# Stephen Lecce

Stephen Francis Lecce MPP (Italian:; born November 26, 1986) is a Canadian politician and Ontario's current Minister of Energy and Electrification. Lecce served as the Ontario Minister of Education from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Lecce is the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for King—Vaughan, representing the riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since his election in 2018. Before running for office, Lecce worked in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as the director of media relations during Stephen Harper's tenure.

## Early life

Lecce was born in Vaughan, Ontario, the son of Italian immigrants who came to Canada in the late 1950s. At age 13, he worked for then-PC MPP Al Palladini's successful re-election campaign in 1999.

## Education and early career

Lecce attended St. Margaret Mary Catholic Elementary School in Woodbridge, St. Michael's College School in Toronto, and later the University of Western Ontario (UWO), completing a Bachelor of Arts in political science. There, he was elected and served as president of UWO's University Students' Council. While studying at UWO, he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity, eventually serving as the UWO chapter's president.
After graduation, Lecce joined the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under Stephen Harper. Lecce was hired following a personal interaction with Harper in his capacity as president of UWO's Students' Council. At the PMO, Lecce served as deputy director of communications before being promoted to director of media relations.
Lecce owns a public relations consultancy firm.

## Political career

Lecce ran as a Progressive Conservative in King—Vaughan and won with 29,136 votes (56.62%). On June 29, 2018, Lecce became the parliamentary assistant to Monte McNaughton, the minister of infrastructure. On July 31, Lecce became parliamentary assistant to the premier.

### Minister of Education

On June 20, 2019, he was sworn in as Ontario's minister of education. Beginning in October 2019, labour disputes between the provincial government and Ontario's four largest teachers' unions (ETFO, OSSTF, OECTA, and AEFO), have caused rotating strike action. A joint strike by all four unions on February 21, 2020, marked the first province-wide closure of schools since 1997 strikes against the Harris government. Earlier that month, on February 4, New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath called for Doug Ford to fire Lecce as education minister; however, Ford assured that Lecce would remain in office. On February 12, Lecce called the decision for the four largest teachers' unions to hold the joint strike an "irresponsible choice".
On March 12, 2020, Lecce announced that all publicly funded schools in Ontario would be closed for two weeks after March break due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, however, the schools did not reopen as planned. On May 19, Lecce announced that schools would not reopen until the following school year in September. On July 30, Lecce announced a $309 million plan for the resumption of public education in September.
Lecce introduced Bill 28, known as the Keeping Students in Class Act, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on November 3, 2022, amid ongoing labour negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). CUPE had given notice of job action on October 30 after negotiations broke down with the Ministry of Education and would have been in a legal strike position on November 4. Bill 28 imposes a contract on CUPE, and makes it illegal to strike, setting fines of $4,000 for workers.
The bill invokes the notwithstanding clause, shielding it from being struck down by the courts by allowing the bill to operate despite the right to collective bargaining granted by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The legislation was widely condemned, including by opposition parties, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti, the Ontario Bar Association, and other unions including those which had previously endorsed the PC Party.
Despite Lecce's bill, CUPE went on strike anyway, resulting in province-wide protests in support of education workers against the government, and the government challenging CUPE at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. On November 7, 2022, Premier Doug Ford announced that the PCs would rescind Bill 28. It was announced that a tentative deal with CUPE was reached on December 11, 2022.

### Minister of Energy and Electrification

On June 6, 2024, Lecce was appointed Minister of Energy and Eletrification by Premier Doug Ford. Lecce was Ontario's longest-serving Minister of Education since Bette Stephenson.
Lecce completed trade missions to Romania, the UK, the U.S., Estonia, and Poland, securing $400 million in agreements to export nuclear technology, creating jobs and strengthening Ontario’s global energy partnerships. Lecce also hosted over 60 U.S. Congressional and State leaders to promote Ontario’s energy export strategy and deepen cross-border collaboration.
In August 2024, he launched Canada’s largest competitive energy procurement in history only to increase the procurement by 50% some months later.
In October 2024, Lecce introduced the Affordable Energy Act, which established Ontario’s first long-term Integrated Energy Plan to secure power for the next 25 years, following the Independent Electricity System Operator releasing a revised demand forecast that saw Ontario's energy demand increase by 75 per cent.
Stephen announced a groundbreaking plan to develop up to 10,000 megawatts of new nuclear energy at Wesleyville in Port Hope that will see over 10,500 jobs created. The project will contribute $235 billion to Ontario’s GDP over 95 years, further cementing Ontario’s position as a leader in energy innovation.
During his tenure, the Ontario government also announced the Home Renovation Savings Program as part of Canada’s largest energy efficiency initiative, a $10.9 billion investment over 12 years as well as plans to refurbish the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, extending its operational life to ensure a stable supply of clean energy for decades to come. Separately, Lecce publicized the refurbishment of Unit 1 at Darlington was completed 140 days ahead of schedule, highlighting the efficiency and expertise of Ontario’s energy workforce.

## Electoral record

vte2022 Ontario general election: King—Vaughan :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Stephen Lecce | 23,439 | 57.31 | +0.69 |
| | Liberal | Gillian Vivona | 11,658 | 28.51 | +5.16 |
| | New Democratic | Samantha Sanchez | 2,840 | 6.94 | −8.45 |
| | New Blue | Michael Di Mascolo | 1,400 | 3.42 | |
| | Green | Ren Guidolin | 1,104 | 2.70 | −0.71 |
| | Ontario Party | Neil Killips | 309 | 0.76 | |
| | Moderate | Tatiana Babitch | 147 | 0.36 | +0.07 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 40,897 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 228 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,125 | 39.79 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 101,572 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | −2.23 |
| Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023."Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. |||||||
2018 Ontario general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Stephen Lecce | 29,136 | 56.62 | +24.34 |
| | Liberal | Marilyn Iafrate | 12,012 | 23.34 | -27.97 |
| | New Democratic | Andrea Beal | 7,921 | 15.39 | +3.70 |
| | Green | Greg Locke | 1,754 | 3.41 | +0.43 |
| | Trillium | Roman Evtukh | 252 | 0.49 | |
| | Libertarian | Yan Simkin | 235 | 0.46 | |
| | Moderate | Tatiana Babitch | 151 | 0.29 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | | 100.0 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||