Premier of Ontario

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For a list, see List of premiers of Ontario.
Premier of Ontario
Premier ministre de l'Ontario
Coat of arms of Ontario.svg
Coat of Arms of Ontario
Flag of Ontario.svg
Flag of Ontario
Douglas Robert Ford 2018.jpg
Incumbent
Doug Ford
since June 29, 2018
Government of Ontario
Style
StatusHead of Government
Member of
Reports to
SeatQueen's Park, Toronto
AppointerLieutenant Governor of Ontario
with the confidence of the Ontario Legislature
Term lengthAt Her Majesty's pleasure
contingent on the premier's ability to command confidence in the legislative assembly
FormationJuly 16, 1867
(154 years ago) (1867-07-16)[1]
First holderJohn Sandfield Macdonald
DeputyDeputy Premier of Ontario
Salary$208,974 (since 2008)[2]
WebsiteOffice of the Premier

The premier of Ontario (French: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the first minister of the Crown. The premier acts as the head of government for Ontario, chairs and selects the membership of the Cabinet, and advises the Crown on the exercise of executive power and much of the royal prerogative; together with the Cabinet, the premier manages the Government of Ontario.

Doug Ford is the 26th and current premier of Ontario. He took office on June 29, 2018, following the 2018 Ontario election where his Progressive Conservative (PC) party won a majority of seats in the Ontario Legislature.

Appointment[]

The premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the lieutenant governor of Ontario and presides over the Executive Council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act stipulates that the leader of the government party is known as the "Premier and President of the Council". Due to Ontario being a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, the premier is typically the leader of the party which has the most support in the Legislative Assembly at that time.

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. Premiers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected Legislative Assembly. They typically sit as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and lead the largest party or a coalition in the Assembly. Once sworn in, the premier holds office until he or she resigns or is removed by the lieutenant governor after either a motion of no confidence or defeat in a general election.[3] The premier does not have to be serving in Provincial Parliament to be appointed premier. In practice, this is highly unlikely to occur in a majority-government situation, while it can occur in a minority-government situation if the government had been struck down by its previous partners.

History[]

Further information: List of premiers of Ontario

Ontario's first premier was John Sandfield Macdonald, in office from 1867 to 1871. He was elected from the provincial riding of Cornwall in the first general election of 1867 for the new province of Ontario. In addition to serving as Premier, he also occupied the post of Attorney General of Ontario.[4] The longest-serving premier in Ontario history was Oliver Mowat, in office from 1872 to 1896.

The position of premier was formerly written as "Prime Minister of Ontario" until the government of Bill Davis formally changed the title to premier.[5] However, in French, the premier is still referred to as premier ministre, which translates to 'prime minister' in English. This is similar to the premier of Quebec, who is referred to as the premier ministre du Québec in French.

Politics of Ontario
Coat of arms of Ontario.svg
Crown
Provincial legislature
  • Political parties
Government
See also
Politics by province / territory

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  • Other countries
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Office of the Premier of Ontario[]

The Office of the Premier of Ontario includes a number of committees:

  • Priorities and Planning Committee
  • Cabinet Committee on Emergency Management
  • Treasury Board / Management Board of Cabinet
  • Legislation and Regulations Committee
  • Health, Education and Social Policy Committee
  • Jobs and Economic Policy Committee[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "John Sandfield Macdonald, MPP". Legislative Assembly website. Legislative Assembly on Ontario. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  2. ^ "Ontario MPPs salary freeze won't be lifted before 2019". CBC. January 20, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Brooks 2007, p. 235
  4. ^ Legislative Assembly of Ontario: John Sandfield Macdonald.
  5. ^ "Twenty-five years ago, the end of a double life". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Office of the Premier of Ontario - committees". Premier.gov.on.ca. Archived from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2018.

External links[]

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