John McDowell (Manitoba politician)
Encyclopedia
John McDowell was a merchant and politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
as a Progressive Conservative
from 1945 to 1958.
McDowell came to Canada with his family in 1895, and was educated in Toronto
, Ontario
. He worked as a grain dealer, and was president of McDowell Grain Co. Ltd and Ridgewood Development Co. Ltd. He was also on the board of governors of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election
, in the constituency of Iberville. At the time, Manitoba was governed by a coalition ministry of Liberal-Progressives
and Progressive Conservatives. McDowell ran as an Independent Progressive Conservative supporting the coalition, and defeated Liberal-Progressive W.D. Lawrence by over 400 votes.
He resigned his seat in 1949 to run for the Canadian House of Commons
as a Progressive Conservative
. He finished third in the riding of Selkirk
in the federal election of 1949
, behind William Bryce
of the social-democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and Liberal
Laurier Regnier
.
No by-election was called for Iberville, and the seat remained vacant until the 1949 provincial election
, held several months after the federal campaign. McDowell ran to succeed himself, and won re-election as an Independent Progressive Conservative opposing the coalition.
In 1949, McDowell and George Hastings formed the Manitoba Democratic Movement
as a pressure group within the Progressive Conservative Party. Not a formal political party, the MDM called for the Progressive Conservatives to leave the coalition government and supplant the CCF as the province's primary opposition. Hastings was concerned that the CCF could form government if no other alternatives were presented to the electorate.
Following pressure from the MDM and other groups, the Progressive Conservatives left the coalition in 1950, and McDowell rejoined the official party caucus in opposition. He was re-elected in the 1953 provincial election
, defeating Liberal-Progressive C.H. Jarvis by 195 votes.
McDowell was on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservatives, and was considered a reactionary even by other members of his party. Extremely proud of his position on the grain commission, he opposed the Canadian Wheat Board
as unwarranted government interference in the marketplace. During a 1953 legislative debate on the issue, he made the following statement: "Why, if Communism
ever came to this county - and I pray God it won't - they won't have to change a thing in this act, only the penalties. Instead, you'll be shot in the morning, that's all!" (Winnipeg Free Press
, March 17, 1953).
He was a forceful debater, and once described the CCF as "a demoralized race, fighting with the wind, soon to be gone with the wind".
He was a prominent supporter of Errick Willis
in the party's 1954 leadership convention, and opposed Dufferin Roblin
's leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party. When Roblin's government enacted progressive legislation in 1958, McDowell dismissed the party as the "Progressive Conservative Commonwealth Federation". McDowell himself declined to be a candidate in the 1958 election.
He came out of political retirement to run in the federal election of 1968
, opposing Roblin as an Independent Conservative in Winnipeg South Centre
. He received only 632 votes, but may have taken some satisfaction in Roblin's loss to Liberal E.B. Osler
.
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...
, Canada
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...
. He served in 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...
as a 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:...
from 1945 to 1958.
McDowell came to Canada with his family in 1895, and was educated in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 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....
. He worked as a grain dealer, and was president of McDowell Grain Co. Ltd and Ridgewood Development Co. Ltd. He was also on the board of governors of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1945
Manitoba's general election of October 15, 1945 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The 1945 provincial election was extremely different from the previous election, which was held in 1941...
, in the constituency of Iberville. At the time, Manitoba was governed by a coalition ministry of Liberal-Progressives
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
and Progressive Conservatives. McDowell ran as an Independent Progressive Conservative supporting the coalition, and defeated Liberal-Progressive W.D. Lawrence by over 400 votes.
He resigned his seat in 1949 to run for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a 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....
. He finished third in the riding of 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....
in the federal election of 1949
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
, behind William Bryce
William Bryce
William "Scottie" Bryce was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He briefly served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , although he never served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.Bryce, born in Lanark, Scotland, was educated at Glasgow and apprenticed as a machinist...
of the social-democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Laurier Regnier
Laurier Régnier
Laurier Arthur Régnier was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Saint-François-Xavier, Manitoba and became a barrister and farmer by career....
.
No by-election was called for Iberville, and the seat remained vacant until the 1949 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1949
Manitoba's general election of November 10, 1949 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election pitted the province's coalition government, made up of the Liberal-Progressive Party and the Progressive Conservative Party, against a variety of...
, held several months after the federal campaign. McDowell ran to succeed himself, and won re-election as an Independent Progressive Conservative opposing the coalition.
In 1949, McDowell and George Hastings formed the Manitoba Democratic Movement
Manitoba Democratic Movement
The Manitoba Democratic Movement was a political pressure group in Manitoba, Canada. It existed from 1949 to 1950, as a faction within the province's Progressive Conservative Party...
as a pressure group within the Progressive Conservative Party. Not a formal political party, the MDM called for the Progressive Conservatives to leave the coalition government and supplant the CCF as the province's primary opposition. Hastings was concerned that the CCF could form government if no other alternatives were presented to the electorate.
Following pressure from the MDM and other groups, the Progressive Conservatives left the coalition in 1950, and McDowell rejoined the official party caucus in opposition. He was re-elected in the 1953 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1953
Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...
, defeating Liberal-Progressive C.H. Jarvis by 195 votes.
McDowell was on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservatives, and was considered a reactionary even by other members of his party. Extremely proud of his position on the grain commission, he opposed the Canadian Wheat Board
Canadian Wheat Board
The Canadian Wheat Board was established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935 as a mandatory producer marketing system for wheat and barley in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a small part of British Columbia...
as unwarranted government interference in the marketplace. During a 1953 legislative debate on the issue, he made the following statement: "Why, if Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
ever came to this county - and I pray God it won't - they won't have to change a thing in this act, only the penalties. Instead, you'll be shot in the morning, that's all!" (Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
, March 17, 1953).
He was a forceful debater, and once described the CCF as "a demoralized race, fighting with the wind, soon to be gone with the wind".
He was a prominent supporter of Errick Willis
Errick Willis
Errick French Willis was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the province's Conservative Party between 1936 and 1954, and was responsible for beginning and ending the party's alliance with the Liberal-Progressive Party...
in the party's 1954 leadership convention, and opposed Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, PC, CC, OM was a Canadian businessman and politician. Known as "Duff," he served as the 14th Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as...
's leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party. When Roblin's government enacted progressive legislation in 1958, McDowell dismissed the party as the "Progressive Conservative Commonwealth Federation". McDowell himself declined to be a candidate in the 1958 election.
He came out of political retirement to run in the federal election of 1968
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
, opposing Roblin as an Independent Conservative in Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988.-Geography:...
. He received only 632 votes, but may have taken some satisfaction in Roblin's loss to Liberal E.B. Osler
Edmund Boyd Osler (Manitoba politician)
Edmund Boyd Osler was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons.He was born in Winnipeg in 1919 and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1937, student #2592. He also studied at War Staff College, Royal Canadian Air Force...
.