List of premiers of Ontario

Dalton McGuinty is the current premier of Ontario.

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.

Premiers of Ontario since 1867

      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)	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)	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 Named leader in 1920
			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 Named leader in 1930
			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 Named leader in 1943
14		George A. Drew (1894–1973) MPP for High Park (until 1948)	17 August 1943	19 October 1948	1943 election (21st Assembly) 1945 election (22nd Assembly) 1948 election (23rd Assembly)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1938
			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 Named leader in 1949
			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 Named leader in 1961
			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) 1977 election (31st Assembly) 1981 election (32nd Assembly)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1971
			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)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1985
			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) 1987 election (34th Assembly)	Liberal Party Named leader in 1982
			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 Named leader in 1982
			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 Named leader in 1990
			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 Named leader in 2002
			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)	Liberal Party Named leader in 1996
			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
^Co. Coalition government ^Min. Minority government ^LS Party won the election, but premier lost own seat

Living former premiers

As of March 2011, 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	(1929-07-30) July 30, 1929
David Peterson	1985–1990	(1943-12-28) December 28, 1943
Bob Rae	1990–1995	(1948-08-02) August 2, 1948
Mike Harris	1995–2002	(1945-01-23) January 23, 1945
Ernie Eves	2002–2003	(1946-06-17) June 17, 1946

See also

• List of premiers of Ontario by time in office
• List of Leaders of the Opposition in Ontario

For more lists of this type, see Lists of incumbents.

References

• James H. Marsh, ed. (1999). "Ontario". The Canadian Encyclopedia (2000 ed.). Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. pp. 1713. ISBN 0-7710-2099-6. 
• Government of Ontario. "Historical Records". Past & Present MPPs. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_all.do?locale=en. Retrieved 2007-03-11.