This is a list of the premiers of the province of Ontario, Canada, since Confederation in 1867. Ontario uses a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The premier is Ontario's head of government, while the Queen of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Ontario, and presides over that body.
Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections. General elections must be conducted every four years from the date of the last election. An election may also happen if the Governing party loses the confidence of the legislature, by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.
This article only covers the time since the Canadian Confederation was created in 1867. For the premiers of Canada West from 1840 to 1867, see List of Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada. The governments of Upper Canada from 1792 to 1840 were mostly controlled by representatives of the Crown.
Contents |
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario United Farmers of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party Ontario New Democratic Party
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) District |
Term of office | Electoral mandates (Assembly) | Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Sandfield Macdonald (1812–1872) MLA for Cornwall |
15 July 1867 |
20 December 1871 |
— (none) 1867 election (1st Assembly)Co. |
Liberal-Conservative Party | |
| Macdonald led a Coalition between the Liberal-Conservative Party and the Liberal Party; was also an MP in the House of Commons until 1872; was the last Catholic premier for 132 years | ||||||
| 2 | Edward Blake (1833–1912) MLA for Bruce South |
20 December 1871 |
25 October 1872 |
1871 election (2nd Assembly) | Liberal Party | |
| Resigned to lead the federal Liberal Party | ||||||
| 3 | Sir Oliver Mowat (1820–1903) MLA for Oxford North |
25 October 1872 |
21 July 1896 |
— (2nd Assembly) 1875 election (3rd Assembly) 1879 election (4th Assembly) 1883 election (5th Assembly) 1886 election (6th Assembly) 1890 election (7th Assembly) 1894 election (8th Assembly) |
Liberal Party | |
| Secured a large amount of power for the provinces through court battles with the federal government; introduced the secret ballot in elections and extended suffrage beyond property owners; created the municipal level of government; Ontario prohibition plebiscite, 1894 | ||||||
| 4 | Arthur Sturgis Hardy (1837–1901) MLA for Brant South |
21 July 1896 |
20 October 1899 |
— (8th Assembly) 1898 election (9th Assembly) |
Liberal Party | |
| 5 | Sir George William Ross (1841–1914) MLA for Middlesex West |
20 October 1899 |
8 February 1905 |
— (9th Assembly) 1902 election (10th Assembly) |
Liberal Party | |
| Expanded libraries, kindergarten, and university grants; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1902 | ||||||
| 6 | Sir James Whitney (1843–1914) MLA for Dundas |
8 February 1905 |
25 September 1914 |
1905 election (11th Assembly) 1908 election (12th Assembly) 1911 election (13th Assembly) 1914 election (14th Assembly) |
Conservative Party | |
| Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario; Workmen's Compensation Act; temperance legislation; Regulation 17 | ||||||
| 7 | Sir William Hearst (1864–1941) MLA for Sault Ste. Marie |
2 October 1914 |
14 November 1919 |
— (14th Assembly) | Conservative Party | |
| Ontario Temperance Act; expanded workers injury compensation; allowed woman suffrage; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1919 | ||||||
| 8 | Ernest Drury (1878–1968) MLA for Halton |
14 November 1919 |
16 July 1923 |
1919 election (15th Assembly)Co. | United Farmers | |
| Led a Coalition between the United Farmers Party and the Labour Party; did not win a seat in the legislature until a 1920 by-election; created the first Department of Welfare; set a minimum wage for women; expanded Ontario Hydro; created the Province of Ontario Savings Office; began the first major reforestation program in North America; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1921 | ||||||
| 9 | George Howard Ferguson (1870–1946) MLA for Grenville |
16 July 1923 |
16 December 1930 |
1923 election (16th Assembly) 1926 election (17th Assembly) 1929 election (18th Assembly) |
Conservative Party | |
| Relaxed Regulation 17; created the Liquor Control Board of Ontario; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1924 | ||||||
| 10 | George Stewart Henry (1871–1958) MLA for York East |
16 December 1930 |
10 July 1934 |
— (18th Assembly) | Conservative Party | |
| Expansion of highway system, including construction of the Queen Elizabeth Way | ||||||
| 11 | Mitchell Hepburn (1896–1953) MLA for Elgin (until 1938) MPP for Elgin (from 1938) |
10 July 1934 |
21 Octtober 1942 |
1934 election (19th Assembly) 1937 election (20th Assembly) |
Liberal Party | |
| Greatly cutting government spending; succession tax; compulsory milk pasteurization; relaxed temperance laws; made the Dionne Quintuplets wards of the state | ||||||
| 12 | Gordon Daniel Conant (1885–1953) MPP for Ontario |
21 October 1942 |
18 May 1943 |
— (20th Assembly) | Liberal Party | |
| Temporary premier during the 1943 party leadership race | ||||||
| 13 | Harry Nixon (1891–1961) MPP for Brant |
18 May 1943 |
17 August 1943 |
— (20th Assembly) | Liberal Party | |
