List of premiers of Ontario

Below 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. 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 26th and current premier of Ontario is Doug Ford of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario since June 29, 2018.

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	16 July[1] 1867 – 20 December[1] 1871	Title created (caretaker government) 1867 election (1st Parliament)	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.
2		Edward Blake (1833–1912) MLA for Bruce South	20 December[2] 1871 – 25 October[2] 1872	1871 election (2nd Parliament)	Liberal Party
			Resigned to lead the federal Liberal Party
3		Sir Oliver Mowat (1820–1903) MLA for Oxford North	25 October[3] 1872 – 21 July[3] 1896	Appointment (2nd Parliament) 1875 election (3rd Parliament) 1879 election (4th Parliament) 1883 election (5th Parliament) 1886 election (6th Parliament) 1890 election (7th Parliament) 1894 election (8th Parliament)	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; 1894 Ontario prohibition plebiscite
4		Arthur Sturgis Hardy (1837–1901) MLA for Brant South	21 July[4] 1896 – 21 October[4] 1899	Appointment (8th Parliament) 1898 election (9th Parliament)	Liberal Party
5		Sir George William Ross (1841–1914) MLA for Middlesex West	21 October[5] 1899 – 8 February[5] 1905	Appointment (9th Parliament) 1902 election (10th Parliament)	Liberal Party
			Expanded libraries, kindergarten, and university grants; 1902 Ontario prohibition referendum
6		Sir James Whitney (1843–1914) MLA for Dundas	8 February[6] 1905 – 25 September[6] 1914	1905 election (11th Parliament) 1908 election (12th Parliament) 1911 election (13th Parliament) 1914 election (14th Parliament)	Conservative Party
			Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario; Workmen's Compensation Act; temperance legislation; Regulation 17; Only Premier to die in office (1914).
7		Sir William Hearst (1864–1941) MLA for Sault Ste. Marie	2 October[7] 1914 – 14 November[7] 1919	Appointment (14th Parliament)	Conservative Party
			Ontario Temperance Act; expanded workers injury compensation; allowed woman suffrage; 1919 Ontario prohibition referendum
8		Ernest Drury (1878–1968) MLA for Halton	14 November[8] 1919 – 16 July[8] 1923	1919 election (15th Parliament)	United Farmers
			Led a Coalition between the United Farmers party and the Labour MLAs; 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; 1921 Ontario prohibition referendum
9		Howard Ferguson (1870–1946) MLA for Grenville	16 July[9] 1923 – 15 December[9] 1930	1923 election (16th Parliament) 1926 election (17th Parliament) 1929 election (18th Parliament)	Conservative Party Named leader in 1920
			Relaxed Regulation 17; created the Liquor Control Board of Ontario; 1924 Ontario prohibition referendum
10		George Stewart Henry (1871–1958) MLA for York East	15 December[10] 1930 – 10 July[10] 1934	Appointment (18th Parliament)	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[11] 1934 – 21 October[11] 1942	1934 election (19th Parliament) 1937 election (20th Parliament)	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; unsuccessfully tried to break the first United Auto Workers strike against GM; conflict with PM Mackenzie King over conduct of WWII and conscription.
12		Gordon Daniel Conant (1885–1953) MPP for Ontario	21 October[12] 1942 – 18 May[12] 1943	Appointment (20th Parliament)	Liberal Party
			"Appointed" premier by Liberal leader Mitchell Hepburn but forced to call and contest leadership convention due to caucus revolt, which he lost to Nixon.
13		Harry Nixon (1891–1961) MPP for Brant	18 May[13] 1943 – 17 August[13] 1943	Appointment (20th Parliament)	Liberal Party Named leader in 1943
			Last Liberal Premier for 42 years.
14		George A. Drew (1894–1973) MPP for High Park (until 1948)	17 August[14] 1943 – 19 October[14] 1948	1943 election (21st Parliament) 1945 election (22nd Parliament) 1948 election (23rd Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1938
			Began a 42-year Conservative dynasty; Drew Regulation; LeBel Royal Commission; joined Ontario to North American power grid, increased provincial share of Education spending; opened immigration offices in UK and arranged for cheap charter flights to bring 20,000 British immigrants to Ontario.
15		Thomas Laird Kennedy (1878–1959) MPP for Peel	19 October[15] 1948 – 4 May[15] 1949	Appointment (23rd Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party
			Interim premier between resignation of Drew and leadership convention to choose his successor.
16		Leslie Frost (1895–1973) MPP for Victoria	4 May[16] 1949 – 8 November[16] 1961	Appointment (23rd Parliament) 1951 election (24th Parliament) 1955 election (25th Parliament) 1959 election (26th Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1949
			400-series highways; Provincial Sales Tax; public hospital insurance which would become OHIP; Expansion of universities; Fair Employment Practices Act and Fair Accommodation Practices Act and Ontario Human Rights Commission created; Voting rights for First Nations; Creation of Metropolitan Toronto and Toronto's first subway.
17		John Robarts (1917–1982) MPP for London North	8 November[17] 1961 – 1 March[17] 1971	Appointment (26th Parliament) 1963 election (27th Parliament) 1967 election (28th Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1961
			Ontario Human Rights Code; 1967 "Confederation of Tomorrow" conference; Ontario Housing Corporation created; French education in Ontario schools; Creation of Ontario Health Insurance Plan; Creation of community college system; Creation of TVOntario.
18		Bill Davis (1929–2021) MPP for Peel North (until 1975) MPP for Brampton (from 1975)	1 March[18] 1971 – 8 February[18] 1985	Appointment (28th Parliament) 1971 election (29th Parliament) 1975 election (30th Parliament) 1977 election (31st Parliament) 1981 election (32nd Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1971
