The 1981 Manitoba general election was held on November 17, 1981 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. It was won by the opposition New Democratic Party, which took 34 of 57 seats. The governing Progressive Conservative Party took the remaining 23, while the

Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party () is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870. History Origins and early development (to 1883) Originally, there were no off ...

was shut out from the legislature for the only time in its history. The newly formed Progressive Party failed to win any seats. Sterling Lyon's Progressive Conservative government ran on a promise to continue investing in the province's "mega-projects" (including as a $500 million Alcan aluminum smelter, a $600 million potash mine and a "Western power grid"), and suggested that an NDP government would jeopardize these plans. The NDP campaign, which was largely co-ordinated by Wilson Parasiuk, questioned the Lyon government's fiscal accountability in such matters, noting that it had sold 50% of Trout Lake Copper Mine stock, possibly at a major loss. Jacques Bougie, the Alcan administrator for Manitoba, was also described as holding undue influence over the government. The NDP campaign generally focused on the economy, and drew attention to the issue of Manitobans emigrating from the province because of job losses. Progressive Party leader Sidney Green described Lyon's initiatives as "bega-projects", a reference to the government's controversial fundraising with foreign corporations. The election was considered too close to call until the final week, when the NDP campaign gained momentum.

Results

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.

Riding results

Party key: *PC:

Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC; ) is a centre-right political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is currently the opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, following a defeat in the 2023 provincial election. Hist ...

*L:

*NDP: New Democratic Party of Manitoba *P: Progressive Party of Manitoba *Comm: Communist Party of Canada - Manitoba *Ind: Independent *M-L: Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada - Manitoba (see by-elections) *WCC: Western Canada Concept Party of Manitoba (see by-elections; leader: Fred Cameron) Note: There was one vacant seat at the time of the election. (incumbent) denotes incumbent.

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

: *(incumbent) Jim Downey (PC) 5468 *Earl Sterling (NDP) 1772 Assiniboia: * Ric Nordman (PC) 4006 *Max Melnyk (NDP) 2822 *Peter Moss (L) 817 * Fran Huck (P) 378

Brandon East Brandon East () is a provincial electoral division in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. It encompasses the southeastern part of the City of Brandon, Manitoba, Brandon. Historical riding The original riding o ...

: *(incumbent) Len Evans (NDP) 4941 *Gary Nowazek (PC) 2626 * Margaret Workman (L) 512 Brandon West: * Henry Carroll (NDP) 5069 *John Allen (PC) 4634 *David Campbell (L) 547 Burrows: * Conrad Santos (NDP) 4890 *Mary Shore (PC) 1384 *(incumbent) Ben Hanuschak (P) 728 *Wayne Anderson (L) 617 * Paula Fletcher (Comm) 144 Charleswood: *(incumbent) Sterling Lyon (PC) 6334 *Toni Vosters (NDP) 3243 *Ken Brown (L) 969 *Demetre Mastoris (P) 231 Churchill: *(incumbent) Jay Cowan (NDP) 2247 *Mark Ingebrigtson (PC) 883 *Andrew Kirkness (L) 266 *Doug MacLachlan (P) 85 Dauphin: * John Plohman (NDP) 4680 *(incumbent) James Galbraith (PC) 4044 *Bob Hawkins (L) 1049 Ellice: *(incumbent)

Brian Corrin Brian Mark Corrin (born July 4, 1945) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1986, sitting as a New Democratic Party of Manitoba, New Democrat. Corrin was born in Winnipeg, Man ...

