1969 Manitoba general election

The 1969 Manitoba general election was held on June 25, 1969 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was a watershed moment in the province's political history. The social-democratic New Democratic Party emerged for the first time as the largest party in the legislature, winning 28 out of 57 seats. The governing Progressive Conservative Party fell to 22, and the once-dominant Liberal Party fell to an historical low of five. The Social Credit Party won one seat, and there was also one Independent elected.

1969 Manitoba general election
June 25, 1969
57 seats of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
29 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  PC
Leader Edward Schreyer Walter Weir
Party New Democratic Progressive Conservative
Leader since June 7, 1969 November 25, 1967
Leader's seat Rossmere Minnedosa
Last election 11 31
Seats won 28 22
Seat change 17 9
Popular vote 128,080 119,021
Percentage 38.27% 35.56%
Swing 15.13pp 4.40pp
  Third party Fourth party
  LIB SC
Leader Robert Bend Jacob Froese
Party Liberal Social Credit
Leader since May 10, 1969
Leader's seat Ran in Lakeside (lost) Rhineland
Last election 14 1
Seats won 5 1
Seat change 9 0
Popular vote 80,288 4,535
Percentage 23.99% 1.36%
Swing 9.14pp 2.18pp
Map of Election Results
Premier before election

Walter Weir
Progressive Conservative

 Premier after election

Edward Schreyer
New Democratic

It was not clear what form the government would take in the days immediately following the election. There were negotiations among the Liberal and Progressive Conservatives to form a minority coalition government, supported by the Social Credit and Independent members; under this scenario, former Liberal leader Gildas Molgat would have become Premier. These plans came to nothing when Liberal MLA Laurent Desjardins announced that he would sit as a "Liberal Democrat" supporting the NDP, allowing the NDP to form government by one seat. Edward Schreyer became the province's first social democratic Premier shortly thereafter.

The Manitoba NDP had a total election budget of $45,000. Although very small by modern standards, this was the most the party had ever spent up to this time.[1]

The Liberals had managed to remain as the Official Opposition for a decade after losing power in 1959. However, this would be the start of almost 20 years in the political wilderness; the party would not come close to governing again until winning opposition status in 1988.

Results
Party Party Leader # of
candidates		 Seats Popular Vote
1966 Elected % Change # % Change
  New Democratic Edward Schreyer 57 11 28 +154.5% 128,080 38.27% +15.13
  Progressive Conservative Walter Weir 57 31 22 -29.0% 119,021 35.56% -4.40
  Liberal Robert Bend 57 14 5 -64.3% 80,288 23.99% -9.14
Social Credit Jacob Froese (?) 6 1 1 - 4,535 1.36% -2.18
Communist William Cecil Ross 2 - - - 744 0.22% +0.02
  Independent 5 - 1   2,020 0.60% +0.57
Total 184 57 57 - 334,688 100%  
Popular vote
New Democratic
 
 38.27%
PC
 
 35.56%
Liberal
 
 23.99%
Social Credit
 
 1.36%
Others
 
 0.82%
Seats summary
New Democratic
 
 49.12%
PC
 
 38.60%
Liberal
 
 8.77%
Social Credit
 
 1.75%
Independent
 
 1.75%
Preceded by
1966 Manitoba election		 List of Manitoba elections Succeeded by
1973 Manitoba election

See also

Riding results

Party key:

(x) denotes incumbent.

Arthur:

Assiniboia:

  • (x)Stephen Patrick (L) 2355
  • Bill Docking (PC) 2329
  • Curtis Nordman (NDP) 1466
1969 Manitoba general election: Birtle-Russell
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeHarry Graham2,37439.59
New DemocraticDonald Kostesky2,26337.74
LiberalJohn Braendle1,36022.68
Total valid votes 5,997 100.00
Rejected and discarded votes 12
Turnout 6,009 72.47
Electors on the lists 8,292

Brandon East:

  • Leonard Evans (NDP) 3035
  • Emily Lyons (PC) 1962
  • Don Martin (L) 1194

Brandon West:

  • Edward McGill (PC) 2814
  • James M. Skinner (NDP) 2310
  • Terry Penton (L) 1796

Burrows:

  • (x)Ben Hanuschak (NDP) 3418
  • Wasyl Michael Swystun (PC) 1317
  • Olga E. Lewicki (L) 751
  • Andrew Bileski (Comm) 323

Charleswood:

Churchill:

Crescentwood:

Dauphin:

Elmwood:

Emerson:

Flin Flon:

Fort Garry:

  • Bud Sherman (PC) 3570
  • G. Grant Cosby (NDP) 2063
  • Richard Alan Wankling (L) 1936

Fort Rouge:

  • Inez Trueman (PC) 2750
  • Una Decter (NDP) 2446
  • Jane Sayler Heffelfinger (L) 1941

Gimli:

Gladstone:

Inkster:

  • (x)Sidney Green (NDP) 4001
  • Robert Armstrong (PC) 989
  • Gurzon Harvey (L) 661

Kildonan:

  • (x)Peter Fox (NDP) 4589
  • Don Mills (PC) 1876
  • John Gugulyn (L) 851

Lac Du Bonnet:

Lakeside:

1969 Manitoba general election: La Verendrye
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalLeonard Barkman1,93352.17
Progressive ConservativeJohn Blatz1,05128.46
New DemocraticElmer Reimer72119.46
Total valid votes 3,705 100.00
Rejected and discarded votes 29
Turnout 3,734 50.64
Electors on the lists 7,369

