1. John Robarts was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
15 Facts About John Robarts
1. 2.
John Robarts played for Western Mustangs football, coached by John P Metras.
3.
John Robarts enrolled to study law at Osgoode Hall Law School, but his education was interrupted by service with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
4.
John Robarts practiced law in London, Ontario, and was elected to city council in 1948.
5.
John Robarts commuted by train from the Queen's Park legislature in Toronto, the provincial capital, to his family and law practice in London, effectively combining his legislative work with his legal career.
6.
John Robarts entered the cabinet of Leslie Frost in 1958 as minister without portfolio, and was promoted to minister of education in 1959.
7.
The province was in the midst of a major building phase with its education system, to accommodate an enormous increase in enrollment following the Baby Boomer generation of the post-World War II era, and John Robarts played an important role as education minister, with the establishment of new institutions such as York University.
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Leslie Frost 8.
In 1961, John Robarts became the 17th premier of Ontario, and served in that capacity until 1971.
9.
John Robarts was an advocate of individual freedoms, and promoted the rights of the provinces against the centralizing initiatives of the federal government.
10.
John Robarts promoted national unity against Quebec separatism, and hosted the 1967 "Confederation of Tomorrow" conference in Toronto.
11.
John Robarts initially opposed Canadian Medicare when it was proposed, but later endorsed it fully following New Democratic Party candidate Kenneth Bolton's upset by-election victory on the issue in the London-area riding of Middlesex South.
12.
John Robarts was responsible for the construction of five new universities including York University, the establishment of the Ontario Science Centre and Ontario Place, the creation of numerous teacher's colleges, the creation of the community college system, the GO Transit commuter rail system, introducing nuclear power to Ontario's electricity grid, and launching the Ontario Scholar fund for high school students graduating with an A average.
13.
John Robarts served as chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 1971 to 1976.
14.
John Robarts served as chancellor of York University from 1977 to 1982.
15.
John Robarts was given a state funeral at St Paul's Anglican Church in Toronto.