Howard Pawley
Encyclopedia
Howard Russell Pawley, PC
, OC
, OM
(born November 21, 1934) is a Canadian
politician and professor who was the 18th Premier
of Manitoba
from 1981 to 1988.
, Ontario
, and was educated at Manitoba Teachers College, United College and the Manitoba Law School. In 1960, he married Adele Schreyer, a cousin of Edward Schreyer
, who served as Premier
of Manitoba
from 1969 to 1977.
Pawley worked as a lawyer and educator, and was active in the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba
(NDP). In 1957, Pawley was elected President of the Manitoba CCF, becoming at the age of 22, the youngest President in the party's history. He opposed the transformation of the CCF into the NDP in 1961, but this decision did not hurt his subsequent career in the party.
as the CCF candidate in the riding of Lisgar
, finishing fourth with 443 votes. In the Manitoba 1958 provincial election, he ran in the northern riding of The Pas
and received 801 votes, finishing third. In both these elections he ran as a sacrificial candidate while working as an organizer for the Manitoba C.C.F. Later, in the 1965 federal election
, he ran in the Selkirk
riding and received a more respectable 4,456 votes, finishing third.
In the provincial election of 1969
, Pawley was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
for the constituency of Selkirk, a mixed urban/rural seat to the north of Winnipeg. He was chosen to be a part of Edward Schreyer
's cabinet, and was sworn in as Minister of Government Services and Minister of Municipal Affairs on July 15, 1969. He stood down from the former position on December 18, 1969, but retained the latter until September 22, 1976. In addition to his cabinet duties, Pawley also chaired a committee that brought forward public auto insurance
legislation for the province, and was the first Chair and Minister responsible for the Manitoba public Insurance Corporation (1971-73).
On September 4, 1973, Pawley was promoted to Attorney-General. After stepping down as Municipal Affairs minister in 1976, he was given the additional responsibility of administering the Liquor Control Act.
In 1979, Pawley replaced Schreyer as leader of the provincial NDP. He was initially elected leader by the party caucus on an interim basis, and later defeated Muriel Smith
and Russell Doern
at the subsequent leadership convention. Like Schreyer, he was from the northeast of the province and could appeal to voters beyond the CCF/NDP's traditional Winnipeg base. In the 1981 election
, the NDP led by Pawley defeated the Progressive Conservative
government of Sterling Lyon
. This was the first time in the province's history that any party had ever been voted out of office after serving only one term.
Pawley was sworn in as Premier of Manitoba
on November 30, 1981. His government reintroduced and entrenched French language rights that had been removed by the Thomas Greenway
government in 1890, but was forced to withdraw proposed legislation that would further extend French language services in the face of widespread opposition among the public. This issue nearly caused the Pawley government's defeat at the polls in the 1986 provincial election
.
On the economic front, the Pawley government's record was at or near the top in provincial comparison in respect to investment and employment growth and often enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate anywhere in Canada, and sustained the province's social programs during the recession of the early 1980s. His government launched the giant Limestone hydro generating project and negotiated major export agreements of hydro electricity to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. However, this was not without an economic price, as the Pawley government routinely delivered budgets with large deficits, only balancing the budget at the very end of its term.
On the social front the Pawley government enacted changes to labour legislation including pay equity, Final Offer Selection and first-contract legislation. It also introduced changes to the Human Rights Code, including the addition of the words "sexual orientation".
Pawley's NDP was reduced to a narrow majority in 1986, winning 30 of 57 seats. His government would become increasingly unpopular with the electorate over the next two years, due primarily to a jump in auto insurance premiums in 1987 and massive multi-million dollar losses at MTX, a subsidiary of the Crown-owned Manitoba Telephone System formed to invest in telecommunications in Saudi Arabia. In March 1988, backbench NDP MLA Jim Walding
, a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, voted against the government's budget and caused the government to fall. Pawley resigned as party leader and Premier, and did not run in the subsequent election, which was won by the Progressive Conservatives
led by Gary Filmon
.
