1990 Manitoba general election

Background

The 1990 election took place against the backdrop of the failed Meech Lake constitutional accord, which sought to clarify Quebec's position within Canada. The accord, which was signed in 1988, required passage by the federal government and the ten provincial governments before June 23, 1990 to become law. Although Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley had approved the accord in 1987, his government did not bring it before the legislature before their surprise defeat in 1988.

Pawley's replacement, PC leader Gary Filmon, was less inclined to support the deal, and requested that certain aspects be re-negotiated before his government would grant approval. After some reluctance, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney allowed re-negotiations with all provincial Premiers, and convinced Filmon to introduce the accord to the Manitoba legislature shortly before the scheduled deadline. Liberal leader Sharon Carstairs and NDP leader Gary Doer were also willing to support the revised deal.

Some members of Doer's caucus still opposed the accord, however. When it was put before the legislature, NDP MLA Elijah Harper refused to grant unanimous leave for emergency debate, on the grounds that the deal did not recognize the position of aboriginals in Canada's constitutional framework. Harper, the first indigenous member of the Manitoba legislature, was strongly supported by aboriginal leaders such as Phil Fontaine and Ovide Mercredi, and continued his protest in the legislature during the following weeks. With assistance from former parliamentary clerk Gord Mackintosh, Harper was able to delay the legislative process until the accord simply could not be passed on time. Harper became a national celebrity, and polls showed that most English-speaking Canadians supported his stand.

Ironically, Gary Filmon's Tories may have benefitted from Harper's actions. Filmon was a long-time opponent of the accord, and was a fairly tepid supporter even after the renegotiated compromise was reached. Subsequently, Filmon used the accord's failure to highlight differences between himself and Mulroney, who was becoming increasingly unpopular as Prime Minister.

Reorganization of electoral divisions

An Act was passed in 1989, providing for the following changes to representation in the Legislative Assembly:

Issues

Filmon's Progressive Conservatives made the fewest promises of any major party. Their platform called for an end to abuse of the elderly in retirement homes, environmental initiatives, and low-cost economic development. They proposed to cut the size of the Winnipeg City Council, and vowed not to raise taxes.

The Liberals focused on economic issues, promising a major investment in job training, research and development, and business support. They also proposed to cut the Winnipeg Council, create government grants for tourism and adult education, and restore Tory cuts to health and other programs.

The NDP platform focused on workers' concerns, the environment, preventive health programs and housing. They supported an increase in the minimum wage, affirmative action programs, and laws which would make it expensive to shut down plants in Manitoba. They also promised not to raise taxes, and opposed the sale of Manfor Ltd., a Crown corporation owned by the Province of Manitoba.

The campaign

A poll published in the Winnipeg Free Press indicated that the NDP were the most trusted party on economic issues, followed by the Tories. The NDP were still damaged from their poor showing in the 1988 election, however, and began the campaign in third place. The struggle for government initially appeared to be between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives.

The Liberals ran a weak campaign, however, and were overtaken by the NDP after a strong performance from Gary Doer in the leaders' debate. Doer further increased the NDP's standing in the last weeks of the campaign by highlighting the connections between Filmon and the Mulroney government on a number of issues. The NDP's return to official opposition status was regarded as a major development after their near-collapse in 1988.

Opinion polls

Results

The Tories continued their dominance in Manitoba's rural south, winning every seat in the region. They also won 13 of 31 seats in Winnipeg and a few ridings to the city's immediate north, enough to provide the party with a majority of two.

The NDP won 11 seats in Winnipeg, and swept the province's north. They also won four seats in the mid-northern region, and retained Brandon East, their lone southern riding outside of Winnipeg.

All seven seats retained by the Liberals were in Winnipeg, mostly in the centre and northwest of the city. With few exceptions, many of the centre-left voters who had voted Liberal in 1988 switched back to the NDP.

1 "Before" refers to standings in the Legislature at dissolution, and not to the results of the previous election. These numbers therefore reflect changes in party standings as a result of by-elections and members crossing the floor.

Vote and seat summaries

|File:Ternary MB1988.svg |1988 |File:Ternary MB1990.svg |1990

Synopsis of results

: = open seat : = winning candidate was in previous Legislature : = incumbent had switched allegiance : = previously incumbent in another riding : = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature : = other incumbents renominated : = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada : = multiple candidates

Turnout, winning shares and swings

Changes in party shares

Post-election changes

|- September 15, 1992 | |Jenny Hillard 1,995 | |Tim Sale 2,256 || |Avis Gray 2,697 | |Sidney Green (P) 900 Ken Carver (R) 97 Dennis Rice (Lbt) 19 ||

| |Ralph Jackson 648 | |Helen Christoffersen 1,995 | |Fred Debrecen (R) 388 ||

| |Eric Kennedy 614 || |Eric Robinson 1,697 | |George Munroe 1,023 | | ||

| |Ed Martens 2,159 || |Harry Schellenberg 2,990 | |Sherry Wiebe 1,590 | |Cynthia Cooke (Ind) 186 ||

| |David Langtry 1,362 | |Norma Walker 2,138 || |Gary Kowalski 3,619 | | ||

| |Roger Young 1,496 | |Irene Haigh 2,420 || |Norma McCormick 2,966 | | ||

| |June Robertson 465 || |Gord Mackintosh 3,232 | |Naty Yankech 878 | |Neil Schipper (P) 241 ||

Two further vacancies, in Flin Flon (resignation of Jerry Storie, July 20, 1994) and River Heights (Sharon Carstairs appointed to the Senate of Canada, September 15, 1994), were not filled in by-elections before the 1995 election.

References

References

1. {{Cite canlaw. (1989-90)
2. (April 9, 1990). "Spring election seems unlikely in Manitoba No party has strong edge among capricious voters". The Globe and Mail.
3. . ["Thirty-Fourth General Election held April 26, 1988 - Summary of Results"](https://www.electionsmanitoba.ca/downloads/HistoricalResultsSummaries/1981.pdf). *[[Elections Manitoba]]*.
4. . ["Thirty-Fifth General Election held September 11, 1990 - Summary of Results"](https://www.electionsmanitoba.ca/downloads/HistoricalResultsSummaries/1990.pdf). *[[Elections Manitoba]]*.