Ontario

:This article describes the Canadian province. For other usages, see Ontario (disambiguation).

History

Pre-1867

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the region was inhabited both by Algonquian (Ojibwa, Cree and Algonquin) and Iroquoian (Iroquois and Huron) tribes. The French explorer Étienne Brûlé explored part of the area in 1610-12. The English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into Hudson Bay in 1611 and claimed the area for England, but Samuel de Champlain reached Lake Huron in 1615 and French missionaries began to establish posts along the Great Lakes. French settlement was hampered by their hostilities with the Iroquois, who would ally themselves with the British.

Related Topics:
Europe - Algonquian - Ojibwa - Cree - Algonquin - Iroquoian - Iroquois - Huron - Étienne Brûlé - 1610 - 12 - Henry Hudson - 1611 - England - Samuel de Champlain - 1615 - French

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Map of Ontario, showing CMA's and CA's

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The British established trading posts on Hudson Bay in the late 17th century and began a struggle for domination of Ontario. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years War by awarding nearly all of France's North American possessions (New France) to Britain. The region was annexed to Quebec in 1774. From 1783 to 1796, the United Kingdom granted United Empire Loyalists leaving the United States following the American Revolution 200 acres (0.8 km²) of land and other items with which to rebuild their lives. This measure substantially increased the population of Canada west of the Ottawa River during this period, a fact recognized by the Constitutional Act of 1791, which split Quebec into The Canadas: Upper Canada west of the Ottawa River, and Lower Canada east of it. John Graves Simcoe was appointed Upper Canada's first Governor-General in 1793.

Related Topics:
1763 Treaty of Paris - Seven Years War - France's North American possessions - New France - Quebec - 1774 - United Kingdom - United Empire Loyalists - United States - American Revolution - 1791 - The Canadas - Upper Canada - Lower Canada - John Graves Simcoe - Governor-General - 1793

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American troops in the War of 1812 invaded Upper Canada across the Niagara River and the Detroit River but were successfully pushed back by British and Native American forces. The Americans gained control of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, however, and during the Battle of York occupied the Town of York (later named Toronto) in 1813. Not able to hold the town, the departing soldiers burned it to the ground.

Related Topics:
War of 1812 - Detroit River - Native American - Lake Erie - Lake Ontario - Battle of York - Town of York - Toronto - 1813

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After the War of 1812, many settlers from the British Isles immigrated to Upper Canada, and began to chafe against the aristocratic Family Compact that governed the region, much as the Château Clique ruled Lower Canada. Accordingly, rebellion in favour of responsible government rose in both regions; Louis-Joseph Papineau led the Lower Canada Rebellion and William Lyon Mackenzie led the Upper Canada Rebellion. For more on the rebellions of 1837, see History of Canada.

Related Topics:
War of 1812 - Family Compact - Château Clique - Responsible government - Louis-Joseph Papineau - Lower Canada Rebellion - William Lyon Mackenzie - Upper Canada Rebellion - History of Canada

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Although both rebellions were crushed, the British government sent Lord Durham to investigate the causes of the unrest. He recommended that self-government be granted and that Lower and Upper Canada be re-joined in an attempt to assimilate the Québécois. Accordingly, the two colonies were merged into the Province of Canada by the Act of Union (1840), with Ontario becoming known as Canada West. Parliamentary self-government was granted in 1848. By about 1850, the English-speaking population of Canada West surpassed the French-speaking population of Canada East.

