Liberal-Progressive Party candidates in the 1953 Manitoba provincial election


The Manitoba Liberal-Progressive Party ran fifty candidates in the 1953 provincial election. Thirty-two of these candidates were elected, giving the party a majority government in the legislature. Many Liberal-Progressive candidates have their own biography pages; information on others may be found here.
The 1953 Manitoba election was determined by instant-runoff voting in most constituencies. Three constituencies returned four members by the single transferable vote, with a 20% quota for election. St. Boniface elected two members by STV, with a 33% quota. The Liberal-Progressives ran two candidates in St. Boniface and Winnipeg South, and three in Winnipeg Centre and Winnipeg North.
In addition to its fifty official candidates, the Liberal-Progressive Party also endorsed two candidates who ran as Independent Liberal-Progressives: Robert Bend in Rockwood and Rodney S. Clement in Russell. The only constituency where the party did not endorse a candidate was Swan River.

[John R. Pitt] (Arthur">Arthur (Manitoba riding)">Arthur)

Pitt had served in the legislature since 1935. Unusually for an incumbent, Pitt faced three challengers for the Liberal-Progressive nomination in 1953, defeating K. Williams of Melita, F.C. Ramsey of Waskada, and C.S. Murray of Lyleton. In the general election, Pitt lost to J. Arthur Ross of the Progressive Conservative Party in a straight two-way contest, receiving 1,440 votes.

[Reginald Wightman] (Assiniboia">Assiniboia (provincial electoral district)">Assiniboia)

Wightman finished first on the first count with 3,359 votes, and was declared elected on the final count with 4,196 votes.

Francis Bell">Francis Bell (Canadian politician)">Francis Bell (Birtle">Birtle (Manitoba riding)">Birtle)

Bell was elected in a two-candidate contest with 2,148 votes.

[James A. Creighton] (Brandon City">Brandon City (Manitoba riding)">Brandon City)

Creighton was a prominent municipal politician, and a former professional ice hockey player. He finished second on the first count with 3,063 votes, and formally lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Reginald Lissaman on the second count.

[Edmond Prefontaine] (Carillon">Carillon (Manitoba riding)">Carillon)

Prefontaine was elected in a two-candidate contest with 3,278 votes.

[Francis Ferg] (Cypress">Cypress (Manitoba riding)">Cypress)

Ferg finished in first place on the first count with 1,785 votes, and was declared elected on the second count.

John Potoski (Dauphin">Dauphin (Manitoba riding)">Dauphin)

Potoski became Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Dauphin in 1945, and continued to hold this position in 1953. He won the nomination over William Miller, a farmer from Spruce River. He finished second on the first count with 1,494 votes, and lost on transfers to William Bullmore of the Social Credit Party. Bullmore had been the Mayor of Dauphin until the previous year.
Potoski ran again in the 1958 provincial election, and finished second against Progressive Conservative candidate Stewart McLean.

Robert E. Moffat ([Deloraine—Glenwood])

Moffat was born in Elgin, Manitoba, and later moved to Winnipeg. He was an economist and lawyer, and had previously served as chief advisor on economic affairs for the Douglas Campbell government. Moffat also been clerk of the Privy Council for Manitoba, but left the civil service when his legal career began.
He was acclaimed for the Liberal-Progressive nomination in Deloraine—Glenwood after Russell Barrett, the only other candidate, withdrew from the contest. In the general election, he lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent James O. Argue in a straight two-candidate contest, receiving 1,594 votes.
Argue died in 1955, and a by-election was called in Deloraine—Glenwood for June 27 of that year. Moffat was again the Liberal-Progressive candidate, and lost to Progressive Conservative newcomer Albert Draper.
He contested the Winnipeg constituency of Osborne for the 1962 provincial election as a Liberal, and finished second against Progressive Conservative incumbent Obie Baizley.

Walter McDonald">Walter McDonald (politician)">Walter McDonald (Dufferin">Dufferin (Manitoba riding)">Dufferin)

McDonald finished in first place on the first count with 1,833 votes, and was declared elected on the second count.

Frank Casper (Emerson">Emerson (Manitoba riding)">Emerson)

Casper was a farmer in Ridgeville, a graduate of the University of Manitoba and a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was 35 years old at the time of the election, and had been president of the Emerson Liberal-Progressive Association since 1949.
He won the Liberal-Progressive nomination on April 21, 1953, defeating incumbent legislator John Solomon. Solomon's supporters subsequently alleged that the nomination meeting was conducted improperly, and Solomon himself entered the contest as an Independent Liberal-Progressive. This split divided the local association. The Liberal-Progressive Party took the position that the meeting was conducted properly, and endorsed Casper as their candidate. Casper finished second on the first count with 2,155 votes, and was lost to Solomon on the second count. There were later allegations of vote tampering.
When Solomon resigned from the legislature in 1957, Casper changed parties and won the Progressive Conservative nomination for a by-election on November 14 of the same year. He lost to Liberal-Progressive candidate John Tanchak by about 175 votes. Casper ran against Tanchak again as a Progressive Conservative in the 1958 provincial election, and this time lost by 979 votes.

