Russell Paulley
Encyclopedia
Andrew Russell Paulley (November 3, 1909 – May 19, 1984) was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
from 1959 to 1961, and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba
, from 1961 to 1969.
Paulley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After being educated in the city, he moved to the suburb of Transcona
and worked as a foreman upholsterer for the Canadian National Railway
. He also became a Freemason, and was involved in the province's socialist politics.
Paulley was a CCF
candidate for St. Boniface in the federal election of 1949
, finishing a distant second to Liberal
Fernand Viau
. He turned to provincial politics for the 1953 provincial election
, and was elected for the riding of Kildonan—Transcona. After redistribution, he was re-elected for Radisson in 1958
and 1959
.
CCF leader Lloyd Stinson
lost his seat in the 1959 election
, and Paulley was selected as interim leader in his place. In 1960, he was confirmed at a party convention as Stinson's permanent replacement. Like all previous CCF and ILP
leaders in Manitoba, he was elected without opposition.
The late 1950s was a period of transformation for the Manitoba CCF, as the federal party was in the process of merging with the Canadian Labour Congress
to create the New Democratic Party
. There was no strong opposition to the change in Manitoba, and the provincial CCF formally dissolved itself in 1961 to be succeeded by the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. On November 4, 1961, Paulley defeated Cliff Matthews
and Hans Fries
at a delegated convention to become the new party's leader.
The elections of 1962
and 1966
were disappointments for the Manitoba NDP. In the late 1950s, the CCF under Lloyd Stinson
had made modest increases from its previous standing, and some party members believed that the NDP was well-positioned to replace the Liberals
as the main opposition to Dufferin Roblin
's Progressive Conservative
government.
This did not occur. Roblin's government was fairly progressive, and won the support of many centre-left voters. Roblin was also a more popular figure than Paulley on a personal level. The Liberals, for their part, still had a support base in the province's rural and francophone communities, and were also able to win a few Winnipeg-area seats. The NDP fell from ten seats to seven in 1962. It recovered to eleven seats in 1966, but was still relegated to third-party status.
Paulley, who was re-elected on both occasions, faced increased opposition from a "modernizing" wing within the party. There was a growing belief among NDP Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) that Paulley, while a good representative of labour interests, could not lead the party to victory at the polls. In 1968, he faced a leadership challenge from MLA Sidney Green, a labour lawyer from the riding of Inkster in north-end Winnipeg.
The contest between Paulley and Green exposed a number of divisions within the Manitoba NDP. Green claimed (probably correctly) that he was not challenging Paulley on ideological grounds, but his campaign was nevertheless depicted by some as "radical left". Paulley, in turn, was depicted as representing an "old labourite" demographic, unable to reach out to a younger voters or communities which had not previously supported the CCF and NDP.
Paulley fended off Green's challenge by unusual means. During the campaign, eight NDP MLAs signed a letter calling for Paulley to be re-elected such that he could stand aside for Edward Schreyer
the following year. Paulley responded to this endorsement by claiming that he had long regarded Schreyer as the best choice to be his successor, though he was somewhat ambiguous as to whether he would actually resign if re-elected.
At the 1968 leadership convention, Paulley received 213 votes to Green's 168. Despite making a half-hearted attempt to retain power, he resigned as leader the following year. Schreyer defeated Green by 506 votes to 177 in the leadership race held shortly thereafter.
Under Schreyer's leadership, the NDP won an upset victory in the election of 1969
. Paulley was re-elected in Transcona, and was sworn in as Minister of Labour and Railway Commissioner on July 15, 1969. He also became Minister of Government Services on December 18, holding his position until September 3, 1970. He stepped down as Railway Commissioner on February 16, 1973, though continuing to hold the Labour portfolio.
Paulley was one of several MLAs in the Winnipeg area to be targeted by a conservative "citizen's group" in the election of 1973
. The group in question convinced the Progressive Conservative
and Liberal
parties to avoid competing against each other in certain ridings, such that a single "anti-socialist" candidate could be offered. Facing Tory Phil Rizzuto as his only opponent, Paulley nevertheless won re-election by 6275 votes to 4151.
Paulley continued to serve as Minister of Labour throughout the second Schreyer government, also taking responsibility for the as Civil Service Superannuation Act and Public Servants Insurance Act, and (after September 22, 1976) the Pension Benefits Act. He did not seek re-election in 1977, and did not play a significant role in public life following his retirement.
Paulley died on May 19, 1984.
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 as leader of 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...
from 1959 to 1961, 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...
, from 1961 to 1969.
Paulley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After being educated in the city, he moved to the suburb of Transcona
Transcona, Manitoba
Transcona is a suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada located about 10 kilometres east of the downtown area. Until 1972 it was a separate municipality, having been incorporated first as the Town of Transcona in 1912 and then as the City of Transcona in 1961...
and worked as a foreman upholsterer for 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"....
. He also became a Freemason, and was involved in the province's socialist politics.
