The Empire Club of Canada
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
The Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development On Breaking The Stigma Around Skilled Trades
Monte McNaughton was the MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
Monte grew up in Southwestern Ontario, attending school in Glencoe and later graduating from Westervelt Business College in London. While growing up, he worked in his family’s small business, the local Home Hardware.
At the age of twenty Monte was elected as municipal councillor in his hometown of Newbury, and was re-elected to two further terms before retiring from that office. From 2009 to 2010 he served as President of the Strathroy and District Chamber of Commerce, and he served on the board of Four Counties General Hospital Foundation.
Monte was first elected to the legislature in 2011 where he continued his advocacy for his local community. In June 2018, he became Minister of Infrastructure, where he opened historic streams of infrastructure funding, expanded natural gas supply into rural Ontario and tabled a plan to bring high-speed internet to underserved communities across the province. He also announced an investment to renovate the aging Massey Hall, Canada’s most renowned concert hall.
In June 2019 Monte McNaughton was appointed Minister of Labour. He immediately set upon a provincial listening tour, meeting with more than 150 labour leaders in less than four months. He quickly established worker safety as a top priority while also shepherding in WSIB rate reductions, freezing non-profit rate increases, and introducing a new program that will reward Ontario’s safest employers. In October 2019, his portfolio was expanded to include Training and Skills Development.
Speaker:
The Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development
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