The premier of Manitoba (french: premier ministre du Manitoba) is the

first minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

(i.e.,

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

or chief executive) for the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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 ...

—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Council. In formal terms, the premier receives a commission to form a government from the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who represents the

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

at the provincial level. The 24th and current premier of Manitoba is

Heather Stefanson Heather Dorothy Stefanson (born May 11, 1970) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 24th premier of Manitoba since November 2, 2021. She is the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and sits as a member of the Legi ...

( Progressive Conservative Party), who was sworn in on November 2, 2021.

Status and role

The premier of Manitoba is the head of the government, in that they are the head of the provincial party capable of winning a

vote of confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...

. In this sense, the role of the premier is the same as the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, but at the provincial level. After being sworn in, the premier organises a provincial cabinet (the Executive Council), which is formally appointed by the lieutenant governor (lg). Together, the premier and lieutenant governor are comparable to U.S. state governors: the lieutenant governor performs functions of state and protocol, such as signing bills into law, as the Queen's representative to the province; while the premier is responsible for overseeing the operations of government as head of the cabinet. The premier also represents the province on a national level, and has talks with other

premiers Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

and the Prime Minister once a year.

Premiers of Manitoba

History

The Province of Manitoba was created on 12 May 1870 with the passing of the ''

Manitoba Act The ''Manitoba Act, 1870'' (french: link=no, Loi de 1870 sur le Manitoba)Originally entitled (until renamed in 1982) ''An Act to amend and continue the Act 32 and 33 Victoria, chapter 3; and to establish and provide for the Government of the Pro ...

''. The next month, on July 15, the Province was officially admitted into

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. On December 30th that year, the first election was held for the Manitoba's Legislative Assembly. From 1870 to 1874, Manitoba was governed by its first two

Lieutenant Governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

(LG), Adams Archibald and Alexander Morris.Ferguson, Barry, and Robert Alexander Wardhaugh. 2010. ''Manitoba Premiers of 19th and 20th Centuries''. Regina, SK: University of Regina Press
Preview
As agents of the LGs, Alfred Boyd (1870–71) and

Henry James Clark Henry James Clark (July 22, 1826 – July 1, 1873) was an American naturalist. Biography He was born in Easton, Massachusetts, July 22, 1826. He graduated at New York University 1848; became a pupil of Asa Gray at the Cambridge botanical garden; ...

(1872–74), who are often named in various lists as the first Manitoba premiers, never actually held the title of "Premier."Premiers of Manitoba, 1870 to 1965
" ''Manitoba Pageant'' 11(2). Manitoba Historical Society. 1966 (rev. 18 July 2009). Accordingly, there has been debate as to whether the Office of Premier can be considered to have existed before

Marc-Amable Girard Marc-Amable Girard (April 25, 1822 – September 12, 1892) was the second premier of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide'' lists Girard as having been Premier (or ''Chief Minister'' ...

's premiership that began in July 1874. Lieutenant Governor Morris recognized Girard as such in the following correspondence to the Secretary of State in Ottawa: Additionally,

Wab Kinew Wabanakwut "Wab" Kinew (; born December 31, 1981),
''

Manitoba's New Democratic Party (NDP), introduced a

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

in 2020 to formally recognize the founder of Manitoba,

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

, as the province's first premier. Until 1888, the administrations of Manitoba were

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

. That year,

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

would become the first partisan and first

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

premier of Manitoba, followed by Conservative

Hugh John Macdonald Sir Hugh John Macdonald, (March 13, 1850 – March 29, 1929) was the only surviving son of the first prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald. He too was a politician, serving as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and a federal cabine ...

. Progressivism would finally make its way to Manitoba's government in 1922, under the non-partisan United Farmers leader

John Bracken John Bracken (June 22, 1883 – March 18, 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–19 ...

, who held office for 20 years under various political and non-partisan labels. Since the 1950s, Manitoba has alternated between governments led by the New Democrats (and predecessors) and by the Progressive Conservatives (PC; and predecessors).Manitoba: History and Politics
" ''

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia The ''Columbia Encyclopedia'' is a one-volume encyclopedia produced by Columbia University Press and, in the last edition, sold by the Gale Group. First published in 1935, and continuing its relationship with Columbia University, the encyclopedi ...

'' (6th ed.). Columbia University Press. 2012. Moreover, throughout the province's history, all but one of its governments—Premier

Sterling Lyon Sterling Rufus Lyon (January 30, 1927 – December 16, 2010) was a Canadian lawyer, cabinet minister, and the 17th premier of Manitoba from 1977 to 1981. His government introduced several fiscally-conservative measures, and was sometimes seen a ...

(1977–81)—have been elected to second terms.Thomas, Paul G. 2017 January 23.
Brian Pallister
" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Historica Canada. (last edited 2019 September 18). In 2016, long-time conservative politician

Brian Pallister Brian William Pallister (born July 6, 1954) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Manitoba from 2016 until 2021. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 2012 to 2021. He was previously a cab ...

became the 22nd premier of Manitoba, upending 17 years of NDP governance in the province. Pallister's

landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...

would follow the premiership of NDP

Greg Selinger Gregory Francis Selinger (born February 16, 1951) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 21st premier of Manitoba from 2009 until 2016, leading an NDP government. From 1999 to 2009 he was the Minister of Finance in the government of ...

(2009–16), who ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'' says has been regarded as Canada's "least popular premier." Following his election, according to the

Angus Reid Institute Angus Reid (born December 17, 1947) is a Canadian entrepreneur, pollster, and sociologist. He is the chairman of the Angus Reid Institute and CEO and founder of Angus Reid Global. He is director of the Reid Campbell Group which operates Rival ...

, Pallister was the 2nd-most-popular premier in the country; however, his popularity would steadily decline since (with an

approval rating An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...

of 37% two years into his mandate).

References

External links

Premiers of Manitoba
" Memorable Manitobans. ''

Manitoba Historical Society The Manitoba Historical Society is a historical society in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It was created in 1879 by an act of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitob ...

''.
A list of premiers since Manitoba became a province
" ''CTV News''. Canadian Press. 2016 April 17. Manitoba ministers {{canada-gov-stub

Status and role

Premiers of Manitoba

History

See also

Politics in Manitoba

Politics in Canada

References

Further reading

External links