The Manitoba provincial general election of 1945
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Date
1996
Authors
Yates, Arthur
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Abstract
The 1945 Manitoba provincial general election took place at an important time in world history, the end of the second Great War. The Coalition government, then led by Premier Stuart Garson, was returned to power with a substantial majority. This thesis will demonstrate that the Co-perative Commonwealth Federation, (C.C.F.) , which was formed from farmer, labour, and socialist parties in August 1932, and which soared to nationwide popularity exceeding that of the other political parties by September 1943, could have replaced the long-enduring Coalition government of Manitoba. lt will be seen that, in spite of an unrepresentative electoral system, and various damaging events and their ramifications, the C.C.F. almost became the party holding the most seats in the Manitoba provincial election of October 15, 1945. At the very least, had there been a "level playing field", in terms, for instance of a fairer system of representation, the C.C.F. might well have gained a significantly higher number of seats. Even so, the fact that it obtained almost a third of the popular vote inspired a confidential memo to Premier Stuart Garson, warning that the Liberal Progressives urgently needed to recruit younger and more energetic candidates to meet the next C.C.F. challenge.