			Spadina Expressway; rejected (1971) then later partly extended (1984); full funding to Ontario's Catholic high schools; expansion of health care and education; extension of Ontario Human Rights Code provisions; expansion of French-language services; new regional governments; Rent controls; social housing expansion; Played a key role in patriation of the Canadian Constitution.
19		Frank Miller (1927–2000) MPP for Muskoka	8 February[19] 1985 – 26 June[19] 1985	Appointment (32nd Parliament) 1985 election (33rd Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1985
			Lost a motion of no confidence immediately after the election and resigned power to the opposition party.
20		David Peterson (b. 1943) MPP for London Centre	26 June[20] 1985 – 1 October[20] 1990	Appointment (33rd Parliament) 1987 election (34th Parliament)	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. Banned extra-billing by doctors and ended health insurance premiums. Reforms to rent laws, labour negotiation laws, pensions, environment; implemented extension of Catholic school funding to grade 13 announced by previous government; supported the Meech Lake Accord; Introduced no-fault auto insurance; Patti Starr scandal
21		Bob Rae (b. 1948) MPP for York South	1 October[21] 1990 – 26 June[21] 1995	1990 election (35th Parliament)	New Democratic Party Named leader in 1982 of legis
			Social Contract and clash with unions; Rae days; Pay equity; Affirmative action; Strengthening of rent control; anti-scab legislation; Reserve status for ; Moratorium on new nuclear plants; Attempted to maintain ban on Sunday shopping before allowing it; Introduction of casinos; Attempted to bring in extension of spousal benefits for same-sex partners.
22		Mike Harris (b. 1945) MPP for Nipissing	26 June[22] 1995 – 14 April[22] 2002	1995 election (36th Parliament) 1999 election (37th Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 1990
			Common Sense Revolution; 30% tax cut; 21% cut to social assistance rates; attempted to introduce Workfare; cancelled urban infrastructure projects including ; cut government spending; downloading of Ontario Housing to municipalities; provincial funding for municipal transit reduced; Telehealth Ontario created; division of Ontario Hydro; municipal amalgamations, including Amalgamation of Toronto; Elimination of OAC year (Grade 13) and re-introduction of standardized testing; privatization of Highway 407; Ipperwash Crisis; teacher strikes; $1B cut from Education; Walkerton Tragedy; Ontario's Drive Clean; hospital closures and health restructuring.
23		Ernie Eves (b. 1946) MPP for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey	15 April[23] 2002 – 22 October[23] 2003	Appointment (37th Parliament)	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 (b. 1955) MPP for Ottawa South	23 October[24][25] 2003 – 11 February[24][26] 2013	2003 election (38th Parliament) 2007 election (39th Parliament) 2011 election (40th Parliament)	Liberal Party Named leader in 1996
			Green Energy and Economy Act; Auto insurance reforms; Cancelled tax cuts; Increase in health spending and Health Premium tax; Long-term care home reforms[27] Transfer of gas tax to municipalities; Breed-specific legislation aka ban on/government-sanctioned euthanization of 'pit bulls' and dogs considered to resemble 'pit bulls'; Established the Greenbelt; Renegotiation of federal equalization; Expansion of Ontario's Drive Clean; full-day kindergarten; ; ; Harmonized Sales Tax; Ontario power plant scandal. Decreased drinking while driving limit to 0.05 from 0.08. On October 15, 2012, unexpected announcement of resignation and prorogation of legislature.
25		Kathleen Wynne (b. 1953) MPP for Don Valley West	11 February[28][29] 2013 – 29 June[30][31] 2018	Appointment (40th Parliament) 2014 election (41st Parliament)	Liberal Party Named leader in 2013
			First female Premier of Ontario, first openly gay premier in Canada; Ontario-Québec Relations (500 megawatts (MW) of peak electricity sharing); ; The Great Lakes Protection Act; $30-billion investment into transportation across the province; privatization of Hydro One; allowed beer and wine to be sold in certain grocery stores; updated sex education in public schools; raised the minimum wage in Ontario to $14; created the to provide prescription drugs free for youth under 25; conflicted with the Auditor General and Financial Accountability Office over budgeting. On June 7, 2018, led party to worst defeat of a governing party in Ontario history.
26		Doug Ford (b. 1964) MPP for Etobicoke North	29 June[30][31] 2018 – Incumbent	2018 election (42nd Parliament)	Progressive Conservative Party Named leader in 2018
			Ended the 2018 York University strike. Withdrew from the Western Climate Initiative and cancelled the provincial cap and trade system. Cut Toronto City Council from 47 to 25 wards. Scrapped 2015 sex-ed curriculum to rollback to previous 1998–2014 curriculum. COVID-19 pandemic.
Co. Coalition government (^Macdonald ^Drury ) Min. Minority government (^Drew ^Davis ^Miller ^Peterson ^McGuinty ^Wynne ) LS Party won the election, but premier lost own seat (^Drew )

Timeline of Ontario Premiers[]

Living former premiers[]

As of August 2021, six former premiers are alive, the oldest being David Peterson (1985–1990, born 1943). The most recent former premier to die was Bill Davis (1971–1985), on August 8, 2021.

See also[]

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

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

Notes[]

References[]

• "Ontario". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
• Government of Ontario. "Historical Records". Past & Present MPPs. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Archived from the original on 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2007-03-11.