# Lyle MacWilliam

Lyle Dean MacWilliam (born 31 July 1949) was a New Democratic member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993, representing the constituency of Okanagan-Shuswap.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of John Michael MacWilliam and Doris Louise Coghill, MacWilliam studied at Simon Fraser University. In 1971, he married Arlene Leslie Sundvick.
MacWilliam ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1983. He was elected to represent Okanagan North in the assembly as a New Democratic Party member in a 1984 by-election held following the death of Donald James Campbell. At the time, MacWilliam's victory was considered a major upset as he was a 35-year old high school teacher facing off against Harold Thorlakson, a popular area rancher representing the governing Social Credit Party in a seat the party had held consistently since 1952.
In the lead-up to the 1986 provincial election, MacWilliam became embroiled in an internal party debate over whether to force the resignation of then-leader Bob Skelly, with some in the party concerned about Skelly's popularity compared to that of the new Premier Bill Vander Zalm. MacWilliam spoke candidly about the party's internal discussions to the Canadian Press, commenting "This is a very sensitive topic and I think I might be overstepping my limits on this." MacWilliam was defeated in his bid for reelection in the province's 1986 election.
MacWilliam entered federal politics after winning the 1988 federal election at the Okanagan—Shuswap electoral district for the New Democratic Party. During his tenure in parliament, MacWilliam earned a reputation as a rebellious partisan, often breaking with his caucus on votes. Notably, in 1992, MacWilliam was one of five NDP MPs who publicly broke with party leader Audrey McLaughlin over Bill C-81, which updated legislation surrounding referendums. The party's official position was that the bill needed firm spending caps for referendum sides, which MacWilliam disregarded in his vote. By the end of 1992, Vancouver Sun columnist Peter O'Neil gave MacWilliam a grade of "C−" on his performance, writing that the MP's "judgment [was] in question." In his 1993 bid for re-election, MacWilliam lost to Darrel Stinson of the Reform Party.
In 1997, MacWilliam announced he would be joining the Liberal Party and contest his former seat in the 1997 federal election. In an interview given to the Okanagan Saturday, MacWilliam indicated that he had grown disillusioned with the NDP not long after being elected to parliament, claiming he "came very close to sitting as an independent." This was despite his position as the party's communications critic and decision to run again under the party's banner. MacWilliams also stated the Liberals were courting him during the 1993 election and critiqued the party's ideology and ties to organized labour. In the general election, he was again defeated by Stinson, placing second with only 175 fewer votes than he had received running as a New Democrat in 1993.

## Electoral Results

1997 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Reform | Darrel Stinson | 24,952 | 53.12 | +10.67 | $63,898 |
| | Liberal | Lyle MacWilliam | 11,585 | 24.66 | +6.24 | $60,414 |
| | New Democratic | Calvin White | 5,839 | 12.43 | -11.31 | $17,699 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Norm Crerar | 3,160 | 6.72 | -3.12 | $18,143 |
| | Canadian Action | Claire Foss | 802 | 1.70 | +1.54 | $5,555 |
| | Independent | David Lethbridge | 370 | 0.78 | – | $1,657 |
| | Independent | Gordon Campbell | 257 | 0.54 | +0.11 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 46,965 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 147 | 0.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,112 | 67.06 |
| | Reform hold | Reform hold | Swing | Swing | +2.22 |
| Liberal candidate Lyle MacWilliam gained 0.92 percentage points from the last election, when he ran as a New Democrat. |||||||
1993 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Darrel Stinson | 21,023 | 42.45 | +39.38 |
| | New Democratic | Lyle MacWilliam | 11,760 | 23.74 | -19.73 |
| | Liberal | Brooke Jeffrey | 9,124 | 18.42 | +2.50 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alice Klim | 4,871 | 9.84 | -26.35 |
| | National | Don MacLennan | 2,018 | 4.07 | – |
| | Green | Hermann Bruns | 312 | 0.63 | -0.52 |
| | Independent | Gordon Campbell | 211 | 0.43 | – |
| | Natural Law | Rig Gelfand | 130 | 0.26 | – |
| | Canada Party | Claire Foss | 78 | 0.16 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 49,527 | 100.0 |
| | Reform gain from New Democratic | Reform gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +29.56 |
1988 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | New Democratic | Lyle Dean MacWilliam | 18,749 | 43.47 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jake Spoor | 15,606 | 36.19 |
| | Liberal | David L. Simpson | 6,868 | 15.92 |
| | Reform | Donald McDonell | 1,321 | 3.06 |
| | Green | Connie K. Harris | 495 | 1.15 |
| | Independent | Kathleen Daniels | 89 | 0.21 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,128 | 100.0 |
| This riding was created from parts of Kamloops—Shuswap and Okanagan North, which elected a New Democrat and a Progressive Conservative, respectively, in the previous election. |||||||
1986 British Columbia general election: Okanagan North :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Lyall Franklin Hansen | 11,936 | 48.13 | +6.16 |
| | New Democratic | Lyle Dean MacWilliam | 11,540 | 46.54 | -2.52 |
| | Progressive Conservative | E. Shirley H. Spiller | 800 | 3.23 | – |
| | Liberal | Dieter W.A. Bauer | 522 | 2.10 | -5.42 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,798 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 290 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
British Columbia provincial by-election, 11 October 1984 On the death of Donald James Campbell, 10 June 1984 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Lyle Dean MacWilliam | 9,707 | 49.06 | +7.83 |
| | Social Credit | Harold Thorlakson | 8,303 | 41.97 | -12.25 |
| | Liberal | Frank Cole | 1,487 | 7.52 | +4.72 |
| | Western Canada Concept | Clyde Nunn | 288 | 1.45 | -0.30 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 19,785 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 147 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
1983 British Columbia general election: Okanagan North :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Donald James Campbell | 13,647 | 54.22 |
| | New Democratic | Lyle Dean MacWilliam | 10,380 | 41.23 |
| | Liberal | Maury Banks | 706 | 2.80 |
| | Western Canada Concept | Art Robatzek | 441 | 1.75 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 25,174 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 237 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||