Taras Demeter Ferley (October 14, 1882—July 27, 1947) was a publisher and politician in

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 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 1915 to 1920 as a supporter of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, and is notable as the first Ukrainian Canadian to be elected to Manitoba's legislature. Ferley was born in Austro-Hungarian controlled

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, and educated at the Kolomyja Gymnasium and Lemberg University. In Ukraine, he was a member of the Radical Party. He moved to San Francisco,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1903, and took part in a communal living experiment which ended in failure after a few months. He arrived Canada in 1905 and worked as a publisher and real estate broker. He became the director of the Ukrainian Publishing Company of Canada, and also taught at the Ruthenian Training School at Brandon for a period beginning in 1907 till 1910. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1914 provincial election, contesting the constituency of Gimli as an Independent-Liberal. He lost, finishing third against

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Sveinn Thorvaldson and official Liberal candidate

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, Nor ...

. Ferley ran again as an Independent-Liberal in the 1915 provincial election, and became the constituency's ''de facto'' Liberal candidate after Jonasson withdrew from the race. Ferley defeated Thorvaldson by 610 votes, and supported

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 Ca ...

's Liberal administration for the next five years. In his parliamentary biography, Ferley emphasized his loyalty to Canada and to the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. As the sole Ukrainian member of the legislature, Ferley protested against the federal government's treatment of Ukrainian-Canadians during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Unlike others in the Liberal Party, he also defended Manitoba's bilingual education system of state funding for Anglophone and Francophone schools. He was defeated in the 1920 provincial election, losing to

Farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

candidate

Gudmundur Fjelsted Gudmundur Fjelsted (1 November 1872—20 January 1961) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1922. Fjelsted was a farmer in Gimli, Manitoba. In the 1920 provincial election, he ...

by 117 votes.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferley, Taras 1882 births 1947 deaths Politicians from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Politicians from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Ukrainian Austro-Hungarians Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Canada Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba