The federal constitution of 1867 gave Ontario a legislature, and cabinet government on this developed model. There was the new feature in Ontario of the abolition of the second chamber. The legislature might, indeed, at its discretion create one but this has not been done. The most populous of the Canadian provinces has still but one chamber ; and so far has this been from involving capricious change that one prime minister remained in office for a quarter of a century. The system has worked so well as now to be accepted in all the Canadian provinces except Quebec. While Sir Oliver Mowat was prime minister of Ontario from 1871 to 1896 disputes arose as to the limits of federal and provincial authority. Mowat was a strenuous supporter of the rights of the provinces; and appeals to the privy council and experience have united to establish the principle that, within their defined rights, the provinces are supreme, and not under the supervision of the federal authority. By a curious paradox they have, in some re spects, fuller powers, for they can alter their own constitutions.
The long Liberal ministry of Mowat was followed by a decline of the party's prestige and in 19o5 the Conservatives, led by Sir James Whitney, came into power. In 1916 during the World
War, Whitney's successor, Sir William Hearst, passed a drastic Prohibition law relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors. They could be bought only at Government stores and on a medical certificate of illness; and all public drinking places were closed. An election in 1919 gave the new Farmers' party a larger num ber of members than had either the Conservatives or the Liberals and they took office under C. A. Drury. They showed a lack of experience, and in 1923, while the Liberal party made a poor showing, the Conservatives under G. Howard Ferguson came into power with a large majority. There was discontent with the rigour of the Prohibition law and in 1926 Ferguson carried his second election by securing a large majority for the system now in effect in Ontario of State control of the liquor traffic. Drinking places remain closed; but, under individual licenses and strict supervision, purchase is permitted and the Government gets a considerable revenue from its monopoly of the trade. Apart from this there has been recently no acute division on provincial policy. The strongly conservative legislature of 1929 gave way at the 1934 elections to one dominated by the Liberals.