Gerry Phillips (born September 11, 1940) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the eastern Toronto riding of Scarborough—Agincourt from 1987 to 2011. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of David Peterson and Dalton McGuinty. Background Phillips was educated at the University of Western Ontario's School of Business, and worked as a managing consultant before entering public life. He worked in the marketing department of Procter & Gamble, and joined the Canadian Marketing Associates organization in 1970 (becoming its President in 1977). Phillips founded the Sales Development Group in 1979 and the Retail Resource Group in 1982, and also served on the Board of Governors of the Scarborough General Hospital during this period. He served as a school trustee for eleven years on the Scarborough Board of Education and the Metropolitan Toronto School Board eventually becoming chair of both organizations. Politics He ran for the Ontario legislature as a Liberal in the provincial election of 1975, but lost to Progressive Conservative Tom Wells in Scarborough North by about 3,000 votes. Peterson government Phillips tried again in the provincial election of 1987 in the riding of Scarborough—Agincourt this time 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. In opposition The Liberals were defeated 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. He was re-elected in 1999 by nearly 3,000 votes defeating Tory MPP Jim