Political Career
From 1992 to 1994, he was third vice-president and policy chair of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Klees was first elected to the legislature in the election of 1995, defeating former Liberal leadership candidate Charles Beer in York North. He was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election after being drawn into the new riding of Oak Ridges, and on June 17, 1999 joined the cabinet of Premier Mike Harris as Chief Government Whip, Deputy House Leader and Minister without Portfolio.
In 2000, Klees was preparing to run as a candidate for the leadership of the new Canadian Alliance, but withdrew because one of his key financial backers insisted on a last-minute deal to make a significant funding commitment conditional on Klees throwing his support to one of the other candidates on the second ballot.
Klees stepped down from his ministerial position on July 30, 2001 for what he described as personal reasons. After returning to the backbenches for a year, he was reappointed to cabinet on October 3, 2002 as Minister of Tourism under Harris' successor, Ernie Eves. On February 25, 2003, he became Minister of Transportation, and served in that position until the defeat of the Eves government in the October 2003 election.
Klees was re-elected in 2003 (one of 24 Progressive Conservatives elected) and was a candidate in the 2004 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election which took place on September 18, 2004. He was endorsed by Tory MPPs Jerry Ouellette, Ted Chudleigh and Bill Murdoch, and groups such as the Conservative Youth Coalition. The other candidates in the race were Whitby-Ajax MPP Jim Flaherty and former Rogers Communications CEO John Tory.
Klees made healthcare his biggest priority in the campaign. He was the only candidate to openly endorse a semi-privatized health care system. Other key issues of his campaign were school choice, physical education in the school system, OHIP statements, and foreign-trained doctors applying for employment.
He was eliminated from the contest after placing third on the first ballot; Tory subsequently won on the second ballot. Klees increased his profile during the campaign, and is currently the Progressive Conservative Critic for Education and Citizenship & Immigration in the Legislature as well as a member of the Justice Committee.
Klees did better in the 2009 leadership race placing second behind the winner, Tim Hudak. The single biggest campaign contribution of $32,000 was made by OPTUS Capital Corporation owned by Universal Energy Corporation's founder and CEO Mark Silver. It accounted for 20% of the total contributions.
Klees lives in Aurora, Ontario. Klees was elected in the newly-created provincial riding of Newmarket-Aurora in the Ontario general election, 2007. On March 30, 2009, he declared his candidacy in the 2009 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election.
Klees was re-elected in the 2011 Ontario election.
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