Dalton McGuinty

The Hon. Dalton McGuinty

Rank:	24th
Term of Office:	October 23, 2003 - present
Predecessor:	Ernie Eves
Date of Birth:	July 19, 1955
Place of Birth:	Ottawa, Ontario
Spouse:	Terri McGuinty
Profession:	Lawyer
Political Party:	Liberal

Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr., Canadian lawyer and politician, was born in Ottawa, Ontario on July 19, 1955.

McGuinty is the Premier of Ontario; he was sworn in as the province's twenty-fourth premier on October 23, 2003.

The son of politician and professor Dalton McGuinty, Sr, McGuinty earned a science degree from McMaster University and a law degree from the University of Ottawa before practising law in Ottawa. MPP for Ottawa South since 1990, he was elected leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1996 in a surprise victory over front-runner Gerard Kennedy.

The Tories played off McGuinty's low profile as opposition leader to define the Liberal as "not up to the job." A weak perfomance by McGuinty in the election debate and strong economic growth in 1999 helped reelect Mike Harris and the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. However, the Liberal leader strongly rallied his party in the final days of the election contest. On election day, the Liberals drew 40% of the vote, the second highest share of Liberal vote in fifty years, and increased the party's share of seats in the Legisature from 30 to 36.

McGuinty's second term as leader was spent readying himself, his caucus and his party for the next election and the chance to govern. McGuinty attracted a new, aggressive team of advisors and threw himself into developing a firm grasp on policy and government. Lowering class sizes, hiring more nurses, increasing environmental protections and holding the line on taxes became McGuinty's signture themes. The Ontario Liberal Party was rebuilt from the ground up, drawing quality candidates across the province.

Several major controversies embroiled the governing PC Party, including the shooting death of native protester Dudley George at Ipperwash, the deaths of 7 people from tainted water in Walkerton, and the decision to extend government funding to private schools.

Mike Harris announced his resignation in October, 2001. A highly divisive leadership contest between former Finance Minister Ernie Eves, his successor Jim Flaherty, and other candidates, damaged the cohesiveness of the governing Tories. Eves, premier after winning that race, faced a litany of new crises, including skyrocketing electricity prices, Minsterial resignations amid expense account controversy, and the decision to introduce the province's budget not in the Legislature, but in an auto parts plant.

A summer blackout gave Eves increased exposure and rallied some support in his party. The subsequent election featured an early close in the polls to a tie in the first week. However, McGuinty's strong performance on the campaign trail and simple theme of "choose change" caught the imagination of Ontario voters.

A mid-campaign accusation in a PC Party press release that the Liberal leader was an evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet put Eves and the PC Party on the defensive and reinforced voter opinion that it was time for a change. McGuinty's strong performance in the televised leader's debate and aggressive campaign helped drive him to a massive majority government with 72 of the Ontario Legislature's 103 seats. The PC Party fell to 24 seats, while the left-of-centre Ontario New Democratic Party increased its share of the popular vote, but with only 7 seats, lost party status.

Although McGuinty's campaign had explicitly stated that the timetable for implementing some election promises would be contingent on the size of the deficit inherited from Eves' government, the early days of McGuinty's administration were marked by considerable controversy around broken promises.

In March, 2004, McGuinty's brother, David McGuinty, won the nomination to run as Liberal Party of Canada candidate in the federal riding of Ottawa South.

Preceded by: Ernie Eves 2002-2003

Premier of Ontario since 2003

Succeeded by: incumbent