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An interview with MPP (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Ontario)
Minister of Labour, Monte McNaughton
By: Peter Szecsodi, Publisher, Canadian Building Trades Magazine
Interview Organized By: James St. John, Business Manager, Central Ontario Building Trades

Peter: Minister McNaughton:
How did you get into politics and starting your career? Well first of all, I have tried to do things differently as a Minister of
Labour, especially a Conservative Minister of Labour. I've met now
Minister McNaughton:
with well over a hundred labour leaders since taking on the office.
Well, when I was young in elementary school, I read about my
I was told I was the first Minister of Labour to march in the Labour
grandfather who died years before I was born, but he was involved
Day parade in quite some time in Ontario.
in local politics. He was a reeve of our small town. I grew up in the
village of Newbury, population of 400 people. He spent 20 years of I think we need more training centers in the province. I see training
his life getting a local hospital built in our community. I was inspired centers playing a key role in filling the shortage that we have now
to politics by reading his story about how he fought for two decades or that we may have in the future. I've been to about a dozen
to get this hospital built. I'm proud to say that that hospital is training centers now from the building trades and I'm very
thriving today and has served generations of local families and will impressed. I look forward to working closer with those training
serve generations of families to come. centers in the future.

Peter: Peter:
What have been some of the greatest influences in your life, in your What are the big major milestones you want to achieve going
career? forward?
Minister McNaughton: Minister McNaughton:
Well, certainly my grandfather. He dedicated 30 or 40 years to First off, I'm proud that we've met with over a hundred labour
public life as reeve of our community, and he was also a local leaders. We're continuing to do that, that outreach. I've been crystal
entrepreneur, but really working in my family business. So, I grew clear with our labour partners that I want to work with them. I think
up in a building supply and hardware store. It was in our family for we can find a lot of common ground and where we find common
70 years, a Home Hardware Building Center in our small town in ground we can work together.
southwestern Ontario called Newbury. I remember I started there
I feel that the values of our labour partners are very similar to my
as a kid and worked there until the day I was elected in Provincial
values. We value hard work, coming home safely from work and
Parliament.
creating good jobs.
The best lesson I ever got from my dad was don't spend time in
Our Premier outlined $144 billion in infrastructure projects over the
the office; spend time on the floor and in the yard with customers
next 10 years. A number of these projects are going to be the
and staff. That's how you really learn what's going on. I've tried to
largest in Canadian history. We need to be working with our labour
take that approach to being Minister of Labour now, reaching out
partners to ensure that we have the workers to build these projects
and just talking face to face and hearing from people.
for the province.
Peter:
Peter:
Having visited numerous training centres, how do you think Ontario
Since being sworn in as the Minister of Labour in June, you have
is positioned to meet the needs of a growing shortage of skilled
spent a considerable amount of time visiting training centres and
trades workers as a result of the wave of retirements?
meeting with building trades affiliates. We appreciate the fact that
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