(NDP) 4233 *Gavin Scott (PC) 1712 *Rod Cantiveros (L) 782 *Adam Klym (P) 222 *Bart Monaco (Ind) 56 Emerson: *(incumbent) Albert Driedger (PC) 4376 * Paul Dupuis (NDP) 4020 *Stephen Zaretski (L) 308 *Jack Thiessen (P) 116 Flin Flon: * Jerry Storie (NDP) 3557 *Bob McNeil (PC) 2126 Fort Garry: *(incumbent) Bud Sherman (PC) 6227 *Hans Wittich (NDP) 3705 *Lil Haus (L) 1042 *James Goodridge (P) 203 Fort Rouge: * Roland Penner (NDP) 4342 *Perry Schulman (PC) 2843 *(incumbent) June Westbury (L) 2415 *(incumbent) Bud Boyce (P) 143 Gimli: * John Bucklaschuk (NDP) 4825 *(incumbent) Keith Cosens (PC) 3995 *Allan Chambers (L) 276 *Pat Bazan (P) 127 Gladstone: * Charlotte Oleson (PC) 4447 *Irvin Joel (NDP) 1650 *Abe Suderman (L) 737 Inkster: * Don Scott (NDP) 6283 *Bill Dueck (PC) 1561 *(incumbent) Sidney Green (P) 783 *Myroslaw Tracz (L) 364 Interlake: *(incumbent) Bill Uruski (NDP) 4599 *Neil Dueck (PC) 2181 *Bob Lundale (L) 372 Kildonan: * Mary Beth Dolin (NDP) 6794 *Ken Galanchuk (PC) 4478 *Alex Berkowits (L) 755 *Dan Tokarz (P) 300 Kirkfield Park: * Gerrie Hammond (PC) 6443 *Lee Monk (NDP) 3551 Lac Du Bonnet: *(incumbent) Sam Uskiw (NDP) 4682 *Bert Trainer (PC) 2809 Lakeside: *(incumbent) Harry Enns (PC) 5055 *Larry Moldowan (NDP) 2630 *Bill Ridgeway (L) 592 *Hubert John McCaw (P) 107 La Verendrye: *(incumbent) Robert Banman (PC) 4418 *Jim Henry (NDP) 1149 *Alphonse Fournier (P) 704 Logan: * Maureen Hemphill (NDP) 3759 *

Stephen Juba Stephen Juba (July 1, 1914 – May 2, 1993) was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1953 to 1959, and served as the 37th Mayor of Winnipeg from 1957 to 1977. He was the first Ukrainian Cana ...

(Ind) 700 *Aurele Joseph LeClaire (PC) 659 *Art Potvin (P) 103 Minnedosa: *(incumbent) David Robert Blake (PC) 4160 *Garry Grant (NDP) 3397 Morris: * Clayton Manness (PC) 4579 *Peter Francis (NDP) 1821 Niakwa: *(incumbent) Abe Kovnats (PC) 5432 *Lloyd Schreyer (NDP) 4736 *Doug Biggs (L) 1345 Osborne: * Muriel Smith (NDP) 5371 *Ben Lindsey (PC) 2726 *Fraser Dunford (L) 1262 *George Buss (P) 165 Pembina: *(incumbent) Donald Orchard (PC) 6361 *Jeff Taylor (NDP) 862 *Kenneth Popkes (L) 696 *John Brooks (P) 274

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

: *(incumbent) Lloyd Hyde (PC) 3620 *Audrey Tufford (NDP) 2413 *Hugh Moran (L) 1601 Radisson: * Gerard Lecuyer (NDP) 6108 * George Provost (PC) 2566 *Joel Morasutti (P) 376

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

: *(incumbent) Arnold Brown (PC) 4116 *Ralph EisBrenner (NDP) 1181 * Jacob Froese (P) 349 Riel: * Doreen Dodick (NDP) 4362 *(incumbent) Don Craik (PC) 4120 *John Karasevich (L) 1087 *Dino Kotis (P) 98 River East: * Phil Eyler (NDP) 5949 *Harold Piercy (PC) 5903 *Shirley Wolechuk (L) 259 *Lindsay Ulrich (P) 177 River Heights: *(incumbent) Warren Steen (PC) 4905 *David Sanders (NDP) 3217 *Jay Prober (L) 2526 *Janet Lundman (P) 142 Roblin-Russell: *(incumbent)

Wally McKenzie James Wallace McKenzie (June 16, 1914 in Plenty, Saskatchewan, Plenty, Saskatchewan – September 11, 1999) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, Progressive Conservative member of the Legislat ...

