1. Dalton McGuinty was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearly 70 years earlier.
55 Facts About Dalton McGuinty
1. 2.
Dalton McGuinty studied science at university, but ended up taking a law degree and practiced law in Ottawa.
3.
Dalton McGuinty's father served as a Liberal member of Provincial Parliament from 1987 until his death in 1990.
4.
Dalton McGuinty lost the 1999 election to Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris, but won a resounding majority in 2003.
5.
From 2003 to 2007, Dalton McGuinty's government increased spending for health care and education.
6.
Dalton McGuinty won another majority in 2007, though his second term was deeply affected by the 2008 financial crisis, which saw government revenues plummet.
7.
Just prior to the 2011 election, another controversy developed when Dalton McGuinty's government cancelled gas plants that were located in key Liberal ridings and were widely opposed by the local residents.
8.
Dalton McGuinty continued as premier for another year and a half, but the continuing gas plant issue refused to go away.
9.
Dalton McGuinty prorogued the legislature in October 2012 before being succeeded as Liberal leader and premier by Kathleen Wynne in February 2013.
10.
Dalton McGuinty's parents are politician and professor Dalton McGuinty Sr.
11.
Dalton McGuinty is the second Roman Catholic to hold the premiership.
12.
Dalton McGuinty's father is Irish, and his mother is English and French Canadian.
13.
In opposition, Dalton McGuinty served as the Liberal Party's critic for energy, environment and colleges and universities.
14.
Dalton McGuinty was re-elected in Ottawa South in the 1995 provincial election without much difficulty.
15.
Kennedy, a former head of Toronto's Daily Bread food bank, was popular on the progressive wing of the party, while Dalton McGuinty built his core support on its establishment and pro-business right-wing.
16.
Dalton McGuinty was fourth on the first and second ballots, closely behind Dwight Duncan.
17.
Dalton McGuinty then overtook Duncan and Joe Cordiano on the third and fourth ballots, respectively, receiving the support of their delegates to win on the fifth ballot over Kennedy.
18.
Dalton McGuinty's Liberals won support from progressive voters who had supported the Ontario New Democratic Party, and now hoped to defeat the governing Conservatives by strategic voting.
19.
Dalton McGuinty himself faced a surprisingly difficult re-election in Ottawa South, before defeating his Conservative opponent by about 3,000 votes.
20.
Dalton McGuinty rebuilt the party's fundraising operation, launching the Ontario Liberal Fund.
21.
Dalton McGuinty made an effort to improve his debating skills and received coaching from Scott Reid who trained United States Senator John McCain.
22.
Dalton McGuinty called an election immediately after the blackout, and polling showed that the previous Liberal lead had narrowed to a tie in the first week.
23.
Dalton McGuinty undertook a series of choreographed events, including signing a taxpayer protection pledge not to raise taxes.
24.
Dalton McGuinty appeared on the popular sports show "Off the Record", where he received an endorsement from Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm.
25.
Dalton McGuinty was able to maintain his party's standing in the polls in the last stages, preventing Eves from making up ground during the leader's debate.
26.
The Conservatives questioned Peters' methodology, and suggested that the Dalton McGuinty government was overstating the province's financial difficulties to break or delay some of its campaign spending promises.
27.
Dalton McGuinty took office as Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs on October 23,2003.
28.
The Liberals defended the premium by arguing that the previous government had a hidden deficit, and Dalton McGuinty claimed he needed to break his campaign pledge on taxation to fulfill his promises on other fronts.
29.
Dalton McGuinty's government ended the year by releasing "Progress Report 2004: Getting Results for Ontario".
30.
The Dalton McGuinty government brought forward a number of initiatives in the fall of 2004.
31.
Dalton McGuinty launched a campaign to narrow the so-called "$23 billion gap" between what Ontario contributes to the federal government and what is returned to Ontario in services.
32.
Dalton McGuinty said special deals made by the federal government with other provinces compromised the nature of equalization.
33.
Dalton McGuinty noted that immigrants in Ontario receive $800 in support from the federal government, while those in Quebec receive $3,800.
34.
In late April 2005, Dalton McGuinty announced the closure of the Lakeview coal-fired generating station, one of Ontario's largest polluters.
35.
On May 11,2005, the Dalton McGuinty Liberals delivered their second budget, built around the "Reaching Higher" plan for education.
36.
The Dalton McGuinty Liberals moved to expand infrastructure spending by encouraging Ontario's large pension plans to invest in the construction of new roads, schools and hospitals.
37.
Also in June 2005, two cabinet ministers in Dalton McGuinty's government were scrutinized for alleged improprieties.
38.
Dalton McGuinty defended Cordiano in public, claiming he had "complete confidence" in the minister.
39.
Dalton McGuinty has defended his minister, and has rejected calls to remove him from cabinet, even after the Integrity Commissioner issued his finding.
40.
Dalton McGuinty consistently denied any knowledge of the specific allegations against him, and sued the RCMP to either clarify their case against him or withdraw their investigation.
41.
On July 26,2007, Dalton McGuinty dismissed Mike Colle as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration following a report by the auditor general that Colle had mishandled government funds.
42.
Dalton McGuinty was criticized for giving out $32 million in government grants to immigrant and cultural groups without official applications or formal statements of purpose.
43.
Dalton McGuinty's Liberals ran a candidate against Tory during the latter's successful bid to enter the legislature.
44.
In October 2006, the Dalton McGuinty Liberals held their last Annual General Meeting before the 2007 election.
45.
Finally, Premier Dalton McGuinty laid out the theme of the next campaign: standing up for Ontario families.
46.
On March 31,2009, Dalton McGuinty admitted to considering of the removal of the minimum wage increase at 2010 from $9.25, to $10.25 as a mistake after the reactions that he received from the opposition and anti-poverty activists.
47.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said he was concerned about eHealth's spending information and said that he would act upon the auditor general's report.
48.
Documents obtained by the press showed that Dalton McGuinty intervened using an order in council to have Kramer hired as CEO, bypassing the competitive selection process, over the objections of officials in the Health Ministry who felt she was inexperienced.
49.
Dalton McGuinty said that he relied upon the advice of then-chairman of eHealth Dr Alan Hudson and now described Kramer's hiring as a mistake.
50.
Dalton McGuinty had promised not to form a coalition with any other party if elected in a minority, and proceeded to govern by attracting support from opposition MPPs on a bill-by-bill basis.
51.
Dalton McGuinty commissioned former Toronto-Dominion Bank chief economist Don Drummond to examine the province's finances.
52.
Dalton McGuinty's resignation allowed the riding to elect Catherine Fife of the New Democratic Party, leaving McGuinty's Liberals with a minority government.
53.
Dalton McGuinty resigned his seat in the legislature on June 12,2013, at the end of the legislative session, after representing Ottawa South for 23 years.
54.
In June 2013, Dalton McGuinty was named a senior fellow for the fall semester at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
55.
McGuinty published a memoir with Dundurn Press in 2014 called Dalton McGuinty: Making a Difference about his life in politics.