Introduction to History of Ontario
The first Indians entered what is now Ontario some 10,000 years ago. When the first European explorations of the St. Lawrence Valley began in the early 17th century, two large Indian groups inhabited the area—the nomadic Algonquian tribes of the north and the agricultural Iroquoian tribes of the south. For more than 150 years, they prevented permanent settlement of Ontario by Europeans.
Important dates in Ontario1610 Etienne Brule of France became the first white person to explore the Ontario region.1613 Samuel de Champlain of France explored the Ottawa River area.1639 French missionaries founded Fort Sainte Marie.1648-1649 Indians destroyed the French missions.1763 The Ontario region became a British possession.1791 The region became the province of Upper Canada.1812-1814 American forces invaded Upper Canada during the War of 1812.1837 A rebellion against British rule broke out in Upper Canada.1867 Ontario became one of the original four provinces of the Dominion of Canada on July 1.1883 The world's largest copper-nickel reserves were discovered near Sudbury (now part of Greater Sudbury).1904 Ontario's automobile industry began in Windsor.1912 Ontario gained the territory north of the Albany River.1952 The Western world's largest uranium deposit was discovered at Elliot Lake.1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway opened.1964 A huge field of copper, silver, and zinc was discovered near Timmins.1972 Ontario began a program of free medical and hospital care for the elderly and the poor.1982 Large gold deposits were discovered at Hemlo, near Marathon.1985 After 42 years of Progressive Conservative rule, the Liberal Party won control of the provincial government and began a five-year period of Liberal leadership.2003 Ontario's highest court, the Court of Appeal, upheld a lower court decision to allow same-sex marriage in the province.The French Period
Étienne Brulé, a French explorer, was probably the first European to enter the region, ascending the Ottawa River in 1610. He was sent by Samuel de Champlain to learn the language and culture of the Huron Indians, a peaceful Iroquoian tribe. Champlain himself explored the Ottawa area in 1613, attempting to find a waterway to Asia. In 1615 he visited Huronia, a fertile area in southern Ontario that was the home of the Hurons. Meanwhile, in 1610, Henry Hudson, an Englishman, had discovered the bay later named for him.
Exploration continued throughout the century. In 1634, Jean Nicolet discovered Lake Michigan. Pierre Radisson and the Sieur de Groseilliers traveled as far as the western end of Lake Superior, 1658–59. The Sieur de La Salle, Jacques Marquette, and Louis Joliet also explored Ontario while on expeditions to the interior of North America in the last half of the 17th century. With the explorers came fur traders, soldiers, and missionaries.
New France, as the area claimed by the French was called, extended from the Gulf of St. Lawrence westward beyond Lake Superior. It also included the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf of Mexico in what is now the United States. In 1673 the Comte de Frontenac, governor of New France, built Fort Frontenac on the St. Lawrence River on the site of present-day Kingston. Another important post, Fort Niagara, was established on the Niagara River (in what is now New York) in 1726. These posts helped to give the French control of the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes region. English penetration of Ontario proceeded from the north around Hudson's Bay in territory claimed by the English and developed by the Hudson's Bay Company.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the French and British competed for the valuable fur trade and for the allegiance of the Indians. This competition led to a series of wars, with Britain emerging as the victor; by the Treaty of Paris (1763), which concluded the French and Indian War, France ceded all of Canada to Great Britain.
British Rule
The Quebec Act, passed by Parliament in 1774, made the former New France into a single British colony called the Province of Quebec. At the time, the Ontario region was largely an unsettled wilderness; settlement did not begin until after the outbreak of the American Revolution.
Thousands of United Empire Loyalists, American colonists who chose to remain under British rule, migrated to central Canada during and after the Revolutionary War. They were to have an important influence on the development of Ontario and were to bring about its separation from Quebec. The Loyalists were accompanied by a number of Iroquois Indians who were allies of the British during the war.
The large influx of English-speaking settlers into the Province of Quebec, the eastern portion of which was predominantly French, led to its division into two provinces. By the Constitutional Act of 1791, Quebec was divided at the Ottawa River—all of the western territory becoming Upper Canada (mainly English) and the eastern territory becoming Lower Canada (chiefly French). In 1792 the first assembly of Upper Canada met at the capital, Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake). In 1793 Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe selected York (now Toronto) to be the permanent capital. Simcoe also encouraged more American immigration. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, more than three-fifths of the people were immigrants from the United States.
During the War of 1812, as in the Revolutionary War, attempts were made by the United States to conquer Canada. Important battles took place at Queenston Heights (1812), Stoney Creek (1813), and Lundy's Lane (1814).