(PC) 4508 *Zen Wonitoway (NDP) 3673 Rossmere: *(incumbent) Vic Schroeder (NDP) 5776 *Ian Sutherland (PC) 4293 *William De Jong (L) 389 *Merv Unger (P) 142 Rupertsland: * Elijah Harper (NDP) 3032 *Alan Ross (L) 1004 *Nelson Scribe, Sr. (PC) 272 *Frances Thompson (P) 56 St. Boniface: *(incumbent) Laurent Desjardins (NDP) 5844 *Guy Savoie (L) 1925 *Wes Rowson (PC) 1346 *Don Forsyth (P) 106 St. James: * Al Mackling (NDP) 5376 *(incumbent) George Minaker (PC) 4597 *Harvey Nerbas (P) 180 St. Norbert: *(incumbent) Gerry Mercier (PC) 5728 *Ruth Pear (NDP) 3826 *Grant Temple (L) 857 * Allan Yap (P) 216 Ste. Rose: *(incumbent) A.R. Pete Adam (NDP) 4031 *Ivan Traill (PC) 3823 *Valerie Wilson (P) 194 Selkirk: *(incumbent) Howard Pawley (NDP) 5626 *Eugene Kinaschuk (PC) 3020 *Max Hofford (P) 131 Seven Oaks: * Eugene Kostyra (NDP) 6127 *Al Christie (PC) 2179 *Wayne Glowacki (L) 486 *Morely Golden (P) 367 Springfield: * Andy Anstett (NDP) 5303 *(incumbent) Bob Anderson (PC) 4833 *Peter Anderson (L) 327 *Dennis Sweatman (P) 113 Sturgeon Creek: *(incumbent) Frank Johnston (PC) 5546 *Robert Adams (NDP) 3253 *John Epp (L) 732 Swan River: *(incumbent) Doug Gourlay (PC) 3884 * Leonard Harapiak (NDP) 3615 *George Simpson (P) 138 The Pas: * Harry Harapiak (NDP) 4236 *Percy Pielak (PC) 1303 *Laverne Jaeb (L) 509 Thompson: * Steve Ashton (NDP) 2890 *(incumbent) Ken MacMaster (PC) 2818 *Cy Hennessey (L) 138 Transcona: *(incumbent) Wilson Parasiuk (NDP) 6013 *Jo Lopuck (PC) 2269 *Albert Smaczylo (P) 120 Tuxedo: *(incumbent) Gary Filmon (PC) 6731 *Terri Gray (NDP) 2433 *Beverly McCaffrey (L) 1257 Virden: *(incumbent) Harry Graham (PC) 5059 *Maude Lelong (NDP) 2859 Wolseley: * Myrna Phillips (NDP) 4370 *(incumbent) Len Domino (PC) 2904 * Doug Lauchlan (L) 1539 * Murdoch MacKay (P) 224

Post-election changes

Henry Carroll (NDP) became (Ind), August 19, 1982. Russell Doern (NDP) became (Ind), March 7, 1984. Fort Garry (res. Louis Sherman, August 5, 1984), October 2, 1984: * Charles Birt (PC) 3561 * Sharon Carstairs (L) 1993 *Shirley Lord (NDP) 1211 * Sidney Green (P) 1035 *Fred Cameron (WCC) 186 Kildonan (dec. Mary Beth Dolin, April 10, 1985), October 1, 1985: * Martin Dolin (NDP) 4332 *Bev Rayburn (PC) 3248 *Chris Guly (L) 988 * Ben Hanuschak (P) 546

(dec. Lloyd Hyde, August 25, 1985)

Results

Riding results

Post-election changes

See also

Further reading