Peter Paul Masniuk was a politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Manitoba, 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 was 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:...

 member of 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...

 from 1966 to 1969, and a federal 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....

 member of 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...

 from 1972 to 1979.

Masniuk was educated at public school in Narcisse, Manitoba

Narcisse, Manitoba

Narcisse, Manitoba is a rural hamlet in the Rural Municipality of Armstrong, in the Interlake region , in the province of Manitoba. It was originally settled in 1914, two years after the arrival of the now defunct Canadian Northern Railway. The railway tracks were removed in the 1990s...

. He was a section foreman with the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 before entering politics, and was a Union contact at Lodge 308 from 1955 to 1966. He served in the 12th Manitoba Dragoons from 1942 to 1945, and was later president of Branch No. 158 of the Royal Canadian Legion

Royal Canadian Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...

 from 1960 to 1965.

He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1966 provincial election

Manitoba general election, 1966

The Manitoba general election held on June 23, 1966, was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a third consecutive majority win for the Progressive Conservative Party led by Dufferin Roblin...

 in the riding of Fisher, defeating former NDP

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...

 MLA Peter Wagner

Peter Wagner (Manitoba politician)

Peter Wagner was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1958 to 1962, at first for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and later for its successor party, the NDP.Of German and Ukrainian background, Wagner was educated in Manitoba and worked as...

 by 112 votes. He was not appointed to cabinet, and did not seek re-election in 1969 after the abolition of his riding. He was known for bringing a union perspective to the PC caucus.

He moved to federal politics in the 1972 Canadian election

Canadian federal election, 1972

The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...

, and was elected for the riding of Portage, defeating his nearest opponent by more than 2,000 votes. He was returned in the 1974 election

Canadian federal election, 1974

The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...

, but ironically lost his seat to New Democratic Party

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...

 challenger Terry Sargeant

Terry Sargeant

Terence James Sargeant was a New Democratic Party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a public policy consultant, personnel administrator and office manager by career. He holds a B.A. and an LL.B. from the University of Manitoba. On June 2, 2011, he was awarded an LL.D...

 in the 1979 election

Canadian federal election, 1979

The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...

, in the redistributed riding of Selkirk—Interlake

Selkirk—Interlake

Selkirk—Interlake is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1976 to 1987, and since 1997....

. This loss occurred just as the Progressive Conservatives formed a minority government

Minority government

A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...

 under the leadership of Joseph Clark

Joe Clark

Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...

.

Masniuk returned to his job as a CNR foreman after his defeat. He later served as reeve of Armstrong

Armstrong, Manitoba

-External links:*...

 from 1985 to 1992, and was a housing officer with the Manitoba Housing Authority. He died suddenly while dancing at a community event in Arborg

Arborg, Manitoba

Arborg is a town located in the Rural Municipality of Bifrost in Manitoba's Interlake Region, 103 kilometres north of Winnipeg.The picturesque setting along the Icelandic River was first settled more than 100 years ago...

, celebrating fifty years of his contributions to the Legion.