Running on a platform to reduce provincial expenses – known as the “Common Sense Revolution” - Mike Harris was elected Ontario’s 22nd Premier in June, 1995. He remained in office until 2002 when he resigned his position to be replaced by his Minister of Finance Ernie Eves.
Ontario’s Legislative Building marked its first century on April 4th, 1993. One of the activities for the centennial year included the placement of a time capsule in one of the decorative copper finials on the roof of the building, to be opened in 2093.
With the election of Ontario’s 41st Session of Parliament in June, 2014, more women than at any one time won seats in the Legislature – a total of 38 of 107 MPPs, or 35% of the House.
In 1967, Premier Robarts moved that MPPs may address the House in either English or French. French becomes an official language of the Legislative Assembly in 1970.
Hansard, the official transcript of House proceedings, was introduced at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1944. Pictured here is a copy of the first bound index.
Howard Ferguson became Ontario Premier in 1923. During his time in office, his administration passed the Forestry Act and introduced government regulation over the sale of alcohol by establishing the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
To better represent the increased population in Canada after the American Revolution, the British Parliament passed the Constitutional Act to create the colonies of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec), each with their own colonial administration.
In use since 1867, the Legislature’s Mace was completely refurbished in 2009 with the addition of 2 diamonds from northern Ontario – a gift of the Debeers Canada company to the people of the province. One polished stone and one rough stone were installed in its crown.
Three Japanese flowering cherry trees bloom each spring on the Legislature’s grounds – a gift of the Japanese Consulate in Toronto in 2005.
During the summer of 2016, panels of the centre ceiling in the Legislative Chamber were removed to reveal more of the original mural painted by artist Gustav Hahn (1866-1962) in the Art Nouveau style.
