The 1980s saw political change in Canada and Ontario seldom witnessed before or since. Legislation and lessons learned then are applicable now.
In Ottawa, Liberal leader Pierre Trudeau retired as Prime Minister in early 1984 and Conservative Brian Mulroney defeated Trudeau’s successor, John Turner, in September that year to take over leadership of the country.
Mulroney set as a priority negotiations to achieve free trade with the United States, and the ongoing debate over national unity on the heels of Trudeau’s National Energy program in 1980 and repatriating the constitution in 1982 without Quebec’s involvement would clutter the political agenda through the ‘80s.
Change also impacted the calendar at Queen’s Park, where Stuart Smith, a Montreal-trained psychiatrist turned McMaster University professor, struggled to lift his Ontario Liberals out of third party status. His efforts to “liberalize” the party and shift it off its rural base helped him regain the long-held Liberal position of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the 1981 general election, ahead of the New Democrats. But the party stalled at 33 seats.
That allowed William Grenville Davis, after winning two brief terms in minority at the head of the Progressive Conservative party (1975, 1977), to reclaim a majority government under a Tory banner and extend the party’s grip on power to almost 40 years. But change was coming.
This site picks up that story with the May 2,1985 general election and its aftermath that less than two months later led to the June 26 swearing-in of the Peterson Liberal government to be supported for two years by the New Democratic Party. The 42-year reign of the Progressive Conservatives had come to an end.
It is the story of everything that happened between that vote and the election five years later that defeated the Peterson government, told by many of those who were there.
This site is a work in progress that we anticipate will expand in content in the coming months. To that end, if you have memories, reflections, photos or documents you think we should include, please forward them with a note of explanation to contributions@thepetersonyears.ca .
This site is produced with the support of Cassels Brock and Blackwell LLP..
The seven-week period between the May 2, 1985 provincial election and the swearing-in on June 26 of the first Liberal government in over 42 years was packed with political hurdles. From a timing point of view, most of the transition decisions came after the May 2nd election. The focus was initially the…
It must be a nice feeling to be Premier of Ontario with the opinion polls reporting that your party enjoys the support of almost 50 percent of the population – especially in a three-party system where the two opposition parties split the remainder of the vote. You can breathe easy and take your…
“Some citizens in Ontario believe that a Sunday shopping law may be inappropriate to the needs of Ontario society in this period of the 21st century. Others feel that Sunday shopping law is valuable because it enshrines non-sectarian social values of an important kind designed to enhance family and community life. The Liberal Government believes…
In 1984, driven by a deep concern over the lack of racial representation in Ontario’s electoral politics, Trevor Wilson, a well-respected community leader, reached out to a diverse group of ethno-cultural community leaders to push for meaningful change. Determined to act, they met with the leaders of the three major political parties: Frank Miller (Progressive…
With no clear majority, the results of the 1985 provincial election created a rare and dramatic opportunity for a realignment in the province’s politics that would shape the next four decades in Ontario. While the Progressive Conservatives (PCs), under Premier Frank Miller, won the most seats, they lost considerable ground in critical urban ridings,…
The symbolic swearing-in of Peterson’s cabinet took place on June 26 on the lawn at Queen’s Park in front of 5,000 people. The ceremony emphasized inclusivity and change, with a cabinet reflecting Toronto’s diversity and gender balance. Peterson walked on foot through the crowd, signaling a people-first government. Though the Liberals formed a minority government…
The article was jointly written by Barb Sulzenko-Laurie and Philip Dewan In his first 18 months after becoming Leader of the Opposition in February 1982, David Peterson regularly attacked the Tory government for its failure to adequately address the youth employment crisis. Unemployment rates for the 15-24 cohort, which had been relatively stable throughout the…
On October 1, 2025, the Queen’s Institute of Intergovernmental Relations held its annual Kenneth MacGregor Lecture at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre in Kingston. This year’s Lecture took the form of a fireside chat between former Ontario Premier David Peterson and former Globe and Mail national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson. The conversation covered a range…
As I enter my 76th year, I am asked to recollect the actions that took place in 1989 and 1990 in my role as Solicitor General culminating in the introduction and passage of the Police Services Act. Thirty-five years have since passed but I certainly do recall that the passage and proclamation of this Legislation…
The seven-week period between the May 2, 1985 provincial election and the swearing-in on June 26 of the first Liberal government in over 42 years was packed with political hurdles. From a timing point of view, most of the transition decisions came after the May 2nd election. The focus was initially the…
The article was jointly written by Barb Sulzenko-Laurie and Philip Dewan In his first 18 months after becoming Leader of the Opposition in February 1982, David Peterson regularly attacked the Tory government for its failure to adequately address the youth employment crisis. Unemployment rates for the 15-24 cohort, which had been relatively stable throughout the…
On October 1, 2025, the Queen’s Institute of Intergovernmental Relations held its annual Kenneth MacGregor Lecture at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre in Kingston. This year’s Lecture took the form of a fireside chat between former Ontario Premier David Peterson and former Globe and Mail national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson. The conversation covered a range…
As I enter my 76th year, I am asked to recollect the actions that took place in 1989 and 1990 in my role as Solicitor General culminating in the introduction and passage of the Police Services Act. Thirty-five years have since passed but I certainly do recall that the passage and proclamation of this Legislation…
On October 6th , the Pearson Centre held a dinner to honour Hon David Peterson, the 20th Premier of Ontario who celebrated 40 years since becoming Premier and 50 years since being elected. The interview starts at about the 19:00 mark. “I think the wellspring of government has to be kindness and decency and…
