It is my extraordinary privilege to rise today on behalf of the official opposition to pay tribute to the Honourable Bill Davis, who served with unparalleled distinction through four consecutive governments, from 1971 to 1985, as Ontario’s 18th Premier, who served as Minister of Education and the first Minister of University Affairs for almost a decade before that, and who dedicated himself for 26 years to the people of Peel and Brampton as an effective, likeable and hugely popular Progressive Conservative MPP.

Bill Davis is rightly remembered as Ontario’s education Premier, someone who believed deeply that, “If we get education right, everything else will be better.” But he will also forever be known as the politician who redefined what it means to be “bland.”

Davis was a transformative visionary who presided over one of the most remarkable periods of province-building in Ontario’s history. His legacy is all around us: in the world-class college system he created; in the ambitious expansion of public education and establishment of OISE and TVO; in the cancellation of the Spadina Expressway and the building out of GO Transit; in the founding of community legal clinics; in the creation of Ontario’s first Ministry of the Environment; in the introduction of rent review; and in brokering a historic compromise that led to the patriation of Canada’s Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Davis was also a consummate political pragmatist with an innate understanding that the art of the possible means bringing people along. His approach was the opposite of divide and conquer, the antithesis of polarization and unilateralism. He was an innovative change-maker who recognized the importance of listening to opposing views and taking time to make decisions, quietly mobilizing support for good ideas and just as quietly letting bad ones fade away in both minority and majority governments.

While he enjoyed the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate, Davis viewed his political opponents not so much as adversaries but as philosophically misguided good people who were no less deserving of respect. In the accolades that poured out following his passing in August 2021 at the age of 92, Davis was universally lauded for his graciousness, kindness and fundamental human decency. Many also spoke of his modesty and humility, which explains his long resistance to having his biography written, until Steve Paikin wore him down in 2014.

Former NDP leader Stephen Lewis, who sat across the aisle from Davis during most of the 1970s, told me in an email, “You will know that my relationship with Davis was close, even affectionate. I was very fond of him, and as much as we fought some bitter ideological battles, there was never any malice, mostly a mutual respect.”

When Davis announced he would not run again in 1985, Lewis wrote to him, “You made of politics an art that was at once was humane, generous, respectful and urgent. We often disagreed (my political colleagues have told me not often enough), but there always remained a quality of shared regard and friendship. I think of you today ... with such deep affection and admiration for what you’ve done, and who you are, and what lies ahead. We are all in your debt, Mr. Premier.”

Following Davis’s passing, Lewis said, “It’s hard to imagine a more decent adversary. When compared to the political dynamic today, the Bill Davis era was astonishingly civilized. As much as we did verbal battle across the floor of the Legislature, we maintained a friendly and harmonious relationship in the aftermath.... That was Premier Davis: a political leader of kind and generous disposition. Sure, we disagreed ideologically in ways that could never be bridged. But an atmosphere of intellectual and political generosity prevailed because that was his every instinct.”

After the NDP formed government in 1990, then-Premier Bob Rae recalled, “Bill Davis made a point of reaching out in the earliest days, and he was a constant adviser and mentor to me in what would prove to be a challenging time.... He made it clear that he wished nothing but success for me and for the province: ‘If you do well, we all shall do well.’”

For Davis, it was never about Bill Davis. It was about Ontario, about government in the service of the public good, which is why so many politicians and Premiers of all political stripes sought out his counsel and valued his advice.

It was also about community. Davis insisted on returning home to Brampton every night to the people who had elected and re-elected him seven times and always kept him grounded. But most of all, it was about family, many of whom have joined us today, along with friends and colleagues.

After the tragic loss of his first wife to cancer, Davis found a soulmate in his second marriage of 57 years to Kathleen. He was a loving and devoted father of five and a doting grandfather fondly known as “Dutch” to his 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Together, they took great delight in the boisterousness of family life, cheering on their favourite sports teams and spending time at their Georgian Bay cottage.

Bill Davis was the embodiment of politics as a noble calling. He exemplified the best of political life. We are profoundly grateful to his family for the sacrifices they made to share him with us, with the people of Brampton, and with all Ontarians. Our province and our country stand in your debt.

Thank you. We give thanks for the life and public service of Julian Alexander Arnott Reed.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. William (Bill) Grenville Davis, who was the MPP for Peel during the 26th and 27th Parliaments; Peel North in the 28th and 29th Parliaments; Brampton for the 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments; and who was Premier during the 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments.

Joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Mr. Davis’s family and friends: his wife, Kathleen Davis; his children and their partners, Nancy Bennett, Neil Davis, Ian Davis, Meg Davis, Ruth Davis, Rose Davis, Michael Bennett and Paul Giroux; his grandchildren, William Davis, Kerr Davis, Michael Bennett, Molly Giroux, Robert Davis and Samantha Pejic; his friends and former colleagues, John Tory, Steve Paikin, Sally Barnes, Fred Ross, Hugh Segal, Donna Segal, Sheila Donohue, Mitch Frazer, Steve Pengelly, Brian Flood, Pat Flood, Phil Gillies and Gordon Walker. Welcome.

I recognize the member for London West.

Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the Honourable William Grenville Davis, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government.

Speaker, it’s an extraordinary honour today to rise to pay tribute to the legendary late Premier William “Bill” Grenville Davis. I’m pleased to welcome his family, his friends, his colleagues, and his many admirers to the Legislature today.