Related Topics:
Lord Durham - Québécois - Province of Canada - Act of Union (1840) - Canada West - Parliament - Self-government - 1848

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A political stalemate between the French- and English-speaking legislators, as well as fear of aggression from the United States during the American Civil War, led the political elite to hold a series of conferences in the 1860s to effect a broader federal union of all British North American colonies. The British North America Act took effect on July 1, 1867, establishing the Dominion of Canada, initially with four provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. The Province of Canada was divided at this point into Ontario and Quebec so that each linguistic group would have its own province. Both Quebec and Ontario were required by section 93 of the BNA Act to safeguard existing educational rights and privileges of the Protestant and Catholic minorities. Neither province had a constitutional requirement to protect its French- or English-speaking minority. Toronto was formally established as Ontario's provincial capital at this time.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - 1860s - British North America Act - July 1 - 1867 - Dominion of Canada - Nova Scotia - New Brunswick - Quebec - Province of Canada

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From 1867 to 1896

Once constituted as a province, Ontario proceeded to assert its economic and legislative power. In 1872 the lawyer Oliver Mowat became premier, and would remain as premier until 1896. He fought for provincial rights, weakening the power of the federal government in provincial matters, usually through well-argued appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. His battles with the federal government greatly decentralized Canada, giving the provinces far more power than John A. Macdonald had intended. He consolidated and expanded Ontario's educational and provincial institutions, created districts in Northern Ontario, and fought tenaciously to ensure that those parts of Northwestern Ontario not historically part of Upper Canada (the vast areas north and west of the Lake Superior-Hudson Bay watershed, known as the District of Keewatin) would become part of Ontario, a victory embodied in the Canada (Ontario Boundary) Act, 1889. He also presided over the emergence of the province into the economic powerhouse of Canada. Mowat was the creator of what is often called Empire Ontario.

Related Topics:
Oliver Mowat - Judicial Committee of the Privy Council - John A. Macdonald - Northern Ontario - Northwestern Ontario - Upper Canada - Lake Superior - Hudson Bay - District of Keewatin

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Beginning with Sir John A. Macdonald's the National Policy (1879) and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1875-1885) through Northern Ontario and the Prairies to British Columbia, Ontario manufacturing and industry flourished.

Related Topics:
John A. Macdonald - Canadian Pacific Railway - Northern Ontario - Prairies - British Columbia

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From 1896 to the present

Mineral exploitation began in the late 19th century, leading to the rise of important mining centres like Sudbury, Cobalt and Timmins. The province harnessed its water power to generate hydro-electric power, and created the state-controlled Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, later Ontario Hydro. The availability of cheap electric power further facilitated the development of industry. In 1904 the Canadian automobile industry was launched in what is now Windsor, Ontario with the establishment of the Ford Motor Company of Canada. General Motors of Canada Ltd. was formed in 1918. The motor vehicle industry would become the major industrial component of the Ontario economy.

Related Topics:
Mineral - Sudbury - Cobalt - Timmins - Hydro-electric power - Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario - Ontario Hydro - Automobile - Windsor, Ontario - Ford Motor Company - General Motors

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In July 1912 the Conservative government of Sir James P. Whitney issued Regulation 17 which severely limited the availability of French-language schooling to the province's French-speaking minority. French-Canadians reacted with outrage, journalist Henri Bourassa denouncing the "Prussians of Ontario". It was eventually repealed in 1927.

Related Topics:
James P. Whitney - Regulation 17 - Henri Bourassa

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Influenced by events in the United States, the government of Sir William Hearst introduced prohibition of alcoholic drinks in 1916 with the passing of the Ontario Temperance Act. Prohibition came to an end in 1927 with the establishment of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario by the government of George Howard Ferguson. The sale of liquor and beer is still tightly-controlled by the state to ensure that the maximum revenues go to the provincial treasury.

Related Topics:
William Hearst - Prohibition - Ontario Temperance Act - Liquor Control Board of Ontario - George Howard Ferguson

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The post-World War II period was one of exceptional prosperity and growth. Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area in particular, have been the recipients of most immigration to Canada. Changes in federal immigration law have led to a massive influx of non-Europeans since the 1980s. From a largely ethnically British province, Ontario has now become very culturally diverse.

Related Topics:
World War II - Greater Toronto Area - Ethnically

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The nationalist movement in Quebec, particularly after the election of the Parti Québécois in 1976, contributed to driving many businesses out of Quebec to Ontario, and Toronto surpassed Montreal as the largest city and economic centre of Canada

Related Topics:
Parti Québécois - Toronto - Montreal

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