Ernest Richard Draffin (September 21, 1909 – December 19, 1982) was a politician in Manitoba,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

from 1945 to 1949 as a member of the

social-democratic Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, socia ...

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social-democraticThese sources describe the CCF as ...

. Born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

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 ...

, the son of Ernest Richard Draffin and Margaret McGowan, Draffin was educated at

Brooklands, Manitoba St. James-Assiniboia is a major community area in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As it encapsulates most of the city ward of St. James, which includes the major St. James Street, the area itself is often simply referred to "St. James." Located in ...

and at the Kiwanis Night School for Boys. He began working at Canadian National Telegraphs in 1925. Originally as a messenger, he later rose to the position of Chief Timekeeper, retiring in 1973. He was a member of the

Commercial Telegraphers Union of America The Commercial Telegraphers Union of America (CTUA) was a United States labor union formed to promote the interests of commercial telegraph operators. Background and early history The first practical telegraph system in the United States was put ...

, and served on the provincial executive of the CCF. Draffin was also active in

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. Draffin also served as president of the Manitoba Football Association, later the Manitoba Soccer Association, helped found the Manitoba Sports Federation and was technical director for soccer at the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...

. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate David Best by 180 votes in the suburban Winnipeg constituency of

Assiniboia Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation. Historical usage ''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distric ...

. He served as an opposition member in the legislature for the next four years. The CCF suffered an electoral setback in the 1949 provincial election, and Draffin lost his seat to

Liberal-Progressive Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics there was no Liberal-Progressive Party, as such. The term generally referred to candidates endorsed by Lib ...

candidate

Reginald Wightman Reginald Frederick Wightman (May 28, 1899 – January 23, 1981) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal-Progressive from 1949 to 1958. Wightman was born in Nesbitt, Manitoba. He wa ...

by 1,214 votes. He campaigned in the St. Andrews constituency in the 1953 provincial election, but finished a poor third against Liberal-Progressive Thomas Hillhouse. In the 1958 election, he finished third in Fort Rouge against Progressive Conservative

Gurney Evans Edward Gurney Vaux Evans (September 3, 1907 – January 8, 1987) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1953 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in the g ...

. Draffin ran for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

in the 1953 Canadian election, as a candidate of the federal

. He finished third in

Winnipeg South Winnipeg South () is a electoral district (Canada), 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 ...

against Progressive Conservative

Owen C. Trainor Owen C. Trainor (16 October 1894 – 28 November 1956) was a Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, and studied medicine at Saint Duns ...

. He also campaigned for the

Winnipeg City Council The Winnipeg City Council () is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Winnipeg City Hall.1953 municipal election, but was defeated in the city's predominantly middle-class first ward. Draffin was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 in recognition of his soccer playing abilities and contributions to the sport. He died in Winnipeg at the age of 73.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Draffin, Ernest 1909 births 1982 deaths Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Politicians from Winnipeg