| Appointed following the Ontario Liberal Party leadership election, 1943 | ||||||
| 14 | George A. Drew (1894–1973) MPP for High Park (until 1948) |
17 August 1943 |
19 October 1948 |
1943 election (21st Assembly)Min. 1945 election (22nd Assembly) 1948 election (23rd Assembly)LS |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| Drew Regulation; LeBel Royal Commission; anti-Semitic, union-bashing, and red-baiting campaign; joined Ontario to North American power grid, increased provincial share of Education spending | ||||||
| 15 | Thomas Laird Kennedy (1878–1959) MPP for Peel |
19 October 1948 |
4 May 1949 |
— (23rd Assembly) | Progressive Conservative Party | |
| 16 | Leslie Frost (1895–1973) MPP for Victoria |
4 May 1949 |
8 November 1961 |
— (23rd Assembly) 1951 election (24th Assembly) 1955 election (25th Assembly) 1959 election (26th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| 1949 PC leadership election; 400-series highways; Provincial Sales Tax; public hospital insurance which would become OHIP; Large growth in universities; Fair Employment Practices Act and Fair Accommodation Practices Act; Voting rights for First Nations; Metropolitan Toronto | ||||||
| 17 | John Robarts (1917–1982) MPP for London North |
8 November 1961 |
1 March 1971 |
— (26th Assembly) 1963 election (27th Assembly) 1967 election (28th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| Ontario Human Rights Code; 1967 "Confederation of Tomorrow" conference; French education in Ontario schools; | ||||||
| 18 | Bill Davis (1929–) MPP for Peel North (until 1975) MPP for Brampton (from 1975) |
1 March 1971 |
8 February 1985 |
— (28th Assembly) 1971 election (29th Assembly) 1975 election (30th Assembly)Min. 1977 election (31st Assembly)Min. 1981 election (32nd Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| Spadina Expressway; rejected full funding to Ontario's Catholic high schools; New regional governments; Rent controls; | ||||||
| 19 | Frank Miller (1927–2000) MPP for Muskoka |
8 February 1985 |
26 June 1985 |
— (32nd Assembly) 1985 election (33rd Assembly)Min. |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| 1985 PC leadership election; Lost a motion of no confidence immediately after the election and gave power to the opposition party. | ||||||
| 20 | David Peterson (1943–) MPP for London Centre |
26 June 1985 |
1 October 1990 |
— (33rd Assembly)Min. 1987 election (34th Assembly)Min. |
Liberal Party | |
| Had the second-most seats in the 33rd assembly, but formed an accord with the New Democratic Party that would let the Liberal Party take power without forming an official coalition. Reforms to doctor billing, rent laws, labour negotiation laws, pensions, environment, and helth insurance primiums; Extended Catholic school funding to highschool; supported the Meech Lake Accord; Patti Starr scandal | ||||||
| 21 | Bob Rae (1948–) MPP for York South |
1 October 1990 |
26 June 1995 |
1990 election (35th Assembly) | New Democratic Party | |
| Social Contract (Ontario) and clash with unions; Rae days; Affirmative action; Rent control; Reserve status for North Ontario Aboriginals; Moratorium on new nuclear plants; Attempted to restrict Sunday shopping | ||||||
| 22 | Mike Harris (1945–) MPP for Nipissing |
26 June 1995 |
14 April 2002 |
1995 election (36th Assembly) 1999 election (37th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party | |
| Common Sense Revolution; Ontario Works Workfare; Large tax cuts; Cancelled urban infrastructure projects; Cut health spending; Telehealth Ontario; Division of Ontario Hydro; Creation of megacities, including Toronto; Elimination of highschool OAC year and introduction of standardized testing; Ipperwash Crisis; Large teacher strikes; Ontario's Living Legacy; Walkerton crisis; Ontario's Drive Clean | ||||||
| 23 | Ernie Eves (1946–) MPP for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey |
15 April 2002 |
22 October 2003 |
— (37th Assembly) | Progressive Conservative Party | |
| Kimberly Rogers and welfare reform; Possible sale of Hydro One and problem with hydro costs due to hot summers and 2003 North America blackout | ||||||
| 24 | Dalton McGuinty (1955–) MPP for Ottawa South |
23 October 2003 |
Incumbent |
2003 election (38th Assembly) 2007 election (39th Assembly) 2011 election (40th Assembly)Min. |
Liberal Party | |
| 1996 Liberal leadership election; Auto insurance reforms; Cancelled tax cuts; Increase in health spending and Health Premium tax; Transfer of gas tax to municipalities; Pit bull ban; Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe); Renegotiation of federal equalization; Expansion of Ontario's Drive Clean; MoveOntario; eHealth Ontario scandal; Harmonized Sales Tax | ||||||
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As of March 2011[update], five former premiers are alive, the oldest being Bill Davis (1971–1985, born 1929). The most recent former premier to die was Frank Miller (1985), on July 21, 2000.
| Name | Term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Davis | 1971–1985 | July 30, 1929 |
| David Peterson | 1985–1990 | December 28, 1943 |
| Bob Rae | 1990–1995 | August 2, 1948 |
| Mike Harris | 1995–2002 | January 23, 1945 |
| Ernie Eves | 2002–2003 | June 17, 1946 |
For more lists of this type, see Lists of incumbents.
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