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1981 Manitoba general election
← 1977 November 17, 1981 1986 →
57 seats of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
29 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Howard Pawley Sterling Lyon Doug Lauchlan
Party New Democratic Progressive Conservative Liberal
Leader since November 4, 1979 December 6, 1975 November 30, 1980
Leader's seat Selkirk Charleswood Ran in Wolseley (lost)
Last election 23 33 1
Seats won 34 23 0
Seat change Increase11 Decrease10 Decrease1
Popular vote 228,784 211,602 32,373
Percentage 47.38% 43.82% 6.70%
Swing Increase8.76pp Decrease4.93pp Decrease5.59pp
Map of Election Results
Premier before election

Sterling Lyon
Progressive Conservative

Premier after election

Howard Pawley
New Democratic

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

Party Party Leader # of
candidates 		Seats Popular Vote
Before1 Elected % Change # % Change
  New Democratic Howard Pawley 57 20 34 +70.0% 228,784 47.38% +8.76
  Progressive Conservative Sterling Lyon 57 32 23 -28.1% 211,602 43.82% -4.93
  Liberal Doug Lauchlan 39 1 - -100% 32,373 6.70% -5.59
Progressive Sidney Green 36 3 - -100% 8,731 1.81% +1.81
Communist Paula Fletcher 2 - - - 261 .05% -0.01
  Independent 4 1 - -100% 1,141 .24% +0.24
  Vacant 1 n.a.
Total 195 57 57 - 487,154 100%  

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.

Popular vote
New Democratic
 
 47.38%
PC
 
 43.82%
Liberal
 
 6.70%
Others
 
 2.10%
Seats summary
New Democratic
 
 59.65%
PC
 
 40.35%

Riding results

Party key:

Note: There was one vacant seat at the time of the election.

(incumbent) denotes incumbent.

Arthur:

Assiniboia:

Brandon East:

Brandon West:

Burrows:

Charleswood:

Churchill:


1981 Manitoba general election: Concordia
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic Peter Fox 5,333 60.91
Progressive Conservative Scotty McVicar 2,586 29.54
Liberal Gail Stapon 309 3.53
Progressive Josephine Young 306 3.50
Independent Bob Fraser 221 2.52
Total valid votes 8,755 –
Rejected 15 –
Eligible voters / Turnout 12,589 69.54
Source(s)
Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (1999). Statement of Votes for the 37th Provincial General Election, September 21, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba.

Dauphin:

Ellice:

1981 Manitoba general election: Elmwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Russell Doern 5,140 67.83 16.72
Progressive Conservative Eveline Holtmann 1,910 25.20 -15.35
Liberal Eric Wood 347 4.58 -3.76
Progressive Curtis Bloodworth 181 2.39 –
Total valid votes 7,578 – –
Rejected 36 –
Eligible voters / Turnout 11,506 66.17 -6.17
Source(s)
Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (1999). Statement of Votes for the 37th Provincial General Election, September 21, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba.

Emerson:

Flin Flon:

Fort Garry:

Fort Rouge:

Gimli:

Gladstone:

Inkster:

Interlake:

Kildonan:

Kirkfield Park:

Lac Du Bonnet:

Lakeside:

La Verendrye:

Logan:

Minnedosa:

Morris:

Niakwa:

Osborne:

Pembina:

Portage la Prairie:

Radisson:

Rhineland:

Riel:

River East:

River Heights:

Roblin-Russell:

Rossmere:

Rupertsland:

St. Boniface:

St. James:


1981 Manitoba general election: St. Johns
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic Donald Malinowski 4,004 56.99
Progressive Conservative Don Cilinsky 1,785 25.41
Liberal Henry Kowlowski 674 9.59
Progressive Bernie Bellan 446 6.35
Communist William Cecil Ross 117 1.67
Total valid votes 7,026
Rejected ballots 70
Turnout 7,096 67.18
Electors on the lists 10,562

St. Norbert:


1981 Manitoba general election: St. Vital
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Jim Walding 5,504 52.80 +11.18
Progressive Conservative John Robertson 4,236 40.64 +4.69
Liberal Gord Patterson 684 6.56 -15.87
Total valid votes 10,424 100.00
Rejected votes 34
Turnout 10,458 80.61
Electors on the lists 12,974
New Democratic hold Swing +3.24

Ste. Rose:

Selkirk:

Seven Oaks:

Springfield:

Sturgeon Creek:

Swan River:

The Pas:

Thompson:

Transcona:


1981 Manitoba general election: Turtle Mountain
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Brian Ransom 4,775 72.36 29.99
New Democratic Joan Johannson 1,660 25.16 –
Independent Bill Harrison 164 2.49 –
Total valid votes 6,599 – –
Rejected 33 –
Eligible voters / Turnout 10,533 62.96 –
Source(s)
Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (1999). Statement of Votes for the 37th Provincial General Election, September 21, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba.

Tuxedo:

Virden:

Wolseley:

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:

Kildonan (dec. Mary Beth Dolin, April 10, 1985), October 1, 1985:

Portage la Prairie (dec. Lloyd Hyde, August 25, 1985)

See also

Further reading

Categories