Yvan Baker ‘96, Alumni of Distinction Award Recipient 2020
“The French curriculum, work ethic, discipline, teamwork, and communication skills I learned at TFS were formative experiences that had a significant impact on my career, who I am, and what I’ve been able to do for others.”
In the TFS Class of 1996 yearbook, there’s a photo of Yvan Baker captioned, “most likely to become prime minister.”
Today, Mr. Baker has emerged as an advocate for the people with the federal government after years of engaged public service at the provincial level. For the many constituents that he has helped, he may as well be the prime minister. (There’s still time).
The Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre since 2019, Yvan began his political career on the TFS student council. After earning a business degree from York University, he worked as an executive assistant for a local MP, which exposed him to issues of community importance.
In 2008, he completed an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and spent several years working as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and with his own firm, Maple Strategies, before being elected as the MPP for Etobicoke Centre in 2014. Despite a successful business background, Baker felt more of a calling for helping others and became an ardent supporter of the people of his community.
Baker also served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance and the President of the Treasury Board during his four years in the Ontario government. What he’s most proud of however is his work to advance meaningful community causes, like the tunneling of the Eglinton West LRT, saving a local school for children with special needs, and introducing a private member’s bill which led to a province-wide ban on door-to-door sales.
“What matters most to me and makes me most proud are the things I’ve given myself to that make a difference in people’s lives,” he says.
Since becoming MP and witnessing the pandemic’s effects on the most vulnerable members of his riding, Baker emerged as a champion for the creation of national standards for long-term care.
He credits TFS for laying the foundation for his later business successes and political achievements that are benefitting countless.
“The French curriculum, work ethic, discipline, teamwork, and communication skills I learned at TFS were formative experiences that had a significant impact on my career, who I am, and what I’ve been able to do for others,” he says.
In a February 2021 statement before the House of Commons, Baker spoke about the signal influence of his TFS experience on his life and his advocacy for others.
“I had the benefit of an education at TFS and I’m richer for it. It’s been my mission to enrich the lives of others ever since.”
