David Peterson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable David Peterson PC OOnt KC ECO
Peterson in 2001
20th Premier of Ontario
In office June 26, 1985 – October 1, 1990
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	John Black Aird Lincoln Alexander
Preceded by	Frank Miller
Succeeded by	Bob Rae
Member of Provincial Parliament
In office September 18, 1975 – September 6, 1990
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	Marion Boyd
Constituency	London Centre
Ontario Liberal Party Leader
In office February 21, 1982 – September 6, 1990
Preceded by	Stuart Smith
Succeeded by	Robert Nixon
Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature
In office February 21, 1982 – June 26, 1985
Preceded by	Robert Nixon
Succeeded by	Frank Miller
Chancellor of the University of Toronto
In office July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2012
Preceded by	Vivienne Poy
Succeeded by	Michael Wilson
Chair of the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games
In office January 21, 2010 – August 15, 2015
Leader	Mario Vázquez Raña Julio Maglione
Preceded by	Aurelio Lopez Rocha (Guadalajara 2011)
Succeeded by	Carlos Neuhaus Tudela (Lima 2019)
Personal details
Born	David Robert Peterson (1943-12-28) December 28, 1943 (age 81) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Shelley Peterson
Relations	Jim Peterson (brother), Tim Peterson (brother), Deb Matthews (sister-in-law)
Children	3 including Ben Peterson
Residences	London, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	University of Western Ontario University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Profession	lawyer

David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. He served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. When he became premier, he was the first member of the Liberal Party to hold the job in 42 years.

Early Life and Family

David Peterson was born in Toronto, Ontario. His parents were Clarence and Laura Peterson. He has two brothers, Tim and Jim, who also became politicians. His family moved to London, Ontario, where his father started a wholesale electronics business.

Peterson went to the University of Western Ontario and then studied law at the University of Toronto. After finishing school, he became a lawyer. He also took over his father's electronics company and became its president when he was 26 years old.

In 1974, Peterson married actress Shelley Matthews, and they have three children. His family is very involved in politics. His brother Jim was a federal Member of Parliament, and his brother Tim and sister-in-law Deb Matthews were both elected to the Ontario legislature.

Journey into Politics

In 1975, Peterson was elected to the Ontario legislature as a Liberal Party member for the area of London Centre. A person elected to the legislature is called a Member of Provincial Parliament, or MPP.

Becoming Liberal Leader

Just a year after being elected, Peterson tried to become the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party but lost by a very small number of votes. He was still young and new to politics. He was re-elected as an MPP in 1977 and 1981.

In 1982, he ran for the party leadership again. This time, he won and became the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. As leader, he also became the Leader of the Opposition, which is the main person who challenges the government in power.

The 1985 Election

In 1985, an election was held in Ontario. The Progressive Conservative party had been in power for 42 years. Peterson campaigned with a lot of energy and presented himself as a modern leader.

The election results were very close. The Progressive Conservatives won 52 seats, and Peterson's Liberals won 48 seats. This meant no party had a majority. The third party, the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Bob Rae, held the remaining seats.

The NDP decided to support the Liberals. They signed an agreement called the "Liberal-NDP Accord." In this deal, the NDP agreed to vote with the Liberals for two years, and in return, the Liberals agreed to pass some laws that the NDP wanted. This allowed David Peterson to become the Premier of Ontario.

Premier of Ontario (1985-1990)

On June 26, 1985, David Peterson was sworn in as the 20th Premier of Ontario. His government was a minority government, meaning it needed the support of another party to pass laws.

After two years, the agreement with the NDP ended. Peterson called another election in 1987. This time, the Liberals won a huge victory with 95 out of 130 seats. This gave them a strong majority government.

Major Changes in Ontario

As premier, Peterson's government made several important changes:

• It stopped doctors from charging patients extra fees above what the government health plan covered.
• It introduced laws for pay equity, to make sure women and men were paid equally for similar work.
• It kept a promise to provide full government funding for Catholic high schools.
• It passed new laws to protect the environment and brought in no-fault car insurance.

The Meech Lake Accord

Peterson played a big role in trying to change Canada's constitution through the Meech Lake Accord. The goal was to get the province of Quebec to agree to the constitution.

The accord was very controversial. Some people thought it gave too much power to the provinces, especially Quebec. Peterson's support for the accord hurt his popularity. In the end, the accord failed because not all provinces agreed to it.

A Surprise Election Loss

In 1990, Peterson decided to call an election, even though his government was not yet three years into its four-year term. Many people, including some in his own party, thought this was a mistake. They felt it was arrogant to call an election so early.

At the start of the campaign, the Liberals were popular. But many voters were unhappy with the early election call. Protesters often followed Peterson, and the media began to criticize his government.

On September 6, 1990, the NDP, led by Bob Rae, won a surprise victory. The Liberals lost badly, going from 95 seats down to just 36. Peterson even lost his own seat in London Centre. That night, he resigned as leader of the Liberal Party, ending his political career.

Life After Politics

Peterson as Chancellor of the University of Toronto in 2009

After leaving politics, David Peterson returned to his career as a lawyer. He became a senior partner at a large law firm in Toronto, where he advises clients on government issues.

He has stayed active in many areas. He was the founding chairman of the Toronto Raptors basketball team and was part of the committee that tried to bring the Olympic Games to Toronto. From 2006 to 2012, he served as the Chancellor of the University of Toronto.

Peterson has also been on the board of directors for several large companies, including Rogers Communications. In 2020, he became part of a group that bought Torstar, the company that publishes the Toronto Star newspaper. He now serves as the chair of the Torstar board.

See also

In Spanish: David Peterson para niños