The 1915 Manitoba general election was held August 6, 1915 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

, Canada. The Liberals under Norris won a landslide majority with 40 seats, replacing the Conservative government that had ruled the province since 1899. This election was held only one year after the previous general election of 1914. In that election, the governing

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Rodmond Roblin Sir Rodmond Palen Roblin (February 15, 1853 – February 16, 1937) was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and career Roblin was born in Sophiasburgh, in Prince Edward County, Canada West (later Ontario). The Robli ...

were confirmed in office with 28 seats out of 49. In early 1915, however, the Roblin administration was forced to resign from office after a commission appointed by the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

found the government guilty of corruption in the tending of contracts for new legislative buildings. Roblin denied the charges, but resigned as premier on May 12. Three days later, opposition Liberal leader

Tobias Norris Tobias Crawford Norris (September 5, 1861 – October 29, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922. Norris was a member of the Liberal Party.J. M. Bumsted"Tobias Crawford Norris" ''The Cana ...

was called upon to form a new administration. The house was quickly adjourned, and new elections were scheduled for August. The primary issue of the campaign was corruption. The pro-Liberal ''

Manitoba Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well a ...

'' ran numerous articles criticizing the practices of the Roblin government, and alleging that the "Roblin machine" still controlled the Conservative Party. The Liberals claimed they would manage the province's affairs in a businesslike rather than a partisan manner, an approach typified by

Provincial Treasurer In Canadian politics the Provincial Treasurer is a senior portfolio in the Executive Council (or cabinet) of provincial governments. The position is the provincial equivalent of the Minister of Finance and is responsible for setting the provinc ...

Edward Brown call for the province to "forget party for five years and get down to business". Women's suffrage and temperance were also important issues. The Liberal Party promised to introduce voting rights for women, and to hold a provincial referendum on temperance. The party's platform also promised direct legislation and plebiscites on other issues. Faced with mounting unpopularity in the wake of the corruption scandal, the Conservatives chose federal

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP)

James Albert Manning Aikins Sir James Albert Manning Aikins (December 10, 1851 – March 1, 1929) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party in the provincial election of 1915, and later served as the province's ninth Lie ...

as their new leader on July 15. Aikins had never served in the Roblin government, and was regarded by many as free from the controversy that had taken the Conservatives from office. In a further effort to separate themselves from the Roblin government, the Conservatives referred to themselves as the "Independent-Liberal-Conservative" party for this election. The Liberals ridiculed this name change, and sarcastically described the "new" Conservatives as the "Purity Party". The election results were a disaster for the Conservatives. The party won only five seats out of 47, and Aikins lost by a considerable margin in Brandon City. The Liberals under Norris won a landslide majority with 40 seats, the largest victory in Manitoba history, although with barely more than half the vote. In the

Winnipeg Centre Winnipeg Centre (french: Winnipeg-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1925 and since 1997. History This riding was originally created in 1914 fr ...

district, Fred Dixon was re-elected as an independent candidate with support from both Liberals and the Labour Representation Committee. The

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

also won its first ever seat in the province, taking one of the two seats in north-end Winnipeg. This election (like the previous one in 1914) used two-member districts in Winnipeg, with each seat being filled in separate contests. Manitoba's francophone constituencies rejected the provincial trend, and continued to support candidates of the Conservative party (four of the five Conservative MLAs were from francophone areas). Many francophone voters opposed Norris's plans to end provincial funding for denominational

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

schools. The "Independent-Liberal-Conservative" name seems to have been dropped shortly after the election. This was the last election before Winnipeg was made into a single ten-seat district, and

Single transferable voting Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...

was brought into use.

Electoral system

In this election Manitoba used a mixture of multi-member districts and single-member districts. In the multi-member districts - Winnipeg North, Winnipeg South and

- each member was elected in a separate contest through

First past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...

