC Party to Blue Toryism, advocating for the "Common Sense Revolution", his government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and budget cuts.

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. In 1981, he became a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Nipissing. He became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1990 leadership election. That same year, a provincial election was called in which Harris carried the PCs to a modest boost in support, though they still remained in third place. However, five years later, he led the PCs to a strong majority government in the 1995 provincial election. He later led the party to a second majority in 1999.

During his tenure as premier, Harris emphasized the Common Sense Revolution. Although his policy of lower taxes grew the deficit, his deep cuts to social services, health care, education, and infrastructure spending were enough to eliminate the deficit and balance the budget in 1999. The Harris Government also faced the 1997 Ontario teachers' strike and gained criticism for its handling of the Walkerton E. coli outbreak and the Ipperwash crisis. In Spring 2002, Harris retired from politics. Harris currently sits as the chair of the board for Chartwell Retirement Residences.