1870 Manitoba general election


The 1870 Manitoba general election held on December 27, 1870, resulted in a victory for Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald's governing coalition. Archibald had previously been appointed as the province's Lieutenant Governor by George-Étienne Cartier, and promoted a model of "consensus government," which included members of the province's different ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups.
The only organized opposition in the province was the Canadian Party of John Christian Schultz, which demanded swifter retribution against the leaders of Louis Riel's Red River Rebellion. Archibald's coalition won 17 seats, Schultz's party only 5. There were also two Independent MLAs: Thomas Bunn and George Klyne. Edward Hay subsequently became Leader of the Opposition.
Formal party politics had not yet arrived in Manitoba, although some candidates were associated with the Liberal and Conservative parties at the national level.

Riding results

Baie St. Paul:
Headingly:
High Bluff:
Kildonan:
Lake Manitoba:
Poplar Point:
Portage la Prairie:
Ste. Agathe:
St. Andrews North:
St. Andrews South:
Ste. Anne:
St. Boniface East:
St. Boniface West:
St. Charles:
St. Clements:
St. Francois Xavier East:
St. Francois Xavier West:
St. James:
St. Norbert North:
St. Norbert South:
St. Pauls:
St. Peters:
  • Thomas Howard 75
  • Joseph Monkman 11
St. Vital:
Winnipeg and St. John:
post-election changes:
On March 30, 1871, John Taylor's victory in Headingly was overturned and James Cunningham was declared elected. One of Taylor's votes had been cast too late; the tie-breaking vote was also disqualified.
Winnipeg and St. John, April 1874:
The government was dominated by the Lieutenant Governors until July 1874, when Joseph Dubuc's francophone bloc joined forces with the Opposition members to bring down the government. Marc-Amable Girard then served as Premier from July to November 1874, at which time he was replaced by Robert A. Davis.