. In each single-member district the member was elected through

Results

Riding results

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

: *(incumbent)

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

(L) 815 *W.S. Kenner (C) 632 Assiniboia: * John Wilton (L) 828 * William Bayley (Labour Representation Committee) 773 *(incumbent) John Thomas Haig (C) 590 Beautiful Plains: * William Wood (L) 1115 *J. Harry Irwin (C) 918 Birtle: *(incumbent) George Malcolm (L) 873 *S. Arnold (C) 422 Brandon City: * Stephen Clement (L) 1914 *

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmon ...

: * Albert Prefontaine (C) 629 *(incumbent)

Thomas B. Molloy Thomas Boniface Molloy (November 28, 1878 – June 20, 1948) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1915, as a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Molloy was born in Sh ...

(L) 605

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the la ...

: * Andrew Myles (L) 851 *(incumbent) George Steel (C) 789 Dauphin: * William Harrington (L) 739 *(incumbent) William Buchanan (C) 637 *J.M. McQuay (Ind) 233 Deloraine: *(incumbent) Robert Thornton (L) 1146 * John C. Walker Reid (C) 851 Dufferin: *

Edward August Edward Arthur August (15 May 1860 – 31 December 1935) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922, as a member of the Liberal Party. August was born in Toronto, Canada West, the ...

(L) 1134 *Andrew S. Argue (C) 848 Elmwood: *

Thomas Glendenning Hamilton Thomas Glendenning Hamilton (November 27, 1873 – April 7, 1935) was a Canadians, Canadian doctor, school board trustee and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Manitoba legislature, from 1915 to 1920. He was also a Spiritualism ...

(L) 2319 *Donald Munro (C) 866 Emerson: *

John David Baskerville John David Baskerville (April 10, 1857 – January 31, 1926) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, serving in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920. Baskerville was born in Ottawa, Canada West (now Ontario) the son of Joseph Ba ...

(L) 1181 *G. Coulter (C) 460

Gilbert Plains Gilbert Plains is an unincorporated urban community in the Gilbert Plains Municipality, Manitoba, Canada, that was classified as a town prior to January 1, 2015. It is situated on the Valley River, in the Parkland Region between Riding Mountain ...

: * William Findlater (L) 1383 *(incumbent)

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. He was notable for being the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, until he was dismissed from his cabinet pos ...

Einar Jonasson Einar Sigurjon Jonasson (17 June 1887 – 8 July 1935) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1932 to 1935, as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party. Jonasson was born in Mountain, ...

had been nominated as the official Liberal candidate, but withdrew.)

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

: *(incumbent) James Armstrong (L) 1154 *A. Singleton (C) 484 Glenwood: *(incumbent) James Breakey (L) 1091 *

John Perdue John D. Perdue (born June 22, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 24th West Virginia State Treasurer from 1997 to 2021. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2011 West Virginia gubernatorial special election. Perdue is a member ...

(C) 636 Hamiota: *(incumbent) John Henry McConnell (L) 1063 *J. Moss Fraser (C) 596 Iberville: *(incumbent) Aime Benard (C) 527 *James H. Black (L) 400

Kildonan and St. Andrews Kildonan was a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The boundaries for the riding maintained their location through the 2008 redistribution. History Kildonan riding (1870–1899) The original Kildonan riding ...

: * George Prout (L) 1295 *R. Sanders (C) 754

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross ...

: * Samuel Hayden (L) 779 *(incumbent) George Lawrence (C) 656

Lakeside Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria * Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia * Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria * Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Quee ...

: * Charles Duncan McPherson (L) 863 *(incumbent) John J. Garland (C) 700 Lansdowne: *(incumbent)

(L) 1334 *W.J. Cundy (C) 592 La Verendrye: * Philippe Talbot (L) 713 *(incumbent) Jean-Baptiste Lauzon (C) 558 Manitou: *

George Thomas Armstrong George Thomas Armstrong (February 19, 1881 – September 9, 1941) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920, as a member of the Liberal Party. Biography Armstrong was born ...

