Dwight Duncan

Dwight Duncan (born 3 January 1959) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada.

He has been a member of the Liberal Party since the early 1970s, and skipped class in 1972 to attend a rally for his political hero, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Duncan's first full-time job after graduating from university was in the office of federal Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Herb Gray.

He later worked for provincial Labour Minister Bill Wrye between 1985 and 1987.

Duncan was Administrator of Brentwood Recovery Centre, Canada's largest alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre, between 1987 and 1995.

He also served on Windsor City Council from 1988 until 1994, when he chose not to seek re-election in order to prepare for his first provincial campaign.

He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2013 who represented ridings of Windsor—Walkerville, Windsor—St. Clair and Windsor—Tecumseh.

He was a senior member in the government of Dalton McGuinty who served in several cabinet roles including Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance.

Duncan was born in Windsor, and attended high school at Assumption College School.

He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from McGill University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor.

Duncan was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial election, defeating New Democratic Party incumbent Wayne Lessard by 380 votes in Windsor—Walkerville.

The Progressive Conservative Party won a majority government in this election, and Duncan became a member of the official opposition.

Between 1995 and 1999, he served as his party's critic for Labour, Privatization, Housing, Transportation, and the Workers Compensation Board.

Duncan's 1995 opponent, Wayne Lessard, won a by-election for a different Windsor constituency in 1997.

Duncan became a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership following the resignation of Lyn McLeod in 1996.

His campaign plan combined a cautious fiscal strategy with plans for increased investment in health and education, and his leading supporters included Sean Conway, Tim Murphy and Mike Colle.

He finished third on the first and second ballots at the party's 1996 leadership convention, but was eliminated after falling to fourth place behind Dalton McGuinty on the third.

Duncan then endorsed Gerard Kennedy, who lost to McGuinty on the fifth ballot.

For the 1999 provincial election, redistribution forced the two MPPs to face one other a second time in Windsor—St. Clair.

Duncan was again successful, defeating Lessard by over 4,000 votes.

The Progressive Conservatives won a second majority government, and Duncan became opposition House Leader on 25 June 1999.

He also served as Liberal Party critic for Municipal Affairs and the Management Board of Cabinet over the next four years.

The Liberals won a majority government in the 2003 provincial election.

Duncan was appointed Minister of Energy and Government House Leader on 23 October 2003.

One of Duncan's primary responsibilities as Energy Minister was managing Ontario Power Generation, which was in an extremely troubled state when the Liberals assumed power in 2003.

A damning report into systemic mismanagement at OPG was issued shortly after the new government assumed power, and several high-level executives were forced to submit their resignations.

Duncan appointed a new interim board led by former federal Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Jake Epp to lead the organization's renewal.

Duncan subsequently announced plans for a comprehensive audit of OPG, when its budgetary shortfall was found to be $850 million.

Reports in early 2004 indicated that Tory advisers with close ties to Mike Harris and Ernie Eves had received untendered contracts worth $5.6 million in 1999, when the Progressive Conservatives were still in government.

Duncan issued a strategic report from the Electricity Conservation and Supply Task Force in January 2004.

The report called for Ontario to emphasize energy conservation, while also ensuring "reliability, diversity and affordability", and consumer protection.

Two months later, Duncan brought forward a conservation plan highlighted by the use of "smart" electricity meters to discourage overuse during peak hours.

In April 2004, Duncan announced the creation of a new body called the Ontario Power Authority to purchase energy for the province and plan its long-term energy strategy.

Duncan argued that the body would "depoliticize" energy debates in Ontario.

Most energy companies supported this decision, while a number of environmental groups criticized it.

The OPG's situation improved under its new management, and it was able to post a $42 million profit in 2005.

The Globe and Mailraised concerns over the authority's expanding budget in late 2006, but Duncan argued that its expenses are necessary to create a planning regime for the future.

Hydro rates increased twice during Duncan's first tenure as Energy Minister.

The Liberal Party had campaigned on a pledge to keep energy rates frozen until 2006, but reconsidered their options after discovering a $5.6 billion deficit left by the previous government.

The government plans to have smart meters installed throughout the province by 2010.