Bill Blaikie | |
|---|---|
 Blaikie in 2012 | |
| Deputy leader of the New Democratic Party | |
| In office August 1, 2004 – October 14, 2008 Serving with Tom Mulcair (2007–2011) andLibby Davies (2007–2015) | |
| Leader | Jack Layton |
| House leader of theNew Democratic Party | |
| In office January 11, 1996 – February 5, 2003 | |
| Leader | Alexa McDonough Jack Layton |
| Preceded by | Len Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Libby Davies |
| Parliamentary leader of theNew Democratic Party | |
| In office January 25, 2003 – June 28, 2004 | |
| Leader | Jack Layton |
| Preceded by | Alexa McDonough (as leader) |
| Succeeded by | Jack Layton (as leader) |
| Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada and Chairman of Committees of the Whole | |
| In office April 2006 – October 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Strahl |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Scheer |
| Member of Parliament forElmwood—Transcona Winnipeg—Transcona (1988–2004) Winnipeg—Birds Hill (1979–1988) | |
| In office May 22, 1979 – October 14, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Jim Maloway |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly of Manitoba forElmwood | |
| In office March 24, 2009 – October 4, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Maloway |
| Succeeded by | Jim Maloway |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Alexander Blaikie (1951-06-19)June 19, 1951 |
| Died | September 24, 2022(2022-09-24) (aged 71) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Party | New Democratic Party |
| Other political affiliations | New Democratic Party of Manitoba |
| Spouse | Brenda Blaikie |
| Children | 4, includingRebecca Blaikie andDaniel Blaikie |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Clergyman |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Canadian Forces Mobile Command |
| Years of service | 1967–1972 |
| Unit | The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada |
William Alexander "Bill" BlaikiePC OC (June 19, 1951 – September 24, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He served as amember of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2008, representingElmwood—Transcona and its antecedent ridings in theHouse of Commons of Canada for the federalNew Democratic Party. Following his retirement from federal politics, he was a member of theLegislative Assembly of Manitoba from 2009 until 2011, representing theWinnipeg division ofElmwood as a member of theNew Democratic Party of Manitoba, and served as Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader.
Blaikie had the longest continuous parliamentary record in the38th and39th Canadian Parliaments, and in this capacity served as theDean of the House. He was a member of theKing's Privy Council for Canada. Blaikie was theDeputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 to 2008.
Prior to the2011 Manitoba election, he announced that he was retiring from political life.[1]
Blaikie was born to a working-class family in Winnipeg,Manitoba, on June 19, 1951. His parents were Kathleen Taylor and Robert Blaikie. He had two brothers, Bobby and Donnie (both of whom predeceased him), and a sister, Kim.[2][3] His maternal grandfather, Alexander Taylor, was an emigrant fromCounty Antrim in Northern Ireland who served as the police and fire chief and, in the last years of his life,justice of the peace forTranscona, during which time it was an independent community.[4] His father was employed byCanadian National for over forty years, at first as a machinist and later in management. Blaikie served inThe Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada from 1967 to 1972, and was a labourer on and off with the Canadian National Railway from 1969 to 1974 while attending university. He was a member of the YoungProgressive Conservatives in high school, and joined the NDP in 1971.[5]
Blaikie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy andreligious studies from theUniversity of Winnipeg (1973), and aMaster of Divinity fromEmmanuel College,Toronto School of Theology (1977). He was ordained as a minister in theUnited Church of Canada on June 4, 1978, and subsequently became a politician in thesocial gospel tradition of such figures asJ. S. Woodsworth,Tommy Douglas andStanley Knowles.[6] From 1977 to 1979, he worked as the Minister/Director of North End Community Ministry, an inner-city outreach ministry of the United Church located within the historic Stella Ave. Mission in Winnipeg.[7]
The New Democratic Party has never formed the national government in Canada, and Blaikie served in Ottawa for 29 years as an opposition MP. He held many important critic portfolios, and was respected by members of all parties for his personal integrity and conviction.[8]
Blaikie was first elected to theHouse of Commons of Canada in the1979 federal election, defeating incumbentProgressive Conservative MPDean Whiteway[9][10] (who had previously been elected in the riding ofSelkirk, which was eliminated by redistribution).[11] The Progressive Conservatives won aminority government under the leadership ofJoe Clark, but lost a parliamentarymotion of non-confidence later in the year. Anew election was held in early 1980, in which theLiberal Party won amajority government under the leadership ofPierre Trudeau, who returned asPrime Minister of Canada. Blaikie was comfortably re-elected in his own riding.[12]
Blaikie was appointed the NDP's Social Policy Critic in 1979,[13] and was promoted to Health Critic in 1980.[14] He was instrumental in forcingMinister of Health,Monique Bégin, to enact theCanada Health Act in 1984, to deal with the crisis inmedicare due to user fees and physicians' extra-billing.[15] In her memoirs, Bégin wrote that Blaikie waged "guerilla warfare" in the House of Commons over the issue.[16] He also served as caucus chair in 1983–84.[17][18]
The Progressive Conservatives won a landslide majority government in the1984 federal election underBrian Mulroney, defeating the Liberals under their new leaderJohn Turner. Blaikie was again returned for his riding, and was appointed NDP Environment Critic in the new parliament.[19] He opposed the Mulroney government's budget cuts and was strongly critical of Environment Minister,Suzanne Blais-Grenier, saying, "It is clear she does not think about the environment. She thinks about thedeficit."[20] He called for Blais-Grenier's resignation in June 1985, after she remarked that national parks could be opened to mining and logging.[21] In the same year, Blaikie brought forward aprivate member's bill calling for a three-year moratorium on the construction and export of nuclear power stations, to be followed by a nationalreferendum on any further development.[22]