Premier Davis was and is an icon in this country. His legacy continues to directly affect each and every person in this province every day. A respected, respectful, accomplished and kind politician, Premier Davis’s conduct provides an enduring example for each and every MPP who serves in this House. His ability to bring Ontario together is exemplified not only by the praise he receives from politicians across the political spectrum, but also by his ability to successfully manage two minority governments. In a world where partisan actors continually seek to divide us, our politics and province would be well served to follow Premier Davis’s ability to compromise, to engage in cross-partisan co-operation, and to respect and work with his adversaries.

It will come as no surprise, Speaker, that as leader of the Ontario Greens, I’m most impressed by Premier Davis’s ability to see through the short-term stress of the daily news cycle to make long-term decisions that have had an enduring positive benefit for generations to come: cancelling the Spadina Expressway to maintain the vibrancy and vitality and quality of life in downtown Toronto; his role in the creation of the acid rain treaties to protect the Great Lakes; the Niagara Escarpment act, protecting our beloved escarpment and laying the foundation for Ontario’s greenbelt; and, of course, his creation of the Ministry of the Environment.

The list of Premier Davis’s many accomplishments are far too long for me to list today. But I hope, Speaker, that members from all sides of this House can agree that when it comes to the big issues of our time—the stability of our democracy, the quality of our education system, and the protection of the land, water and air that sustain life in this province—Premier Davis was a leader that was ahead of his time. Everyone who calls this province home are the beneficiaries of his life and his legacy.

So I want to say to his friends and his family, and especially his wife Kathleen: Thank you. Thank you for sharing Bill with us.

And to Premier Davis: May we all aspire to your legacy. Ontario is forever grateful to your vision, your leadership and your service. May you rest in peace.

It is truly a privilege to say a few words of tribute to Premier William Grenville Davis’s—better known as Brampton Bill’s—remarkable life and contributions.

The 18th Premier of Ontario began his political career when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the MPP for Peel in 1959, a seat he held through seven elections until his retirement.

In 1962, he became the Minister of Education, and the budget for education increased fivefold. In 1971, he won the leadership of his party and remained the Premier of Ontario for 14 years. The amazing thing is six of those were in a minority government. Think about that. How often have we seen that happen? That’s skill; that’s real skill.

Under his leadership, the effects of the baby boom, immigration and a desire for more accessible education, he championed the construction of hundreds of schools, the creation of the community college system and the establishment of post-secondary institutions. He understood that the way to grow our economy was to have the smartest workforce, everybody operating at their best. He also built things like our GO Transit system.

He was a nation builder, so he strongly supported Prime Minister Trudeau’s 1981 plans to patriate the Constitution of Canada, and his role in the constitutional negotiations of 1981 was pivotal, resulting in the passage of the Constitution Act, 1982.

My personal memories of Bill Davis are in two parts.

He was first elected in the month I was born, in 1959. Now, I don’t really remember those first few months well, but what I do know is that he was Premier when I was growing up, when I was going to school, when I became a young father. So the things that he worked to put in place were some of the things that helped me succeed. And the impression, even as a young father, I had of Bill Davis—although you may or may not believe it, I wasn’t super political at the time; I don’t know what happened. But my impression was: He was a father; he was a husband; he was about family. He was kind of like Premier Dad.

It wasn’t until years later that I got to know his legacy and the things he did and accomplished to build up this province: the rapid expansion of our economy and the things that families depended on, like schools and health care; recognizing diversity in Ontario; taking care of the environment. He was ahead of his time.

Politically, he was a centrist—pragmatic, thoughtful, skillful—and those qualities helped him negotiate through six years of minority government. That is incredible, I repeat.

I can remember my father Jack, who was a Liberal like I am, saying to me, “I think Bill Davis would make a great Prime Minister.” Now, I’m not sure. Maybe at the time saying my dad was a Bill Davis Liberal would have been acceptable to Premier Davis—maybe not after. But what I want to say is the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree. I think the same thing. We need to recognize the qualities of leadership in everyone, apart from our party differences. And his service, his approach is something that I think I would like to try to emulate in politics. It’s a good example to follow.

I asked a few people who I know who were former Premiers, as I am lucky to know a couple of them, to give me something to say about Premier Bill Davis. Here’s what Kathleen said—Kathleen Wynne, Premier Kathleen Wynne, I should say: “He was the 18th person to sit in the Premier’s Chair. I was the 25th. He, a truly Progressive Conservative; I, a Liberal. Premier Davis was kind to me. He understood the job I was doing. He never let me forget that he thought my partisan choice was misguided, but party stripe never coloured our conversations.”

Here’s what Premier Dalton McGuinty shared with me just last week: “It’s no exaggeration to say that Bill Davis set a very high standard for Canadian Premiers.

“I was just one of the many who was inspired by him. I was impressed by Premier Davis’s longevity as Ontario’s leader, but I was even more impressed by the quality of his leadership, his integrity, his courage, his commitment, his goodwill and, of course, his good humour. While serving as Premier, I learned that while Bill Davis may have then been retired, he was never retiring. Like many others, I was the occasional subject of his partisan ribbing. But try as he might, Premier Davis could never hide the truth: Deep down, he was inspired by love—love of family, love of community, love of country.”

Regardless of our political leaning, we would all do well to allow ourselves to be inspired by Bill Davis, a man honourable by name, a man honourable by inclination. And to Kathleen and all the family here today and all of Premier Davis’s friends and colleagues, I just want to say thank you to all of you for sharing him with us and for supporting him in doing the work that he did to make Ontario a place to grow and a place to learn.

The member for Guelph.

The Premier.

Orders of the day? I recognize the member for Barrie–Innisfil.

Report continues in volume B.

If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6 p.m.