Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The first session of the Ontario Legislature opened on December 27, 1867 and continued until February, 1871.  Meetings are held in the Front Street Legislative Building, originally completed in 1832.

John Sandfield Macdonald was appointed the first Premier of Ontario by Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald – they were not related.

The United States of America declares war on the United Kingdom in June – the War of 1812 begins. General Sir Isaac Brock – also acting as Administrator of Upper Canada - is mortally wounded at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October, 1812.

Much of the legislation passed during the earliest sessions of Upper Canada’s Legislature deal with the establishment of services in the colony, such as the clearing of land and the creation of roads.

Premier Frost breaks ground on the University Avenue TTC subway extension. During construction, a tunnel was carved underneath the Legislative Building and Queen’s Park. This subway extension opened in 1963.

The Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario was created in 1974 as a result of a study by a government commission.

The first female Legislative Pages are welcomed into the Legislative Page Program in 1971. The program is open to Ontario students in Grades 7 & 8, allowing them to work at and learn about the Legislature during a brief work term at the Legislative Building.

Radical politician William Lyon Mackenzie leads a rebellion against the colonial government of Upper Canada on December 5th, 1837. Marching down Yonge Street, his disorganized group of rebel soldiers was quickly dispersed, and Mackenzie fled to the United States.

Responsible Government was realized in 1848-1849 under the administration of Premiers Robert Baldwin (representing Canada West) and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (representing Canada East).

The principle of Responsible Government was put to the test with the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill by the reform movement in the Legislative Assembly. Despite his misgivings about the bill, the Governor General had ceded to the elected Parliament and gave the bill Royal Assent.