(L) 1090 *W.H. Sharpe (C) 1006 Minnedosa: *(incumbent) George Grierson (L) 1173 *James Muir (C) 654

Morden and Rhineland Morden and Rhineland is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1949. The district was created by merging the former districts of M ...

: *(incumbent)

Valentine Winkler Valentine Winkler (March 18, 1864 – June 7, 1920) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal for Rhineland from 1892 to 1900, and again from 1900 to 1920. Winkler was a cabinet ...

(L) 1180 * William Johnston Tupper (C) 712 Morris: *(incumbent) Jacques Parent (C) 740 * William Molloy (L) 683

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

: *(incumbent) James Baird (L) 1331 *John T. Dale (C) 419

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

: *(incumbent) John Graham (L) 933 * Robert F. Lyons (C) 770

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...

: *(incumbent)

Ewan McPherson Ewan Alexander McPherson (January 27, 1878 – November 18, 1954) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1926 to 1930. He was also a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 t ...

(L) 1065 *

Fawcett Taylor Fawcett Gowler Taylor, (April 29, 1878 – January 1, 1940,, ) was a Manitoba politician, and was the leader of that province's Conservative Party from 1922 to 1933. Taylor was born in Meadow Lea, Manitoba, the son of William Taylor and Marie ...

Frederic Newton Frederic Young Newton (April 7, 1870–May 17, 1959) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1911 to 1917, and again from 1922 to 1932. He was a member of the Conservative Party. Newton was ...

Arthur Lobb Arthur John Lobb (July 26, 1871—July 4, 1928) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920, as a member of the Liberal Party. Lobb was born in Cornwall, United Kingdom, the son ...

(L) 1275 *Thomas Scott (C) 639

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia * Russell, Australian Capital Territory * Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **R ...

: *

William Wilber Wilfred Wilson William Wilber Wilfred Wilson (October 6, 1885 in Birtle, Manitoba, Birtle, Manitoba – January 27, 1964) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922, and again from 1941 to 1949. ...

(L) 1033 *J.P. Laycock (C) 614

St. Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

: *

Joseph Dumas Joseph Pierre Dumas (February 19, 1875 – January 14, 1950)https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/247331446/joseph-pierre-dumas was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920 as a member o ...

(L) 921 *J.A. Beaupre (C) 790 *J.P. Howden (Ind L) 640 St. Clements: *(incumbent)

Donald Ross Donald Ross may refer to: *Donald A. Ross (1857–1937), Canadian politician * Donald Ross (golfer) (1872–1948), Scottish-born American golfer and golf course designer *Donald P. Ross (1902–1973), American horse racetrack and racing stable owner ...

(L/Ind) 1014 *Thomas Hay (C) 489

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

: *

Skuli Sigfusson Skuli Sigfusson (October 1, 1870 — November 27, 1969) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba on three occasions: from 1915 to 1920, 1922 to 1936, and 1941 to 1945. Early life Sigfusson was bor ...

(L) 1291 *Paul Reykdal (C) 831 Ste. Rose: *(incumbent)

Joseph Hamelin Joseph Hamelin (February 22, 1873 – August 29, 1947) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1927. Hamelin's paternal grandfather, Salomon Hamelin, served in the Legislative Counc ...

William Sims William Sowden Sims (October 15, 1858 – September 28, 1936) was an admiral in the United States Navy who fought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the navy. During World War I, he commanded all United States naval force ...

(L) 626 *

Daniel D. McDonald Daniel Duncan McDonald (May 13, 1865 – November 1945) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1910 to 1914, as a member of the Liberal Party. McDonald was born in Nairn, Canada West (now ...

George William McDonald George William McDonald (November 20, 1875 – April 6, 1950) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922 as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party, and later sat in the House of C ...

(L) 687 *(incumbent)

James Johnson James Johnson may refer to: Artists, actors, authors, and musicians *James Austin Johnson (born 1989), American comedian & actor, ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member * James B. Johnson (born 1944), author of science nonfiction novels *James P. Joh ...

