Wolseley (electoral district)
Encyclopedia
Wolseley is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian
province of Manitoba
. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and has formally existed since the 1958 provincial election
. The riding is located in the centre of the City of Winnipeg
. It is named for Col. Garnet Joseph Wolseley, the nineteenth-century army officer who played a significant role in crushing the Red River Rebellion
in 1870.
Wolseley is bordered to the east by Fort Rouge
, to the south by River Heights
, to the north by Minto
, and to the west by St. James
. The University of Winnipeg
is located in the northeast corner of the riding. The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
is located at the meeting point of Wolseley and Fort Rouge.
The riding was predominantly Anglo-Saxon
when it was first created; a news report from 1969 indicates that its population had become more diverse by that time.
The riding's population in 1996 was 20,472. As of 1999, the average family income was $37,794, and the unemployment rate was 16.30%. Half of the riding's residents are categorized as low-income, the second-highest rate in the province. Thirty per cent of families in the riding are single-parent.
The aboriginal population of Wolseley is 19% of the total. Five per cent of the riding's residents are Filipino
.
Health and social services account for 13% of Wolseley's industry, with a further 12% in manufacturing.
Wolseley has undergone a number of dramatic political shifts since its creation. It was initially represented by Dufferin Roblin
, a Red Tory
who served as Premier of Manitoba
from 1958 to 1967. He was succeeded by another Progressive Conservative
, but in a 1972 by-election
the riding was won by Izzy Asper
, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party
and subsequently a prominent media baron in Canada. He retained the riding until his retirement in 1975.
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba
(NDP) did not manage to win the seat until 1981. However, the riding has been in NDP hands for all but five years since then, and it is now considered safe for the party. In the provincial election of 2003
, Green Party
leader Markus Buchart
ran in this riding and finished second with almost 20% of the vote.
Wolseley also holds the dubious distinction of having elected one of the few MLAs in Manitoba's history to be expelled from parliament: Robert Wilson, who was stripped of his seat in 1981 after being convicted of marijuana
-related charges.
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...
province 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...
. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and has formally existed since the 1958 provincial election
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...
. The riding is located in the centre of the City of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. It is named for Col. Garnet Joseph Wolseley, the nineteenth-century army officer who played a significant role in crushing the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
in 1870.
Wolseley is bordered to the east by Fort Rouge
Fort Rouge (electoral district)
Fort Rouge is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and formally came into existence in the general election of 1958. The riding was eliminated in 1989, and re-established in 1999. It is located in the central section of the...
, to the south by River Heights
River Heights (electoral district)
River Heights is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and formally came into existence in the 1958 provincial election...
, to the north by Minto
Minto (electoral district)
Minto is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1999, and has formally existed since the provincial election of 1999. The riding is located in the centre of the City of Winnipeg....
, and to the west by St. James
St. James (provincial electoral district)
St. James is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba.-Historical riding:The original St. James riding was established at the province's creation in 1870, and lasted until the election of 1879. It was located in what was then a separate community on Winnipeg's...
. The University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
is located in the northeast corner of the riding. 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...
is located at the meeting point of Wolseley and Fort Rouge.
The riding was predominantly Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
when it was first created; a news report from 1969 indicates that its population had become more diverse by that time.
The riding's population in 1996 was 20,472. As of 1999, the average family income was $37,794, and the unemployment rate was 16.30%. Half of the riding's residents are categorized as low-income, the second-highest rate in the province. Thirty per cent of families in the riding are single-parent.
The aboriginal population of Wolseley is 19% of the total. Five per cent of the riding's residents are Filipino
Filipino Canadian
Filipino Canadians are Canadians of Filipino ancestry. Filipino-Canadians are the fourth-largest subgroup of the Overseas Filipinos.Canada only had a small population of Filipinos until the late 20th century. To date, there are currently around 400,000 Filipino Canadians in Canada, most of them...
.
Health and social services account for 13% of Wolseley's industry, with a further 12% in manufacturing.
Wolseley has undergone a number of dramatic political shifts since its creation. It was initially represented by 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...
, a Red Tory
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
who served 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...
from 1958 to 1967. He was succeeded by another 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:...
, but in a 1972 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
the riding was won by Izzy Asper
Izzy Asper
Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, , Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate, was the founder of the now defunct CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and President Leonard Asper, former director and corporate secretary Gail Asper, as well as Executive Vice President David Asper...
, leader 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 :...
and subsequently a prominent media baron in Canada. He retained the riding until his retirement in 1975.
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) did not manage to win the seat until 1981. However, the riding has been in NDP hands for all but five years since then, and it is now considered safe for the party. In the provincial election of 2003
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
, Green Party
Green Party of Manitoba
The Green Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada, founded on November 11, 1998. The party is legally autonomous from the Green Party of Canada, though for several years many of its members also belonged to the Green Party of Canada in Manitoba, a federal...
leader Markus Buchart
Markus Buchart
Markus Buchart is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the first leader of the Green Party of Manitoba, serving from 1999 until his resignation in March 2005. He is now a leading spokesperson for the Winnipeg Green Party...
ran in this riding and finished second with almost 20% of the vote.
Wolseley also holds the dubious distinction of having elected one of the few MLAs in Manitoba's history to be expelled from parliament: Robert Wilson, who was stripped of his seat in 1981 after being convicted of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
-related charges.
List of provincial representatives
| Name | Party | Took Office | Left Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... | PC 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:... | 1958 | 1968 |
| Leonard Claydon Leonard Claydon Leonard Harold Claydon was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Manitoba legislature as a Progressive Conservative from 1969 until his death.... | PC 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:... | 1969 | 1971 |
| Israel Asper | Lib 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 :... | 1972 | 1975 |
| Robert Wilson | PC 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:... | 1975 | 1980 |
| Independent PC | 1980 | 1980 | |
| Independent | 1980 | 1981 | |
| Myrna Phillips Myrna Phillips Myrna Phillips is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988, and served as speaker of the assembly from 1986 to 1988.Phillips was born in Roland, Manitoba... | 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... | 1981 | 1988 |
| Harold Taylor | Lib 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 :... | 1988 | 1990 |
| Jean Friesen Jean Friesen Jean Friesen is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She served in the Manitoba legislature for thirteen years, and was a member of New Democratic Premier Gary Doer's cabinet from 1999 to 2003.... | 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... | 1990 | 2003 |
| Rob Altemeyer Rob Altemeyer Rob Altemeyer is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature.Altemeyer was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was educated at the University of Manitoba where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master's Degree in Natural... | 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... | 2003 | present |