# 1914 Manitoba general election

The 1914 Manitoba general election was held on July 10, 1914 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.
The result was a fifth consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party, led by premier Rodmond Roblin. The result, however, was much closer than in the previous general elections of 1903, 1907 and 1910.
Former Conservative leader Hugh John Macdonald believed that the party was hurt by its 1912 amendments to the Manitoba education code. Although Education Minister George R. Coldwell insisted the amendments were only meant to clarify existing provisions, many voters believed the Roblin government wanted to re-introduce funding for separate Roman Catholic schools. The government was also weakened by a corruption scandal involving the construction of new legislative buildings.
The Conservatives won twenty-eight seats, against twenty for the Liberal Party under Tobias Norris. Independent candidate Fred Dixon was also elected, with support from both the Liberals and the Labour Representation Committee. This election re-established the Liberals as a credible government-in-waiting.
Early in 1915, Roblin's administration was forced to resign from office after a report commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor found his government guilty of corruption in the awarding of contracts for new legislative buildings. Norris's Liberals were called to form a new administration, although they did not hold a majority of seats in the legislature. A new election was held, which the Liberals won in a landslide.

## Electoral system

In this election Manitoba used a mixture of multi-member districts and single-member districts. In the multi-member districts - Winnipeg North, Winnipeg South and Winnipeg Centre - each member was elected in a separate contest through First past the post.
In each single-member district the member was elected through First past the post.

## Results

| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | Seats | Seats | Seats | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote |
| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | 1910 | Elected | % Change | # | % | % Change |
| | Conservative | Rodmond Roblin | | 28 | 28 | - | 68434 | 46.9 | |
| | Liberal | Tobias Norris | | 13 | 20 | +53.8% | 61797 | 42.36 | |
| | Independent | Independent | | - | 1 | | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | | 41 | 49 | +19.5% | 145885 | 100% | |
The appearance of "third party" candidates presaged later developments when farmers and workers in such bodies as Independent Labour Party, the CCF and the NDP would play larger role in elections. Note two Labour Representation League candidates, in Assiniboia and Elmwood, and candidacy of Ferley (later ILP councillor on Winnipeg city council) in Mountain, as well as the successful campaign of Independent (Labour) candidate Fred Dixon, who would serve nine years as MLA.
Popular vote
Conservative
46.91%
Liberal
42.36%
Others
10.73% :
Seats summary
Conservative
57.14%
Liberal
40.82%
Others
2.04% :

