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1969 Manitoba general election

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1969 Manitoba general election
← 1966 June 25, 1969 1973 →
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 Increase17 Decrease9
Popular vote 128,080 119,021
Percentage 38.27% 35.56%
Swing Increase15.13pp Decrease4.40pp
  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 Decrease9 Steady0
Popular vote 80,288 4,535
Percentage 23.99% 1.36%
Swing Decrease9.14pp Decrease2.18pp
Map of Election Results
Premier before election

Walter Weir
Progressive Conservative

Premier after election

Edward Schreyer
New Democratic

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.

Although the NDP had risen from third place to only one seat short of a majority, it was not clear what form the government would take in the days immediately following the election. There were negotiations among the Liberals 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.

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:

Arthur:

  • (incumbent)J. Douglas Watt (PC) 3133
  • John McRae (L) 1375
  • Raymond Jones (NDP) 980

Assiniboia:

  • (incumbent)Stephen Patrick (L) 2355
  • Bill Docking (PC) 2329
  • Curtis Nordman (NDP) 1466


1969 Manitoba general election: Birtle-Russell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Harry Graham 2,374 39.59
New Democratic Donald Kostesky 2,263 37.74
Liberal John Braendle 1,360 22.68
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:

Burrows:

  • (incumbent)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:

Fort Rouge:

Gimli:

Gladstone:

Inkster:

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

Kildonan:

  • (incumbent)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 % ±%
Liberal Leonard Barkman 1,933 52.17 -15.58
Progressive Conservative John Blatz 1,051 28.37 -3.88
New Democratic Elmer Reimer 721 19.46 –
Total valid votes 3,705 – –
Rejected 29 –
Eligible voters / turnout 7,369 50.67 4.17
Source(s) Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (1999). Statement of Votes for the 37th Provincial General Election, September 21, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba.

Logan:

Minnedosa:


1969 Manitoba general election: Morris
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Warner Jorgenson 2,472 53.76 -12.01
Liberal Joseph Legault 1,183 25.73 -0.05
New Democratic William T. Loftus 712 15.48 7.03
Social Credit Henry Funk 231 5.02 –
Total valid votes 4,598 – –
Rejected 15 –
Eligible voters / Turnout 7,537 61.20 –
Source(s) Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (1999). Statement of Votes for the 37th Provincial General Election, September 21, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba.

Osborne:

Pembina:


1969 Manitoba general election: Point Douglas
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Donald Malinowski 2,253 52.52
Progressive Conservative Slaw Rebchuk 1,088 25.36
Liberal Roger Garrity 528 12.31
Communist Bill Kardash 421 9.81
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:

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

River Heights:

Roblin:

Rock Lake:

Rossmere:

Rupertsland:

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

St. Boniface:

St. George:

St. James:

St. Johns:

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

St. Matthews:


1969 Manitoba general election: St. Vital
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Jack Hardy 2,587 36.01
New Democratic Jim Walding 2,564 35.69
Liberal Joe Stangl 2,034 28.31
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:

  • (incumbent)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:

Swan River:

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

The Pas:

Thompson:

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

Transcona:

Virden:

Wellington:

Winnipeg Centre:

Wolseley:

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

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 Democratic Jim Walding 3,378 35.94 +0.25
Liberal Dan Kennedy 3,083 32.80 +4.49
Progressive Conservative Kenneth Pratt 2,925 31.12 −4.89
Independent Sam Bordman 13 0.14
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:

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

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)

References

  1. Ian Stewart, Just One Vote: Jim Walding's nomination to constitutional defeat, (Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press), 2009, p. 17.
  2. "Events in Manitoba History: Manitoba Provincial Election (1969)".
  3. "Memorable Manitobans: Gordon Wilbert Beard (1920-1972)".

Further reading

Elections in Manitoba
General elections
Municipal elections
See also: List of Manitoba by-elections
Categories: