Ontario Premiers and Provincial Government Spending, 2024

This bulletin reviews annual per-person program spending (inflation-adjusted) by Ontario premiers from 1965 to 2022.
The highest single year of per-person spending between 1965 to 2022 was under Premier Dalton McGuinty in 2010, at $12,305 ($2022). The next two highest years were under Premier Doug Ford in 2020 at $12,227 and $12,081 in 2021. If we exclude one-time expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ford government still has the second and third-highest years of per-person provincial spending in Ontario’s history.
The Ford government’s approach to spending growth has been nearly identical to that of predecessor Premier Kathleen Wynne. Both governments have increased spending over their time in office, at a slower rate than predecessors Dalton McGuinty and Ernie Eves.
Premier Ernie Eves ranks as having the highest average annual increase in per-person spending during his brief time as Premier at 5.4 percent. However, Eves only served as premier for two fiscal years.
The second fastest average spending growth was under Premier David Peterson at 4.0 percent. Dal-ton McGuinty was third highest at 2.9 percent.
Per-person spending fell under Premier Bob Rae at an average annual rate of 0.2 percent. Under Premier Mike Harris, per person spending fell at an average annual rate of 1.0 percent.