## Riding results

Arthur:
* John Williams (L) 766
* (incumbent)Amos Lyle (C) 700
Assiniboia:
* John Thomas Haig (C) 1239
* John W. Wilton (L) 965
* W.J. Bartlett (Labour Representation Committee) 501
Beautiful Plains:
* (incumbent)James H. Howden (C) 1102
* William R. Wood (L) 1070
Birtle:
* (incumbent)George J.H. Malcolm (L) 892
* W.M. Taylor (C) 583
Brandon City:
* (incumbent)George R. Coldwell (C) 1897
* Stephen Emmett Clement (L) 1734
Carillon:
* Thomas B. Molloy (L) 659
* (incumbent)Albert Prefontaine (C) 652
Churchill and Nelson:
* George R. Ray (C) accl.
Cypress:
* (incumbent)George Steel (C) 852
* James Christie Sr. (L) 836
Dauphin:
* William Buchanan (C) 1026
* J. Seale (L) 710
Deloraine:
* Robert S. Thornton (L) 1127
* (incumbent)John C. Walker Reid (C) 923
Dufferin:
* (incumbent)Rodmond Roblin (C) 1204
* Edward August (L) 1065
Elmwood:
* Harry Mewhirter (C) 1901
* Thomas Glendenning Hamilton (L) 1537
* R.S. Ward (Labour Representation Committee/) 508
Emerson:
* (incumbent)David McFadden (C) 1032
* George Walton (L) 986
Gilbert Plains:
* (incumbent)Sam Hughes (C) 1471
* G.D. Shortreed (L) 996
Gimli:
* Sveinn Thorvaldson (C) 1045
* Einar Jonasson (L) 461
* Taras Ferley (L-Ind) 264
Gladstone:
* (incumbent)James W. Armstrong (L) 1239
* S. Singleton (C) 943
Glenwood:
* James W. Breakey (L) 1078
* A.L. Young (C) 906
Grand Rapids (17 August):
* Hugh Armstrong (C) 271
* A. la Rose (L) 12
Hamiota:
* John Henry McConnell (L) 1134
* (incumbent)William Ferguson (C) 736
Iberville:
* (incumbent)Aime Benard (C) accl.
Kildonan & St. Andrews:
* (incumbent)Walter Montague (C) 1087
* George Prout (L) 1086
Killarney:
* (incumbent)George Lawrence (C) 758
* Samuel Hayden (L) 690
La Verendrye:
* Jean-Baptiste Lauzon (C) 778
* Philippe Adjutor Talbot (L) 550
Lakeside:
* John J. Garland (C) 838
* (incumbent)Charles D. McPherson (L) 828
Lansdowne:
* (incumbent)Tobias Norris (L) 1371
* W.J. Cundy (C) 927
Manitou:
* (incumbent)James Morrow (C) 1099
* I.H. Davidson (L) 1029
Minnedosa:
* George Grierson (L) 1174
* William B. Waddell (C) 965
Morden and Rhineland:
* (incumbent)Valentine Winkler (L) 1073
* William Johnston Tupper (C) 941
Morris:
* Jacques Parent (C) 920
* (incumbent)William Molloy (L) 658
Mountain:
* (incumbent)James Baird (L) 1200
* John T. Dale (C) 598
* A.D. Craig (Ind) 306 (His grass-roots platform, which included Direct Legislation and Proportional representation, described in Grain Growers Guide, May 4, 1914, p. 27)
Norfolk:
* John Graham (L) 911
* (incumbent)Robert F. Lyons (C) 843
Portage la Prairie:
* Ewan McPherson (L) 1030
* (incumbent)Hugh Armstrong (C) 1020
Roblin:
* (incumbent)Frederic Newton (C) 802
* T. McLennan (L) 571
Rockwood:
* (incumbent)Isaac Riley (C) 1103
* Arthur Lobb (L) 1044
Russell:
* Donald C. McDonald (L) 892
* E. Graham (C) 862
St. Boniface:
* (incumbent)Joseph Bernier (C) 1603
* L.A. Delorme (L) 1259
St. Clements:
* (incumbent)Donald A. Ross (L) 1025
* Thomas Hay (C) 887
St. George:
* (incumbent)Edmund L. Taylor (C) 1198
* Skuli Sigfusson (L) 1097
Ste. Rose:
* Joseph Hamelin (C) 596
* John A. Campbell (L) 536
Swan River:
* William H. Sims (L) 594
* W.J. Stewart (C) 561
The Pas (27 July):
* (incumbent)Robert Orok (C) accl.
Turtle Mountain:
* (incumbent)James Johnson (C) 707
* George William McDonald (L) 645
Virden:
* George Clingan (L) 1135
* (incumbent)Harvey C. Simpson (C) 1050
Winnipeg Centre "A":
* (incumbent)Thomas Herman Johnson (L) 7998
* A.J. Andrews (C) 6948
* William H. Hoop (SPC) 953
Winnipeg Centre "B":
* Fred Dixon (Ind [Lib-Lab]) 8205
* F.J.G. McArthur (C) 6692
* George Armstrong (SPC) 928
Winnipeg North "A":
* Joseph P. Foley (C) 3135
* J. Willoughby (L) 2816
* Arthur Beech (SDP) 1921
Winnipeg North "B":
* Daniel McLean (C) 3268
* Robert Newton Lowery (L) 2645
* Herman Saltzman (SDP) 2068
Winnipeg South "A":
* Albert B. Hudson (L) 5861
* (incumbent)Lendrum McMeans (C) 4863
Winnipeg South "B":
* William L. Parrish (L) 5812
* Harry W. Whitlaw (C) 4902

## Post-election changes

Dufferin (res. Rodmond Roblin, May 12, 1915)