Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
– 1965) was a politician in
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
cabinet minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, â ...
in the government of Douglas Campbell.
Turner was educated at the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. and became a
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...
in 1955.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Turner served in the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
from 1939 to 1945. In 1946, he was elected to the Manitoba legislature as a special representative of Manitobans serving overseas in the RCAF. Although elected as an independent, he soon joined the caucus of the governing Liberal-Progressive Party.
He was re-elected in the 1949 provincial election, winning the third position in the four-member constituency of
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South (french: Winnipeg-Sud) is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the southernmost part of the city of Wi ...
. On December 1, 1951, he was appointed to cabinet in the senior position of
Provincial Treasurer
In Canadian politics the Provincial Treasurer is a senior portfolio in the Executive Council (or cabinet) of provincial governments. The position is the provincial equivalent of the Minister of Finance and is responsible for setting the provinc ...
.
Turner was again re-elected in the 1953 provincial election, topping the poll in Winnipeg South. He was by this time the leading cabinet representative from
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
, and received the additional portfolio of
Railway Commissioner
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
on January 18, 1954.
Turner was known as a skilled politician, and was described by CCF leader
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Cleworth Stinson (February 29, 1904 – August 28, 1976) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he ...
as "undoubtedly the brightest front bench performer in the latter days of the Campbell regime". He was known as both a civil liberal and a fiscal conservative. Just prior to the 1953 provincial election, he summarizing his political philosophy with the following statement: "The government is of the belief that the cost of government should be held to the minimum commensurate with the provision of a satisfactory level of essential services."
While a conservative and cautious administrator in most respects, Turner played a leading role in establishing the Manitoba Hydro-electric Board in 1953, at a cost of $54,600,000. The Hydro-Electric Board later became one of the most powerful public agencies in Canada.
Many believed Turner would eventually replace Campbell as leader of the Liberal-Progressive Party, but this did not occur. He resigned from cabinet on July 6, 1956 to become president of Transair, an airline based in Winnipeg. He remained in the legislature as a backbencher, but did not seek re-election in 1958. As a backbencher, he opposed the CCF's plan for comprehensive social security.
Turner's friends expected that he would eventually return to politics, either as provincial Liberal leader or as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for the federal
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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. His early death in 1965 came as a surprise to those who knew him.