In his last years as Premier, Pawley had become a prominent figure on the national stage as an opponent of free trade
, as well as a party to the Meech Lake Constitutional Accord
. No longer in provincial politics, Pawley again ran as a candidate for the federal NDP
in the federal election of 1988
, but was defeated by Progressive Conservative
candidate David Bjornson
.
where he taught until his retirement. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Manitoba
and in 2001 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
. In 2001 he received the Cesar E. Chavez Award and in 2004 was the recipient from the Manitoba NDP of the Lucille Ono Award. Howard Pawley was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Winnipeg 2008. He was the recipient of the 2008 Youth Parliament of Manitoba Alumni Achievement Award. In 2003, he supported Bill Blaikie
's campaign to lead the federal NDP. Pawley is currently a Vice President of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
http://www.ccla.org/peop/directors.shtml, an Executive member of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Chair of the Harry Crowe Foundation and Vice-President of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. He is also currently a Board Member of the St. Clair- Erie Local Health Integrated Network [LHIN].
At the University of Windsor, Pawley served as an Associate Professor [1990–2000] and also served as the Paul Martin Professor [1993-1998]. He also served as the President [1999-2000] of the Windsor University Faculty Association [WUFA]. Later he served as the Stanley Knowles professor at the University Of Waterloo
2000 and visiting Professor, University of Washington in Seattle during the springs of 2001 and 2003. Pawley was Acting Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Justice at the University of Windsor [2006-2007]. Pawley is now an Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Windsor.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, OC
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, OM
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
(born November 21, 1934) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and professor who was the 18th Premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
from 1981 to 1988.
Personal life
Pawley was born in BramptonBrampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and was educated at Manitoba Teachers College, United College and the Manitoba Law School. In 1960, he married Adele Schreyer, a cousin of Edward Schreyer
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer , commonly known as Ed Schreyer, is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation....
, who served as Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
from 1969 to 1977.
Pawley worked as a lawyer and educator, and was active in the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation , known informally as the Manitoba CCF, was a provincial branch of the national Canadian party by the same name. The national CCF was the dominant social-democratic party in Canada from the 1930s to the early 1960s, when it merged with the labour movement...
(CCF) and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
(NDP). In 1957, Pawley was elected President of the Manitoba CCF, becoming at the age of 22, the youngest President in the party's history. He opposed the transformation of the CCF into the NDP in 1961, but this decision did not hurt his subsequent career in the party.
Political career
Pawley first ran for public office in the 1957 Canadian federal electionCanadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
as the CCF candidate in the riding of Lisgar
Lisgar (electoral district)
Lisgarwas a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1988. This riding was created following the admission of Manitoba into the Canadian Confederation in 1870....
, finishing fourth with 443 votes. In the Manitoba 1958 provincial election, he ran in the northern riding of The Pas
The Pas (electoral district)
The Pas is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1912 following the expansion of the province's northern border, and has existed continuously since that time....
and received 801 votes, finishing third. In both these elections he ran as a sacrificial candidate while working as an organizer for the Manitoba C.C.F. Later, in the 1965 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
, he ran in the Selkirk
Selkirk (electoral district)
Selkirk was a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1979.This riding was created in 1871 when the province of Manitoba was created....
riding and received a more respectable 4,456 votes, finishing third.
In the provincial election of 1969
Manitoba general election, 1969
The Manitoba General Election of June 25, 1969 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was a watershed moment in the province's political history. The social-democratic New Democratic Party emerged for the first time as the largest party in...
, Pawley was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
for the constituency of Selkirk, a mixed urban/rural seat to the north of Winnipeg. He was chosen to be a part of Edward Schreyer
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer , commonly known as Ed Schreyer, is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation....
's cabinet, and was sworn in as Minister of Government Services and Minister of Municipal Affairs on July 15, 1969. He stood down from the former position on December 18, 1969, but retained the latter until September 22, 1976. In addition to his cabinet duties, Pawley also chaired a committee that brought forward public auto insurance
Public auto insurance
Public auto insurance is a government owned and operated system of automobile insurance operated in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. According to studies by the Consumers' Association of Canada, rates charged for auto insurance in these four provinces...
legislation for the province, and was the first Chair and Minister responsible for the Manitoba public Insurance Corporation (1971-73).
On September 4, 1973, Pawley was promoted to Attorney-General. After stepping down as Municipal Affairs minister in 1976, he was given the additional responsibility of administering the Liquor Control Act.
In 1979, Pawley replaced Schreyer as leader of the provincial NDP. He was initially elected leader by the party caucus on an interim basis, and later defeated Muriel Smith
Muriel Smith
Muriel Smith, OC is a Manitoba politician. She ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba in 1979, and subsequently served in the cabinet of NDP Premier Howard Pawley....
and Russell Doern
Russell Doern
Russell Doern was a Manitoba politician. He served as a cabinet minister in the New Democratic government of Edward Schreyer , but left the New Democratic Party in 1984....
at the subsequent leadership convention. Like Schreyer, he was from the northeast of the province and could appeal to voters beyond the CCF/NDP's traditional Winnipeg base. In the 1981 election
Manitoba general election, 1981
The Manitoba general election of November 17, 1981 was held 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...
