Gordon Richard Fines (November 11, 1911 in Darlingford,
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 ...
– July 29, 1990) 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 1949 to 1953, 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:
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Fines was the son of Richard Fines and Mabel Willcott, who had resided in Manitoba since 1876, shortly after the province's creation. He was educated in Baldur, and worked as an educator in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
for eight years. He was elected to the Winnipeg school board in 1947, and to the Winnipeg city council in 1948. Fines also worked for the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
, became active in the labour movement, and was local chair of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks Lodge 49. He returned to teaching later in life.
He was married twice: first to Santa Maria La Monica in 1942 and later to Marion Cove Morden.
He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1949 provincial election, in the constituency of
Winnipeg Centre
Winnipeg Centre () is a federal electoral district (Canada), 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 1 ...
. During this period's Winnipeg was divided into three constituencies, each of which elected four members through a
single transferable ballot
The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vo ...
. Fines finished fourth on the first count with 2,149 votes, and was declared elected to the third position on the seventh count when another CCF member was eliminated.
He was chosen as party
whip
A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...
on December 22, 1952, at the same meeting which saw Lloyd Stinson chosen as party leader. Stinson later described Fines as "a quiet man with firm opinions and a flair for statistics and fiscal matters". He was the CCF's main spokesperson in budget debates.
Fines sought re-election to the legislature in the 1953 election, but was defeated. He finished seventh on the first count with 1,080 votes, and was eliminated on the seventh count. The independent candidates of
Lewis Stubbs
Lewis St. George Stubbs (June 14, 1878 – May 12, 1958) was a prominent judge and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1936 to 1949 as an Independent, He promoted left-wing and socially progress ...
and
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 ...
likely contributed to Fines's defeat.
After his provincial defeat, Fines ran for the federal
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:
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* and social-democraticThese sources describe the CCF as ...
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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(successor to the CCF) in the 1962 campaign.
Fines had greater success in municipal politics. He was elected to 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. He served on council from 1953 to 1960, and again from 1966 to 1971. In 1969, he was chosen as the head of Winnipeg's Parks and Recreation Committee.
He died in Winnipeg at the age of 78.