Leader of the Official Opposition (Ontario)

Last updated

Leader of the Official Opposition
Chef de l'Opposition officielle
Marit Stiles May 6, 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Marit Stiles
since February 4, 2023
Member of Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Term length While leader of the largest party not in government
Inaugural holder Edward Blake
Formation1869;155 years ago (1869)

The leader of the Official Opposition (French : chef de l'Opposition officielle) is the leader of the largest political party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that is not in government and is typically the second-largest party. [1] The position is formally titled the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition (French: chef de la loyale opposition de Sa Majesté); under the Westminster system, while the parliamentary opposition opposes the incumbent government, it remains loyal to the Crown and thus to Canada. [2]

Contents

Marit Stiles has served as the leader of the Official Opposition since February 4, 2023. She leads the New Democratic Party (NDP), which has held the second largest number of seats in the Legislative Assembly since the 2018 provincial election.

History

Ontario's first Leader of the Official Opposition was Edward Blake of the Ontario Liberal Party who held the position from 1869 until 1871 when he became Premier of Ontario (Archibald McKellar had previously led the Liberal Party in the legislature for two years, but was not formally recognized as opposition leader). Ten leaders were Premier before after they served this post.

List of official opposition leaders

LeaderPartyTook officeLeft office
  Edward Blake Liberal December 1869December 1871
  Matthew Crooks Cameron Conservative December 18711878
  William Ralph Meredith October 1878October 1894
  George Marter October 1894April 1896
  James Whitney April 1896January 1905
  George William Ross Liberal February 1905January 1907
  George Graham January 1907August 1907
  Alexander Grant MacKay August 19071911
  Newton Rowell December 19111917
  William Proudfoot February 1918June 1919
  Hartley Dewart June 1919October 1921
  Wellington Hay March 1922June 1923
  William Sinclair 12August 1923June 1934
  George Henry Conservative July 1935December 1938
  George Drew Conservative/Progressive Conservative 19391943
  Ted Jolliffe Co-operative Commonwealth Federation August 1943June 1945
  Farquhar Oliver Liberal July 1945June 1948
  Ted Jolliffe (second time) Co-operative Commonwealth Federation July 1948November 1951
  Farquhar Oliver 3(second time) Liberal 1951April 1958
  John Wintermeyer April 1958August 1963
  Farquhar Oliver 4(third time)October 1963September 1964
  Andy Thompson September 1964November 1966
  Robert Nixon February 1967September 18, 1975
  Stephen Lewis New Democratic October 28, 1975April 29, 1977
  Stuart Smith Liberal June 1977September 1981
  Robert Nixon 5(second time)January 25, 1982February 21, 1982
  David Peterson February 1982June 1985
  Frank Miller Progressive Conservative 19851985
  Larry Grossman 19851987
  Bob Rae New Democratic 19871990
  Robert Nixon 6(third time) Liberal November 20, 1990July 31, 1991 [3]
  Murray Elston 719911991
  Jim Bradley 819911992
  Lyn McLeod 19921996
  Dalton McGuinty 19962003
  Ernie Eves Progressive Conservative 20032004
  Bob Runciman 920042005
  John Tory 20052007
  Bob Runciman 10(second time)20072009
  Tim Hudak 20092014
  Jim Wilson 1120142015
  Patrick Brown 20152018
  Vic Fedeli 1220182018
  Andrea Horwath New Democratic 20182022
  Peter Tabuns 1320222023
  Marit Stiles 2023present

1 The Liberals were recognized as the Official Opposition following the 1923 election by the governing Conservatives, despite the fact that the United Farmers of Ontario had more seats. According to historian Peter Oliver, this was an arbitrary decision without basis in precedent or law. Conservative Premier G. Howard Ferguson used as justification an announcement by UFO general secretary James J. Morrison that the UFO would be withdrawing from party politics, though Oliver argues that this was facetious logic. UFO parliamentary leader Manning Doherty protested the decision, but to no avail. (source: Peter Oliver, G. Howard Ferguson: Ontario Tory, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1977), p. 158.)

2 From 1930, the Liberal Party was led by Mitchell Hepburn, but Sinclair continued as Leader of the Opposition as Hepburn did not seek a seat in the legislature until the 1934 general election which made him Premier.

3 Until 1954, the Liberals were led from outside the legislature by Walter Thomson with Oliver as acting Leader of the Opposition. Oliver led the party in his own right (for a second time) from 1954 until 1958.

4 Interim Liberal leader following the personal defeat of Wintermeyer in the 1963 provincial election until Thompson's election as leader.

5 Interim Liberal leader of the party following the resignation of Stuart Smith.

6 Interim Liberal leader of the party following the personal defeat of Premier David Peterson in the 1990 election.

7 Elston became interim Liberal leader when Nixon resigned from the legislature to accept a federal appointment. Elston stepped down in November when he decided to be a candidate at the Liberal leadership convention.

8 Interim Liberal leader between resignation of Elston and election of McLeod.

9 John Tory was chosen as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party on September 18, 2004, but did not hold a seat in the legislature. On September 28 the party announced that Bob Runciman would act as interim PC leader until Tory entered the legislature. Tory was elected to represent Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey on March 17, 2005, and was sworn in as an MPP and leader of the opposition on March 29, 2005.

10 As Ontario PC leader John Tory did not win a seat in the 2007 election, Runciman served as Leader of the Opposition in the legislature. (Tory had been running in the Don Valley West riding.) After spending more than a year outside the legislature, Tory sought a seat in the March 5, 2009 by-election in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock. [4] He lost this by-election, and thereafter resigned as party leader. Runciman served as interim party leader as well as opposition leader until Hudak was chosen as the party leadership convention.

11 Wilson served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative party following the resignation of Tim Hudak and continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition after Patrick Brown became party leader on May 9, 2015, until September when Brown won a seat in the legislature through a by-election. [5]

12 Vic Fedeli was chosen interim leader of the PC Party by caucus on January 26, 2018, one day after Patrick Brown resigned due to allegations of sexual misconduct. He continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition after Doug Ford became party leader on March 10, 2018, as Ford did not have a seat in the legislature.

13 Peter Tabuns was chosen as interim leader by the NDP caucus on June 28, 2022, following the resignation of Andrea Horwath.

List of deputy opposition leaders

Deputy LeaderTook officeLeft officeNotes
Sean Conway March 9, 1982March 25, 1985
September 17, 1991December 19, 1996
Sandra Pupatello June 6, 1999September 2, 2003
Elizabeth Witmer October 23, 2003July 27, 2009
Christine Elliott July 27, 2009August 28, 2015
Steve Clark September 11, 2015May 8, 2018Serving together
Sylvia Jones
Sara Singh August 23, 2018IncumbentServing together
John Vanthof

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References

  1. ↑ "Leader of the Official Opposition | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ Schmitz, Gerald (December 1988), The Opposition in a Parliamentary System, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, archived from the original on March 21, 2015
  3. ↑ "Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Members (MPPs) | Past & Present MPPs | Robert Fletcher Nixon, MPP". Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ "McGuinty calls byelection in Tory's riding", CTV Toronto, February 4, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Patrick Brown elected leader of Ontario Progressive Conservatives". Toronto Sun. May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
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