, the NDP led by Pawley defeated the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
government of Sterling Lyon
Sterling Lyon
Sterling Rufus Lyon, PC, OC was a lawyer, cabinet minister, and the 17th Premier of Manitoba, Canada from 1977 to 1981. His government introduced several fiscally-conservative measures, and was sometimes seen as a local version of the government of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom...
. This was the first time in the province's history that any party had ever been voted out of office after serving only one term.
Pawley was sworn in as Premier of Manitoba
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
on November 30, 1981. His government reintroduced and entrenched French language rights that had been removed by the Thomas Greenway
Thomas Greenway
For the American character actor , see Tom Greenway.Thomas Greenway was a politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh Premier of Manitoba, Canada, from 1888 to 1900...
government in 1890, but was forced to withdraw proposed legislation that would further extend French language services in the face of widespread opposition among the public. This issue nearly caused the Pawley government's defeat at the polls in the 1986 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1986
The Manitoba general election of March 18, 1986 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which took 30 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party won 26 seats and formed the official opposition...
.
On the economic front, the Pawley government's record was at or near the top in provincial comparison in respect to investment and employment growth and often enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate anywhere in Canada, and sustained the province's social programs during the recession of the early 1980s. His government launched the giant Limestone hydro generating project and negotiated major export agreements of hydro electricity to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. However, this was not without an economic price, as the Pawley government routinely delivered budgets with large deficits, only balancing the budget at the very end of its term.
On the social front the Pawley government enacted changes to labour legislation including pay equity, Final Offer Selection and first-contract legislation. It also introduced changes to the Human Rights Code, including the addition of the words "sexual orientation".
Pawley's NDP was reduced to a narrow majority in 1986, winning 30 of 57 seats. His government would become increasingly unpopular with the electorate over the next two years, due primarily to a jump in auto insurance premiums in 1987 and massive multi-million dollar losses at MTX, a subsidiary of the Crown-owned Manitoba Telephone System formed to invest in telecommunications in Saudi Arabia. In March 1988, backbench NDP MLA Jim Walding
Jim Walding
Derek James "Jim" Walding was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1971 to 1988, and served as speaker of the assembly from 1982 to 1986. Walding was a member of the New Democratic Party...
, a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, voted against the government's budget and caused the government to fall. Pawley resigned as party leader and Premier, and did not run in the subsequent election, which was won by the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
led by Gary Filmon
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...
.
In his last years as Premier, Pawley had become a prominent figure on the national stage as an opponent of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, as well as a party to the Meech Lake Constitutional Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
. No longer in provincial politics, Pawley again ran as a candidate for the federal NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
in the federal election of 1988
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, but was defeated by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate David Bjornson
David Bjornson
David Bjornson was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1993, serving in the 34th Canadian Parliament for the Progressive Conservative party in the Selkirk riding. By career, he is an electrician....
.
Post-political career
Pawley left politics and became a professor at the University of WindsorUniversity of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
where he taught until his retirement. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Manitoba
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
and in 2001 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 2001 he received the Cesar E. Chavez Award and in 2004 was the recipient from the Manitoba NDP of the Lucille Ono Award. Howard Pawley was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Winnipeg 2008. He was the recipient of the 2008 Youth Parliament of Manitoba Alumni Achievement Award. In 2003, he supported Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
's campaign to lead the federal NDP. Pawley is currently a Vice President of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association or CCLA, is Canada's leading national organization devoted to the defence of civil liberties and constitutional rights, both inside and outside the courts. The organization's work focuses on constitutional litigation, law reform, advocating on civil...
http://www.ccla.org/peop/directors.shtml, an Executive member of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Chair of the Harry Crowe Foundation and Vice-President of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. He is also currently a Board Member of the St. Clair- Erie Local Health Integrated Network [LHIN].
At the University of Windsor, Pawley served as an Associate Professor [1990–2000] and also served as the Paul Martin Professor [1993-1998]. He also served as the President [1999-2000] of the Windsor University Faculty Association [WUFA]. Later he served as the Stanley Knowles professor at the University Of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
2000 and visiting Professor, University of Washington in Seattle during the springs of 2001 and 2003. Pawley was Acting Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Justice at the University of Windsor [2006-2007]. Pawley is now an Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Windsor.