Logan:

Minnedosa:

1969 Manitoba general election: Morris
Party Candidate Votes%
Progressive ConservativeWarner Jorgenson2,47253.76
LiberalJoseph Legault1,18325.73
New DemocraticWilliam T. Loftus71215.48
Social CreditHenry Funk2315.02
Total valid votes 4,598 100.00
Rejected and discarded votes 15
Turnout 4,613 61.20
Electors on the lists 7,537

Osborne:

Pembina:

  • George Henderson (PC) 2823
  • Kenneth John Draper (L) 1815
  • David Harms (SC) 521
  • Edith Alsop (NDP) 336
1969 Manitoba general election: Point Douglas
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticDonald Malinowski2,25352.52
Progressive ConservativeSlaw Rebchuk1,08825.36
LiberalRoger Garrity52812.31
CommunistBill Kardash4219.81
Total valid votes 4,290 100.00
Rejected and discarded votes 62
Turnout 4,352 46.37
Electors on the lists 9,385

Portage la Prairie:

Radisson:

Rhineland:

Riel:

  • (x)Donald Craik (PC) 3125
  • James Edward Buchanan (NDP) 3096
  • Raymond Spence (L) 1423

River Heights:

  • (x)Sidney Spivak (PC) 4623
  • Mark Danzker (L) 1573
  • Jack Silverberg (NDP) 1051

Roblin:

Rock Lake:

  • (x)Henry Einarson (PC) 3064
  • Remi Engelbert DePape (L) 1818
  • Timothy Leonard (NDP) 763

Rossmere:

Rupertsland:

  • Jean Allard (NDP) 1366
  • S. P. Berthelette (L) 1142
  • Paul Burelle (PC) 1026

St. Boniface:

  • (x)Laurent Desjardins (L) 4210
  • Kamil Michael Gajdosik (NDP) 2656
  • Maurice J. Arpin (PC) 1110

St. George:

St. James:

St. Johns:

  • (x)Saul Cherniack (NDP) 3642
  • Joe Rozmus (PC) 1014
  • George Strewchuk (L) 736

St. Matthews:

1969 Manitoba general election: St. Vital
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeJack Hardy2,58736.01
New DemocraticJim Walding2,56435.69
LiberalJoe Stangl2,03428.31
Total valid votes 7,185 100.00
Rejected votes 39
Turnout 7,224 68.04
Electors on the lists 10,617
Progressive Conservative hold Swing

Ste. Rose:

  • (x)Gildas Molgat (L) 2247
  • Heinz Marohn (PC) 1198
  • Leon Hoefer (NDP) 754
  • Norma Oswald (SC) 313

Selkirk:

Seven Oaks:

Souris-Killarney:

Springfield:

  • Rene Toupin (NDP) 2724
  • George Mulder (PC) 1551
  • Hector Bahuaud (L) 807

Sturgeon Creek:

  • Frank Johnston (PC) 2781
  • Robert Megill Chipman (L) 2251
  • Stanley J. Carter (NDP) 1251
  • William John Turner (Ind) 336
  • James Farrell (Ind) 238

Swan River:

  • (x)James Bilton (PC) 1920
  • Alex Filuk (NDP) 1757
  • Jerry Webb (SC) 1252
  • Gordon Beaumont (L) 766

The Pas:

Thompson:

  • (x)Joseph Borowski (NDP) 2436
  • Thomas Farrell (PC) 1500
  • Maurice Desjardins (L) 843

Transcona:

  • (x)Russ Paulley (NDP) 4614
  • Thelma Jean Opseth Call (L) 1488
  • Kenn Gunn-Walberg (PC) 1052

Virden:

Wellington:

Winnipeg Centre:

Wolseley:

  • (x)Leonard Claydon (PC) 2360
  • Hans J. Wittich (NDP) 1743
  • Paul N. Duval (L) 1391

[2]

Post-election changes

Jack Hardy (St. Vital, PC) resigned his seat. A by-election was called for April 5, 1971.

Manitoba provincial by-election, April 5, 1971: St. Vital
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticJim Walding3,37835.94+0.25
LiberalDan Kennedy3,08332.80+4.49
Progressive ConservativeKenneth Pratt2,92531.12−4.89
IndependentSam Bordman130.14
Total valid votes 9,399 100
Rejected and declined ballots 10
Turnout 9,409 83.05 +15.01
Electors on the lists 11,329
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +2.57

Ste. Rose (res. Gildas Molgat, October 7, 1970), April 5, 1971:

  • Aime Adam (NDP) 2785
  • Fred Werbiski (L) 2118
  • John Borcher (PC) 1792

Minnedosa (res. Walter Weir, September 1971), November 16, 1971:

  • Dave Blake (PC) 3532
  • Emil Shellborn (NDP) 2348
  • Hugh Stephenson (L) 1129

Laurent Desjardins formally joined the NDP in 1971.

Wolseley (dec. Leonard Claydon, 1971), June 16, 1972:

Jean Allard left the NDP to sit as an Independent on April 7, 1972. Joseph Borowski left the NDP caucus on June 25, 1972.

Churchill (dec. Gordon Beard, November 12, 1972)[3]

References
  1. Ian Stewart, Just One Vote: Jim Walding's nomination to constitutional defeat, (Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press), 2009, p. 17.
  2. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/events/provincialelection1969.shtml
  3. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/beard_gw.shtml
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