15th Manitoba Legislature


The members of the 15th Manitoba Legislature were elected in the Manitoba general election held in August 1915. The legislature sat from January 6, 1916, to March 27, 1920.
The Liberal Party led by Tobias Norris formed the government.
Albert Prefontaine of the Conservatives was Leader of the Opposition.
On January 16, 1916, a bill was passed to amend the Manitoba Election Act to grant women the right to vote. Manitoba became the first Canadian province where women were allowed to vote and hold office.
In a referendum held on March 13, 1916, the province's voters supported prohibition. On June 1, the Manitoba Temperance Act came into effect, which banned the sale of liquor in the province, except by pharmacists for medical purposes. However, bringing alcohol into the province for personal use or for wholesale outside the province was still legal.
Also in 1916, the Workers Compensation Act was passed, which established the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. The act established an employer-funded compensation system for work-related injuries or illness and, in exchange, employers were granted protection against lawsuits by workers for these occurrences.
In 1918, a Minimum Wage Act was passed. Manitoba and British Columbia were the first provinces in Canada to introduce minimum wage legislation. In 1921, the minimum hourly wage in Manitoba was $0.25. Up until 1931, the minimum wage only applied to female workers.
James Bryson Baird served as speaker for the assembly.
There were five sessions of the 15th Legislature:
SessionStartEnd
1stJanuary 6, 1916April 1, 1916
2ndJanuary 11, 1917March 9, 1917
3rdJanuary 17, 1918March 6, 1918
4thJanuary 21, 1919March 14, 1919
5thJanuary 22, 1920March 27, 1920

Douglas Colin Cameron was Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba until August 3, 1916, when James Albert Manning Aikins became lieutenant governor.

Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1915:
MemberElectoral districtPartyFirst elected / previously electedNo.# of term---
John WilliamsArthurLiberal1907, 19143rd term*----
John W. WiltonAssiniboiaLiberal19151st term----
William Robertson WoodBeautiful PlainsLiberal19151st term----
George MalcolmBirtleLiberal19094th term----
Stephen Emmett ClementBrandon CityLiberal19151st term----
Albert PrefontaineCarillonConservative1903, 19154th term*----
Andrew Watson MylesCypressLiberal19151st term----
William HarringtonDauphinLiberal19151st term----
Robert Stirton ThorntonDeloraineLiberal1907, 19143rd term*----
Edward AugustDufferinLiberal19151st term----
Thomas Glendenning HamiltonElmwoodLiberal19151st term----
John David BaskervilleEmersonLiberal19151st term----
William FindlaterGilbert PlainsLiberal19151st term----
Taras FerleyGimliLiberal19151st term----
James William ArmstrongGladstoneLiberal19074th term----
James BreakeyGlenwoodLiberal19142nd term----
John Henry McConnellHamiotaLiberal19142nd term----
Aimé BénardIbervilleConservative19074th term
Arthur Boivin Conservative19171st term
George ProutIbervilleKildonan and St. AndrewsLiberal19151st term---
Samuel HaydenKillarneyLiberal19151st term----
Charles Duncan McPhersonLakesideLiberal1910, 19152nd term*----
Tobias NorrisLansdowneLiberal1896, 19076th term*----
Philippe TalbotLa VerendryeLiberal19151st term----
George Thomas ArmstrongManitouLiberal19151st term----
George GriersonMinnedosaLiberal19142nd term----
Valentine WinklerMorden and RhinelandLiberal18928th term----
Jacques ParentMorrisConservative19142nd term----
James Bryson BairdMountainLiberal19074th term----
John GrahamNorfolkLiberal19142nd term----
Ewan McPhersonPortage la PrairieLiberal19142nd term----
Frederic NewtonRoblinConservative19113rd term
William James Westwood Independent Liberal19171st term
Arthur LobbRoblinRockwoodLiberal19151st term---
John MorrisonRupertslandLiberal19161st term----
William Wilber Wilfred WilsonRussellLiberal19151st term----
Joseph DumasSt. BonifaceLiberal19151st term----
Donald A. RossSt. ClementsLiberal19074th term----
Skuli SigfussonSt. GeorgeLiberal19151st term----
Joseph HamelinSte. RoseConservative19142nd term----
William Henry SimsSwan RiverLiberal19142nd term----
Edward BrownThe PasLiberal19151st term----
George William McDonaldTurtle MountainLiberal19151st term----
George ClinganVirdenLiberal19142nd term----
Thomas Herman JohnsonWinnipeg Centre ALiberal19074th term----
Fred DixonWinnipeg Centre BIndependent19142nd term----
Robert Newton LoweryWinnipeg North ALiberal19151st term----
Richard RiggWinnipeg North BSocial Democratic19151st term
Robert Jacob Liberal19181st term
Albert HudsonWinnipeg North BWinnipeg South ALiberal19142nd term---
William ParrishWinnipeg South BLiberal19142nd term----

Notes:

By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
Electoral districtMember electedAffiliationElection dateReason
RupertslandJohn MorrisonIndependent-LiberalSeptember 16, 1916New riding created
IbervilleArthur BoivinConservativeNovember 1, 1917A Bénard named to Senate of Canada
RoblinWilliam James WestwoodIndependent-LiberalNovember 19, 1917F Newton resigned seat
KillarneyGeorge GriersonLiberalNovember 30, 1917G Grierson appointed Minister of Public Works
Winnipeg North BRobert JacobUnionJanuary 15, 1918R Rigg ran for federal seat