[Michael N. Hryhorczuk] (Ethelbert">Ethelbert (Manitoba riding)">Ethelbert)

Hryhorczuk was elected on the first count with 1,948 votes.

James Anderson">James Anderson (Manitoba politician)">James Anderson (Fairford">Fairford (Manitoba riding)">Fairford)

Anderson finished first on the first count with 1,072 votes, and was declared elected on transfers.

Nicholas Bachynsky">Nicholas Bachynsky (politician)">Nicholas Bachynsky (Fisher">Fisher (Manitoba riding)">Fisher)

Bachynsky was elected on the first count with 1,554 votes.

[Ray Mitchell] (Gilbert Plains">Gilbert Plains (Manitoba riding)">Gilbert Plains)

Mitchell finished first on the first count with 1,069 votes, and was declared elected on transfers.

[Steinn O. Thompson] (Gimli">Gimli (Manitoba riding)">Gimli)

Thompson was elected on the first count with 2,252 votes.

William Morton">William Morton (Manitoba politician)">William Morton (Gladstone">Gladstone (Manitoba riding)">Gladstone)

Morton was the only candidate in the 1953 election to be returned without opposition. He sailed for England shortly after his re-election was confirmed, as a representative from Manitoba to the coronation of Elizabeth II.

[Charles Shuttleworth] (Hamiota">Hamiota (Manitoba riding)">Hamiota)

Shuttleworth finished first on the first count with 1,599 votes, and was declared elected on the second count.

C. Henry Jarvis (Iberville">Iberville (Manitoba riding)">Iberville)

Jarvis was a farmer in Dacotoh, and was 43 years old at the time of the election. He was educated at Kelvin Technical High School, and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for four years in World War II. He was the chair of the local school board at the time of his nomination, and was secretary of the Iberville Liberal-Progressive Association.
Jarvis placed second on the first count with 1,247 votes, and lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent John McDowell on the second count.

J. Leslie Bodie ([Kildonan—Transcona])

Bodie was an industrial relations manager of the Dominion Bridge Company in Winnipeg, and was the Mayor of East Kildonan at the time of the election. Early in 1953, he emerged as a prominent supporter of municipal ownership for the Winnipeg transit system.
Bodie was initially a member of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, but campaigned for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1949 federal election as a candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party in Springfield. He finished third against Liberal candidate John Sylvester Sinnott.
Bodie won the Liberal-Progressive nomination in 1953 over Bernie Wolfe and Frank Simmons. In the general election, he finished second on the first count with 4,394 votes, and lost to Cooperative Commonwealth Federation candidate Russell Paulley on the second count.

Cliff W. Landerkin (Killarney">Killarney (Manitoba riding)">Killarney)

Landerkin resided in Pilot Mound at the time of the election. He received 1,230 votes on the first count, and lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Abram Harrison on the second count.

Douglas Campbell">Douglas Lloyd Campbell">Douglas Campbell (Lakeside">Lakeside (Manitoba riding)">Lakeside)

Campbell was elected on the first count with 2,290 votes, winning every poll in the constituency.

[Matthew R. Sutherland] (Lansdowne">Lansdowne (Manitoba riding)">Lansdowne)

Sutherland placed first on the first count with 2,014 votes, and was declared elected on the second count.

[Edmond Brodeur] (La Verendrye">La Verendrye (electoral district)">La Verendrye)

Brodeur was elected in a two-candidate contest with 2,203 votes.

Chris D. McLean (Manitou-Morden">Manitou-Morden (Manitoba riding)">Manitou-Morden)

McLean was a farmer in Kaledia, Manitoba. He finished in second place on the first count with 1,054 votes, and was defeated on the second count by Hugh Morrison of the Progressive Conservative Party.

[Henry S. Rungay] (Minnedosa">Minnedosa (Manitoba riding)">Minnedosa)

Rungay served in the legislature from 1948 to 1953. He finished first on the first count with 1,433 votes, but fell behind on transfers and unexpectedly lost to Gilbert Hutton of the Social Credit Party on the second count.

Arthur S. Beaubien (Morris">Morris (Manitoba riding)">Morris)

Beaubien was the son of Arthur-Lucien Beaubien, who was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1921 to 1940, and served in the Senate of Canada from 1940 until his death in 1969. The younger Beaubien was an insurance agent, and was the Reeve of Montcalm at the time of the election. He won the Liberal-Progressive nomination in 1953 over Henry Magerell, 69 votes to 57.
In the general election, he finished second to Independent incumbent Harry Shewman on the first count with 1,191 votes, and was defeated on the second count.