First Ontario Ministry: Sandfield Macdonald Cabinet, 1867-1871
edit
The first Cabinet for Ontario consisted of Premier John Sandfield Macdonald four other Cabinet ministers. It was known as the "Patent Combination."[1]
It was a coalition government; John Carling and Matthew Crooks Cameron represented the Conservative Party; Edmund Burke Wood represented the coalition Grits; Sandfield Macdonald and Stephen Richards represented old school "Baldwinite" Reformers.[2]
Note that Sandfield Macdonald, Wood, and Carling also sat as MPs in federal parliament; Cameron ran for a federal seat and lost. This was a cabinet built to defer to Ottawa in any disputes in jurisdiction between the federal and provincial level of government in the new Confederation. Richards, meanwhile, didn't even run in the general provincial election, and only joined Cabinet after winning a by election late in 1867.
This ministry would survive the first parliament by several months, finally resigning 20 December 1871.
| Position | Minister | Term Start | Term End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier and Attorney General of Ontario | John Sandfield Macdonald | 1867 | 1871 |
| Treasurer | Edmund Burke Wood | 1867 | 1871 |
| Commissioner of Crown Lands | Stephen Richards | 1867 | 1871 |
| Provincial Secretary and Registrar |
Matthew Crooks Cameron | 1867 | 1871 |
| Agriculture and Public Works | John Carling | 1867 | 1871 |
(Note: Richards and Cameron switched portfolios July 25, 1871, with about five months remaining for the ministry)