Janet Ecker (born October 18, 1953) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a senior cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Background Ecker grew up in Exeter, Ontario. Her father was a family physician. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario. In 1985, Ecker served as Director of Communications at the Ontario Treasury. She worked as a Government Relations Consultant with Public Affairs Management from 1987 to 1991, and was Director of Policy for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario from 1991 to 1995. Politics Ecker was also involved with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario during these years. A Red Tory, she supported Larry Grossman at both of the party's 1985 leadership conventions, and served as Assistant Executive Director of the Ontario PC Party from 1985 to 1987. She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995, defeating Liberal Joe Dickson and incumbent New Democrat Jim Wiseman by a significant margin in the riding of Durham West, east of Toronto. After the election she was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services. On August 16, 1996 she was promoted to cabinet and named Minister of Community and Social Services. 1999 election In the provincial election of 1999, she was re-elected by a comfortable margin over Liberal Dave Ryan in the redistributed riding of Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge. After the election, she was named to the senior portfolio of Minister of Education. Ecker also served as Government House Leader after February 8, 2001. In 1998, she supported Hugh Segal's bid for the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. Ecker's best-known controversy as Education Minister was not with the legislative opposition or the teaching community, but with Jim Flaherty, another cabinet minister in the Harris government. In 2001, Flaherty announced that the government planned to introduce a tax credit for parents choosing to send their children to private and denominational schools. Flaherty's announcement broke a 1999 campaign pledge from Harris not to introduce such legislation. Flaherty reportedly did not consult with Ecker prior to making his statement. Ecker opposed this shift in policy, and according to some accounts was initially prepared to quit cabinet over the issue. She was persuaded to stay, but remained