Stan Roberts
Encyclopedia
Stan Roberts was a Canadian
politician
. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
between 1958 and 1962, and ran for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party
in 1961. He was later involved with the Liberal Party of Canada
, and was a founding member of the Reform Party of Canada
.
, and received of Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Manitoba
. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1958, as a Liberal-Progressive
candidate in the francophone riding of La Verendrye (Roberts was himself bilingual). Although Dufferin Roblin
's Progressive Conservative (PC) Party
won the general election, Roberts defeated his Tory opponent Stan Bisson by 1565 votes to 1395. He was re-elected in 1959, defeating PC candidate Edmond Guertin.
When Douglas Campbell
resigned as Liberal-Progressive leader in 1961, Roberts ran to succeed him. He represented a "left opposition" within the party, and accused its more conservative leadership of being ineffective against Roblin's centrist/progressive government. He was defeated by establishment candidate Gildas Molgat
by 475 votes to 279 on April 20, 1961, one day after the party formally renamed itself the Manitoba Liberal Party.
in the riding
of Provencher; he was defeated by Progressive Conservative
Warner Jorgenson
by about a thousand votes. He again lost to Jorgenson in the 1963 federal election
, by a slightly greater margin.
Roberts subsequently worked as a Manitoba advisor to Liberal
Prime Minister
Lester Pearson, and served as president and acting leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1969 to 1970 (after party leader Robert Bend
failed to win his seat in the 1969 provincial election
). He also worked as an executive officer for McCabe Grain Company Limited, later National Grain Company Limited.
and Preston Manning
. In late 1978, Roberts expressed interest in Francis Winspear's proposed constitutional reforms, which included Senate
reform and the equal treatment of all provinces.
During this period, Roberts made several speeches warning about the possibility of western separatism. There were some within the Canada West Foundation who believed that Roberts himself was partly sympathetic to separatism; he never became affiliated with the movement, but was forced to step down as CWF President in December 1980 after some controversial statements on the subject.
Roberts remained loyal to the Liberal Party during this period. He ran for the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party
in 1984, but lost to former Member of Parliament
Art Lee
on the first ballot. Roberts's participation in this contest probably prevented him from running to succeed Pierre Trudeau
as leader of the federal party. Roberts disagreed with the selection of John Turner
as party leader, but he nevertheless ran for the federal Liberals in the Quebec
riding of Lachine
in 1984, losing to Progressive Conservative
Bob Layton
.
in 1984. Roberts believed that a new party might be necessary to oppose Progressive Conservative Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
in western Canada. In 1987, he became involved with Francis Winspear, Preston Manning
and Ted Byfield
in plans to create what would later become the Reform Party of Canada
.
Roberts was in many respects an unlikely figure within this group. His political philosophy was centrist, perhaps somewhat left-of-centre. He was not an uncritical supporter of free-market economics, and he does not seem to have been a social conservative
. Nevertheless, he was willing to work with more conservative figures to create the new party.
Even before the Reform Party's founding convention (October 30-November 1, 1987), Roberts began to have concerns about the new party's ideology. He opposed its regionalist aspects, and was concerned by its popularity with voters who opposed bilingualism and Quebec
's role in Canada's Confederation. One week before the founding convention, he agreed to stand for the party's leadership against Preston Manning, the only other declared candidate.
At the convention, Manning's supporters among the convention-goers voted to close the registration process one day ahead of schedule, perhaps fearing Roberts was planning to bus in several "instant delegates". After failed negotiations with the Manning camp, Roberts dropped out of the race on November 1, claiming that Manning's supporters had hijacked the party from its original intentions. He referred to Manning's supporters as "fanatical Alberta
ns" and "small-minded evangelical cranks".
Roberts subsequently sought the Reform Party's nomination in the British Columbia
riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands
for the 1988 federal election
, but was defeated. He had no further involvement with the Reform Party, and died of a brain tumour two years later.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was a 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...
between 1958 and 1962, and ran for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party
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 :...
in 1961. He was later involved with the Liberal Party of Canada
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...
, and was a founding member of the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
.
Early years
Roberts was born in Winnipeg, ManitobaManitoba
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...
, and received of Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1958, as a Liberal-Progressive
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 :...
candidate in the francophone riding of La Verendrye (Roberts was himself bilingual). Although 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 (PC) Party
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:...
won the general election, Roberts defeated his Tory opponent Stan Bisson by 1565 votes to 1395. He was re-elected in 1959, defeating PC candidate Edmond Guertin.
