Provincial Politics
Phillips was more successful in his second bid for the Ontario legislature. He was easily elected in Scarborough—Agincourt in the provincial election of 1987, defeating his nearest opponent, David Kho of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) by over 12,000 votes. The Liberals won a landslide majority in this election under David Peterson. On September 29, 1987, Phillips was appointed Minister of Citizenship, with responsibility for Race relations, Multiculturalism and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. In August 1989, he was transferred to the Ministry of Labour.
The Liberals were upset by the NDP in the provincial election of 1990, although Phillips was re-elected without difficulty in his own riding. Tory Keith MacNab finished second. In opposition, he held critic portfolios in Health, Finance and Native Affairs. In 1992, he supported Lyn McLeod's successful campaign to become party leader.
The 1995 provincial election was won by the Progressive Conservatives, and Phillips only narrowly won re-election in Agincourt, defeating Keith MacNab by about 2,000 votes. Many suspected that Phillips would run for the party's leadership when Lyn McLeod resigned in 1996, but he declined and supported Gerard Kennedy, who lost to Dalton McGuinty on the final ballot. Phillips was appointed as the party's Deputy Leader in 1998.
Phillips' own re-election in 1999 was not guaranteed. Despite an endorsement from the right-wing Toronto Sun tabloid newspaper (which usually supports Tory candidates - and which his opponent was a former employee of), he came within 3,000 votes of losing to incumbent Tory MPP Jim Brown. (The Mike Harris government had previously reduced the number of ridings from 130 to 103, forcing several MPPs to face one another for re-election.) The Progressive Conservatives won re-election across the province, and Phillips remained a leading figure on the opposition benches. In his capacity as Native Affairs Critic, Phillips helped lead the fight for a public inquiry into the 1995 shooting death of protester Dudley George by members of the Ontario Provincial Police.
The Liberal Party won a majority in the 2003 election, and Phillips was re-elected with 61% support in his riding. Phillips was appointed as Chair of the Management Board. After a cabinet shuffle on June 29, 2005, Phillips's portfolio was restructured as the Minister of Government Services. The new Ministry takes on most of the core services of the former Management Board Secretariat, Consumer and Business Services, and a large part of the Cabinet Office.
He was re-elected in the 2007 election, and was appointed Minister of Energy shortly after. In a cabinet shuffle on June 20, 2008, the Energy portfolio was given to George Smitherman. Phillips was appointed minister without portfolio and chair of cabinet.
Phillips was appointed Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure on November 9, 2009 after Smitherman resigned to enter municipal politics. On January 18, 2010 Phillips once again was appointed Phillips was appointed minister without portfolio and chair of cabinet, and also became Minister responsible for Seniors. In September 2010, the responsibility for seniors was transferred to Sophia Aggelonitis.
In 2011, he announced he would not run for re-election in the 2011 provincial election.
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