Paulley was a CCF
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
candidate for St. Boniface 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...
, finishing a distant second to 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...
Fernand Viau
Fernand Viau
Fernand Viau was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Montreal, Quebec and had a military career....
. He turned to provincial politics for 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...
, and was elected for the riding of Kildonan—Transcona. After redistribution, he was re-elected for Radisson in 1958
Manitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...
and 1959
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
.
CCF leader Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he was unable to achieve a major electoral breakthrough for his party.Stinson was born in Treherne,...
lost his seat in the 1959 election
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
, and Paulley was selected as interim leader in his place. In 1960, he was confirmed at a party convention as Stinson's permanent replacement. Like all previous CCF and ILP
Independent Labour Party (in Manitoba) (II)
Prior to 1920, there were a number of groups in Winnipeg which called themselves the "Independent Labour Party". For information on these groups, see Independent Labour Party ....
leaders in Manitoba, he was elected without opposition.
The late 1950s was a period of transformation for the Manitoba CCF, as the federal party was in the process of merging with the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
to create the 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...
. There was no strong opposition to the change in Manitoba, and the provincial CCF formally dissolved itself in 1961 to be succeeded by the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. On November 4, 1961, Paulley defeated Cliff Matthews
Cliff Matthews
Albert Clifford Matthews was a Manitoba lawyer and politician. In 1961, he ran for the leadership of the province's newly created New Democratic Party....
and Hans Fries
Hans Fries (politician)
Hans Fries was a Manitoba politician and perennial candidate for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and New Democratic Party. In 1961, he campaigned for the leadership of the Manitoba New Democratic Party....
at a delegated convention to become the new party's leader.
The elections of 1962
Manitoba general election, 1962
Manitoba's general election of December 16, 1962 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a second majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
and 1966
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...
were disappointments for the Manitoba NDP. In the late 1950s, the CCF under Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he was unable to achieve a major electoral breakthrough for his party.Stinson was born in Treherne,...
had made modest increases from its previous standing, and some party members believed that the NDP was well-positioned to replace the Liberals
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 :...
as the main opposition to 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 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.
This did not occur. Roblin's government was fairly progressive, and won the support of many centre-left voters. Roblin was also a more popular figure than Paulley on a personal level. The Liberals, for their part, still had a support base in the province's rural and francophone communities, and were also able to win a few Winnipeg-area seats. The NDP fell from ten seats to seven in 1962. It recovered to eleven seats in 1966, but was still relegated to third-party status.
Paulley, who was re-elected on both occasions, faced increased opposition from a "modernizing" wing within the party. There was a growing belief among NDP Members of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLAs) that Paulley, while a good representative of labour interests, could not lead the party to victory at the polls. In 1968, he faced a leadership challenge from MLA Sidney Green, a labour lawyer from the riding of Inkster in north-end Winnipeg.
The contest between Paulley and Green exposed a number of divisions within the Manitoba NDP. Green claimed (probably correctly) that he was not challenging Paulley on ideological grounds, but his campaign was nevertheless depicted by some as "radical left". Paulley, in turn, was depicted as representing an "old labourite" demographic, unable to reach out to a younger voters or communities which had not previously supported the CCF and NDP.
Paulley fended off Green's challenge by unusual means. During the campaign, eight NDP MLAs signed a letter calling for Paulley to be re-elected such that he could stand aside for 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....
the following year. Paulley responded to this endorsement by claiming that he had long regarded Schreyer as the best choice to be his successor, though he was somewhat ambiguous as to whether he would actually resign if re-elected.
At the 1968 leadership convention, Paulley received 213 votes to Green's 168. Despite making a half-hearted attempt to retain power, he resigned as leader the following year. Schreyer defeated Green by 506 votes to 177 in the leadership race held shortly thereafter.
Under Schreyer's leadership, the NDP won an upset victory in the 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...
. Paulley was re-elected in Transcona, and was sworn in as Minister of Labour and Railway Commissioner on July 15, 1969. He also became Minister of Government Services on December 18, holding his position until September 3, 1970. He stepped down as Railway Commissioner on February 16, 1973, though continuing to hold the Labour portfolio.
Paulley was one of several MLAs in the Winnipeg area to be targeted by a conservative "citizen's group" in the election of 1973
Manitoba general election, 1973
The Manitoba General Election of June 28, 1973 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the social-democratic New Democratic Party, which took 31 of 57 seats...
. The group in question convinced 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:...
and Liberal
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 :...
parties to avoid competing against each other in certain ridings, such that a single "anti-socialist" candidate could be offered. Facing Tory Phil Rizzuto as his only opponent, Paulley nevertheless won re-election by 6275 votes to 4151.
Paulley continued to serve as Minister of Labour throughout the second Schreyer government, also taking responsibility for the as Civil Service Superannuation Act and Public Servants Insurance Act, and (after September 22, 1976) the Pension Benefits Act. He did not seek re-election in 1977, and did not play a significant role in public life following his retirement.
Paulley died on May 19, 1984.