1981 Manitoba general election


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", 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

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.

Riding results

Party key:
Note: There was one vacant seat at the time of the election.
denotes incumbent.
Arthur:
Assiniboia:
Brandon East:
  • Len Evans 4941
  • Gary Nowazek 2626
  • Margaret Workman 512
Brandon West:
Burrows:
Charleswood:
  • Sterling Lyon 6334
  • Toni Vosters 3243
  • Ken Brown 969
  • Demetre Mastoris 231
Churchill:
  • Jay Cowan 2247
  • Mark Ingebrigtson 883
  • Andrew Kirkness 266
  • Doug MacLachlan 85
Dauphin:
Ellice:
  • Brian Corrin 4233
  • Gavin Scott 1712
  • Rod Cantiveros 782
  • Adam Klym 222
  • Bart Monaco 56
Emerson:
Flin Flon:
Fort Garry:
  • Bud Sherman 6227
  • Hans Wittich 3705
  • Lil Haus 1042
  • James Goodridge 203
Fort Rouge:
Gimli:
Gladstone:
Inkster:
Interlake:
Kildonan:
Kirkfield Park:
Lac Du Bonnet:
Lakeside:
  • Harry Enns 5055
  • Larry Moldowan 2630
  • Bill Ridgeway 592
  • Hubert John McCaw 107
La Verendrye:
Logan:
Minnedosa:
Morris:
Niakwa:
Osborne:
  • Muriel Smith 5371
  • Ben Lindsey 2726
  • Fraser Dunford 1262
  • George Buss 165
Pembina:
Portage la Prairie:
Radisson:
Rhineland:
Riel:
River East:
  • Phil Eyler 5949
  • Harold Piercy 5903
  • Shirley Wolechuk 259
  • Lindsay Ulrich 177
River Heights:
  • Warren Steen 4905
  • David Sanders 3217
  • Jay Prober 2526
  • Janet Lundman 142
Roblin-Russell:
Rossmere:
  • Vic Schroeder 5776
  • Ian Sutherland 4293
  • William De Jong 389
  • Merv Unger 142
Rupertsland:
St. Boniface:
St. James:
St. Norbert:
Ste. Rose:
Selkirk:
Seven Oaks:
  • Eugene Kostyra 6127
  • Al Christie 2179
  • Wayne Glowacki 486
  • Morely Golden 367
Springfield:
Sturgeon Creek:
Swan River:
The Pas:
Thompson:
Transcona:
Tuxedo:
Virden:
Wolseley:

Post-election changes

Henry Carroll became, August 19, 1982.
Russell Doern became, March 7, 1984.
Fort Garry, October 2, 1984:
Kildonan, October 1, 1985:
Portage la Prairie