When Douglas Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell, OC was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the 13th Premier of Manitoba from 1948 to 1958...
resigned as Liberal-Progressive leader in 1961, Roberts ran to succeed him. He represented a "left opposition" within the party, and accused its more conservative leadership of being ineffective against Roblin's centrist/progressive government. He was defeated by establishment candidate Gildas Molgat
Gildas Molgat
Gildas L. Molgat, CD was a Canadian politician. He served as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1961 to 1969, and was subsequently appointed to the Canadian Senate, where he served as Speaker from 1994 until 2001. He died shortly thereafter.Molgat was born in Ste. Rose du Lac, Manitoba. ...
by 475 votes to 279 on April 20, 1961, one day after the party formally renamed itself the Manitoba Liberal Party.
Resignation
Roberts resigned from the legislature to contest the 1962 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
in the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Provencher; he 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....
Warner Jorgenson
Warner Jorgenson
Warner Herbert Jorgenson was a Canadian politician in Manitoba. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the federal House of Commons from 1957 to 1968, and as a Progressive Conservative member of the Manitoba Legislature from 1969 to 1981...
by about a thousand votes. He again lost to Jorgenson in the 1963 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
, by a slightly greater margin.
Roberts subsequently worked as a Manitoba advisor 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...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Lester Pearson, and served as president and acting leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1969 to 1970 (after party leader Robert Bend
Robert Bend
Robert Bend was a Manitoba politician, and was briefly the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party .-Early life:...
failed to win his seat in the 1969 provincial election
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...
). He also worked as an executive officer for McCabe Grain Company Limited, later National Grain Company Limited.
Constitutional reform involvement
In 1976, Roberts became the first president of the Canada West Foundation. In this capacity, he took a leading role in arguing for the position of the west in Canada's constitutional debates. He also developed contacts with ErnestErnest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
and Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
. In late 1978, Roberts expressed interest in Francis Winspear's proposed constitutional reforms, which included Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
reform and the equal treatment of all provinces.
During this period, Roberts made several speeches warning about the possibility of western separatism. There were some within the Canada West Foundation who believed that Roberts himself was partly sympathetic to separatism; he never became affiliated with the movement, but was forced to step down as CWF President in December 1980 after some controversial statements on the subject.
Roberts remained loyal to the Liberal Party during this period. He ran for the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
in 1984, but lost to former Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Art Lee
Art Lee
Arthur John Lee is a politician and lawyer in British Columbia , Canada.Lee was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada to represent the electoral district of Vancouver East in the 1974 federal election...
on the first ballot. Roberts's participation in this contest probably prevented him from running to succeed Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
as leader of the federal party. Roberts disagreed with the selection of John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
as party leader, but he nevertheless ran for the federal Liberals in the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
riding of Lachine
Lachine (electoral district)
Lachine was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1988.This riding was created in 1966 from Jacques-Cartier—Lasalle riding...
in 1984, losing to 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....
Bob Layton
Bob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
.
Reform Party of Canada
After this election, Roberts began to consider forming a new political party. The federal Liberal Party had long been weak in western Canada, and won only two seats west of OntarioOntario
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....
in 1984. Roberts believed that a new party might be necessary to oppose Progressive Conservative Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
in western Canada. In 1987, he became involved with Francis Winspear, Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
and Ted Byfield
Ted Byfield
Edward Bartlett "Ted" Byfield is a conservative Canadian journalist, publisher and editor. He founded the Alberta Report and Western Report newsmagazines.Born in Toronto, Byfield moved with his parents to Washington, D.C. at the age of 17...
in plans to create what would later become the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
.
Roberts was in many respects an unlikely figure within this group. His political philosophy was centrist, perhaps somewhat left-of-centre. He was not an uncritical supporter of free-market economics, and he does not seem to have been a social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
. Nevertheless, he was willing to work with more conservative figures to create the new party.
Even before the Reform Party's founding convention (October 30-November 1, 1987), Roberts began to have concerns about the new party's ideology. He opposed its regionalist aspects, and was concerned by its popularity with voters who opposed bilingualism and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
's role in Canada's Confederation. One week before the founding convention, he agreed to stand for the party's leadership against Preston Manning, the only other declared candidate.
At the convention, Manning's supporters among the convention-goers voted to close the registration process one day ahead of schedule, perhaps fearing Roberts was planning to bus in several "instant delegates". After failed negotiations with the Manning camp, Roberts dropped out of the race on November 1, claiming that Manning's supporters had hijacked the party from its original intentions. He referred to Manning's supporters as "fanatical Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
ns" and "small-minded evangelical cranks".
Roberts subsequently sought the Reform Party's nomination in the British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Saanich—Gulf Islands is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...
for the 1988 federal election
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. He had no further involvement with the Reform Party, and died of a brain tumour two years later.