George Clingan Colonel George Clingan (March 28, 1868
short bio at

(L) 1181 *R.A. Knight (C) 772

Winnipeg

Winnipeg North Winnipeg North (french: Winnipeg-Nord) is a federal electoral district in Canada that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1917. It covers the northern portion of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Geography The riding includes the ...

"A": *

Robert Newton Lowery Robert Newton Lowery (July 13, 1882—April 27, 1962) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920 as a member of the Liberal Party. Background Lowery was born in Detroit, Michigan, ...

(L) 2443 *Arthur Beech (SDP) 2248 *(incumbent)

Joseph P. Foley Joseph Patrick Foley (March 2, 1872—May 11, 1928) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party. Foley was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, th ...

"B": * Richard Rigg (SDP) 2494 *

Solomon Hart Green Solomon Hart Green (October 23, 1885 – April 13, 1969) was a Jewish Canadian politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1910 to 1914, as a Liberal, making him the first Jewish Canadian to serve in ...

(L) 2263 *E.R. Levinson (C) 1248

"A": *(incumbent)

Thomas Herman Johnson Thomas Herman Johnson (February 12, 1870 – May 20, 1927) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1907 to 1922, and was a prominent cabinet minister in the government of Tobias Norris. ...

(L) 6763 *A.J. Norquay (C) 2346

Winnipeg South Winnipeg South (french: Winnipeg-Sud) is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the southernmost part of the city of W ...

"A": *(incumbent)

Albert Hudson Albert Blellock Hudson (August 21, 1875 – January 6, 1947) was a politician, lawyer and judge from Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1920 as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party, and was ...

"B": *(incumbent)

William Parrish William Linton Parrish (August 6, 1860 – February 20, 1949) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1920 as a member of the Liberal Party. Biography Parrish was born in V ...

(L) 5635 *

Lendrum McMeans Lendrum McMeans (July 30, 1859 – September 13, 1941) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1910 to 1914, and was later appointed to the Senate of Canada. McMeans was a member of the C ...

Deferred elections

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provin ...

, August 25, 1915: * Edward Brown (L) accl. Horace Halcrow had been nominated by the Conservatives to contest this riding, but withdrew before the election. Halcrow had been Manitoba's chief game warden under the Roblin government.

Post-election changes

Rupertsland Keewatinook is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The riding existed previously under the name Rupertsland. Starting with the 2011 election, the riding was renamed Kewatinook which means "from the north" in C ...

(new constituency), September 16, 1916: *

John Morrison John Morrison or Morison may refer to: In politics * John Morrison (Manitoba politician) (1868–1930), politician in Manitoba, Canada * John Morrison (Saskatchewan politician) (1872–1950), Canadian Member of Parliament * John Morrison (intellig ...

(Ind-L) accl. Iberville (res. Aime Benard, 1917), November 1, 1917: *

Arthur Boivin Arthur Rivers Boivin (1878 – July 27, 1951) CP (July 28, 1951)"Former MLA Dies in Manitoba" ''The Vancouver Province''. p. 5. Retrieved April 21, 2021. was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba fro ...

, 1917), November 19, 1917: * William Westwood (Ind-L) elected *Irwin L. Mitchell (L) (A ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well ...

'' report from November 20, 1917 shows Westwood winning by 186 votes, with one poll yet to declare. This was likely the first provincial election where Manitoba women cast votes.) Morris (dep. Jacques Parent, 1917; no by-election) Minnedosa ( George Grierson to cabinet, November 10, 1917), November 30, 1917: * George Grierson (L) elected

"B" (res. Richard Rigg, 1917), January 15, 1918: * Robert Jacob (Union-L) 2923 *E.R. Levinson (Ind) 2251 (Numbers taken from the ''

''.)

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhineland ...

(dec.

, June 7, 1920; no by-election)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manitoba General Election, 1915 1915 elections in Canada

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

1915 in Manitoba August 1915 events