A new government creates an early impact
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 supported by the NDP, they functioned with surprising smoothness. Polls by October 1985 showed the Liberals up 10 percentage points from their election result. The NDP held steady, and the PCs finally stopped dismissing the result as a fluke.
Still, governing wasn’t without friction. Doctors went on strike over the extra billing ban. Lawyers were angry about the end of Queen’s Counsel titles. Catholic school funding drew fire from public school boards. Business leaders opposed equal pay and labor reforms, while OPSEU was frustrated by slow movement on extending political rights.
Yet by mid-1987, the legislature had passed 117 bills, many of them aligned with the accord. Columnists and political observers acknowledged the success of the minority arrangement, noting that legislative debate and compromise had strengthened policymaking.
Rae, once concerned about the NDP’s relevance, took satisfaction in the party’s strengthened profile. Contrary to early fears, the party didn’t fade—it emerged stronger, eventually leading to the 1990 election win that made Rae Ontario’s first NDP premier.
Legacy of the 1985 Accord
The 1985 Liberal-NDP accord represented a pivotal moment in Ontario politics. It marked the end of the PCs’ 42-year rule and introduced a new era of policy-driven, cooperative governance. While controversial at the time, the arrangement ultimately provided legislative stability, advanced progressive reforms, and reshaped Ontario’s political landscape.
For Peterson, it was a springboard to eventual electoral majority. For Rae and the NDP, it proved the value—and danger—of pragmatic collaboration. And for Ontario, it was a dramatic, symbolic end to an era of one-party dominance and the beginning of a more contested, dynamic political era.