The period from the end of the war to mid-century was one of rapid expansion. New towns were founded, including Ottawa and Windsor. Roads and canals were built. In 1829 the Welland Canal made navigation possible between Lakes Erie and Ontario by providing a waterway that bypassed Niagara Falls. The Rideau Canal, which linked the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario, was completed in 1832. Between 1815 and 1840, population increased from about 90,000 to more than 400,000. The vast majority of the immigrants who came during this period were British; most became farmers.
For a generation after the War of 1812, there was political strife as settlers sought democratic rights. Although Upper Canada and Lower Canada had representative institutions, they did not have what was termed responsible government—the real power lay with autocratic executive and legislative councils who were appointed by the Crown and who were not responsible to (that is, dependent on the support of) the popularly elected legislative assemblies.
Early attempts at reform were made in the assemblies—but met with no success. By 1837 the dissent had become open rebellion. William Lyon Mackenzie led an uprising in Upper Canada, and a second revolt, led by Louis Joseph Papineau, erupted in Lower Canada. Both rebellions were put down, but Britain recognized that reform was needed.
In 1839 Lord Durham, who had been sent from Great Britain to assess the political situation, recommended the union of Upper and Lower Canada, largely to absorb the French and to facilitate economic progress. The result was the Act of Union of 1840 (effective 1841). He also advised granting responsible government; this recommendation was carried out in 1849. Under the Act of Union, Upper Canada and Lower Canada became the Province of Canada with Upper Canada (Ontario) as an administrative district called Canada West.
Confederation and After
In 1867 the British North America Act united the Province of Canada and two other British colonies (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) in a federation known as the Dominion of Canada. Ottawa was chosen as the Dominion capital. Canada West became the province of Ontario, with Toronto as its capital. One of the reasons for the separation of Canada West and Canada East (now Quebec) was the continued conflict between English-speaking and French-speaking peoples. Oliver Mowat became premier of Ontario in 1872. He remained in office until 1896 and strongly championed the rights of the provinces against expansion of the powers of the federal government.
Despite periods of economic depression during the last half of the 19th century, transportation improvements and industrial, commercial, and agricultural development continued in Ontario. In 1876 the Intercolonial Railway connected Ontario with the Maritime Provinces. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 opened northern Ontario to settlement. The introduction of scientific farming methods, the diversification of industry, and the discovery of mineral deposits were important in Ontario's progress.
In the early years of the 20th century, Ontario lost population to the farm lands of the Prairie Provinces, but gained a large number of immigrants from Europe. In 1912 the province was enlarged by the Ontario Boundaries Extension Act, which gave Ontario former federal territory on its northwest border. Unprecedented prosperity began in the new century and lasted until the Great Depression of the 1930's. From 1901 to 1931, population increased by more than a million persons. During this period, Ontario became the leading province in the production of manufactured goods, agricultural commodities, minerals, and furs.
World War II brought an end to the depression and stimulated economic expansion. After the war large numbers of European refugees entered Ontario, their numbers dramatically increasing population and their skills contributing to industrial growth.
Important mineral discoveries were made at Elliot Lake (uranium), Lake Manitouwadge (copper and zinc), and Timmins (copper, zinc, and silver). The construction of natural-gas and oil pipelines from western Canada led to the development of a petroleum industry and provided power for industrial and domestic use. The St. Lawrence Seaway, constructed by Canada and the United States, provided hydroelectric power and made it possible for large oceangoing ships to dock at Ontario ports. The economic boom also made possible an expansion of Ontario's health and social-welfare services.
In the mid-1970's, economic growth was slowed by recession. Also in the 1970's, Ontario began placing restrictions on foreign ownership and control of industry, reflecting Canada's new mood of economic and cultural nationalism. Recession again affected the economy in the 1980's. In 1990,the left-of-center New Democratic party came to power, but it was defeated by the Progressive Conservative party in the 1995 elections.
During the 1980's and early 1990's, Ontario faced a growing budget deficit. To try to reduce the deficit, Progressive Conservative Premier Michael D. Harris decreased funding for such government programs as welfare, health care, education, and the environment. He also reduced income taxes. The economic and social programs of his government caused controversy, but the Conservatives still won reelection in 1999.
Toronto merged with its surrounding communities in 1998 in an effort to reduce duplication of municipal services. In 2001, more municipalities merged with surrounding areas.
Harris stepped down as Ontario's premier in 2002. Ernie Eves replaced Harris as premier. The Liberals won the provincial election in 2003, and Dalton McGuinty took over as premier.