Blaikie spoke against a bill that proposed the return of capital punishment in 1987, saying that its passage would mark "a step toward not a less violent society, but a more violent society".[23] The bill was defeated in a free vote. He was also an opponent ofSunday shopping law reform in this period, arguing that it interfered with a community's right to determine common rest times.[24]
He was promoted to External Affairs Critic in September 1987.[25] One of his first major policy statements in this portfolio was to call for Canada to stop allowing Americancruise missile tests over its territory.[26] He was also critical of Canada's proposedFree Trade Agreement with the United States, and released a document entitledA Time To Choose Canada, the New Democrats' Trade Option with fellow MPSteven Langdon in February 1988.[27] He also served as co-chairman of the NDP's international affairs committee, and held consultation meetings on whether or not the party should reaffirm its traditional opposition to Canadian membership in theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization.[28]
Blaikie considered running for the leadership of theNew Democratic Party of Manitoba in 1988, following the surprise resignation ofHoward Pawley. He eventually chose not to run, and did not endorse any other candidate.[29] He was retained as the NDP's External Affairs Critic after the Progressive Conservatives won a second consecutive majority government in the1988 federal election, and was also chosen as his party's spokesman for federal–provincial relations and the Constitution.[30] He was an international observer duringNamibia's transformation to independence in 1989, and forLithuania's first multi-party elections in early 1990.[31]
There were rumours that Blaikie would seek the federal New Democratic Party leadership afterEd Broadbent's resignation in 1989, but he declined to run and instead supportedSimon de Jong, whom he described as having the greatest awareness of environmental issues.[32] When de Jong was eliminated on the second ballot at a delegated convention, Blaikie moved to the camp ofAudrey McLaughlin, the eventual winner.[33]
Blaikie was appointed NDP Taxation Critic in 1990. He opposed the Mulroney government's decision to cut social programs to pay down the deficit, calling instead for a tightening of tax loopholes.[34] He was given further responsibilities as Transport Critic, and spoke against proposed job cuts atCanadian National.[35]
Blaikie's closest election came in1993, when the Liberal Party underJean Chrétien defeated the Progressive Conservatives under new leaderKim Campbell to win a majority government. The New Democratic Party's support base had fallen in this period, due to unpopular decisions made by the provincial NDP governments ofBob Rae in Ontario andMichael Harcourt in British Columbia. Blaikie defeated Liberal candidateArt Miki by only 219 votes inWinnipeg—Transcona while his party fell from 44 to 9 seats nationally. Between 1993 and 1997, Blaikie was the only New Democratic Party MP to represent a riding east ofSaskatchewan. He was appointed NDP Critic for Foreign Affairs and Trade after the election, and served another term as caucus chairman from 1993 to 1996.[36]
In early 1994, Blaikie won unanimous support in the House of Commons for aPrivate Member's Bill calling for the government to officially recognize Canadians who served in theDieppe Raid inWorld War II. He initially proposed that a special medal be struck, but later accepted a Liberal amendment for a "distinctive decoration".[37] He was disappointed with the final result, a simple silver bar with ribbon attachment that was given to all service personnel from 1939 to 1943.[38] Blaikie voted against the Chrétien government'sgun registry in 1995, arguing that it did not address the real problems of gun-related violence.[39]
There were again rumours that Blaikie would run for the NDP leadership in 1995, but he declined and gave his support toLorne Nystrom.[40] When Nystrom was eliminated at the party's convention, Blaikie shifted his support to the winner,Alexa McDonough.[41]
The duties of NDP MPs were shuffled after the leadership convention. Blaikie was named as House Leader, while continuing as International Trade Critic and adding the Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio.[42] He continued to hold these parliamentary roles after the1997 election,[43] in which the Liberals won a second majority government and the NDP made a partial recovery to 21 seats.[44]
Blaikie was re-elected to a seventh term in2000, as the Liberals won a third majority government under Chrétien. He retained his position as House Leader and Intergovernment Affairs Critic, and gained additional duties as critic for Parliamentary Reform, Justice and the Solicitor-General.[43][45] He played a key role in getting the NDP Caucus to support theClarity Act in 2000, after securing amendments that were important toFirst Nations groups inQuebec.[46][47]
Blaikie emerged as a prominent critic ofeconomic globalization during the mid-1990s. In 1996, he wrote that new rules governing theWorld Trade Organization would shift oversight of public policy from elected governments to unelected trade bureaucrats.[48] He expressed similar concerns about theMultilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) two years later, arguing that it put the rights of investors ahead of workers, environments, societies, and cultures.[49] He wrote the NDP Minority Report on the MAI, which was published inDismantling Democracy (edited by Andrew Jackson and Matthew Sanger).[50]
Blaikie wrote a 1994 editorial calling for theBank of Canada to hold a larger portion of the national debt at low interest rates, as it did until the mid-1970s, in order for Canada to reduce its deficit while maintaining its core social programs.[51] In 1998, he led a national campaign against proposed mergers for Canada's major banks.[52]
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the New Democratic Party members were divided as to the party's position on the Canadian political spectrum. Some wanted to take the party into a more centrist direction, similar toTony Blair's "Third Way" in Britain, while others sought to move in a radical left-wing direction. Blaikie was not closely affiliated with either camp. He opposed Blair's ideological approach on the grounds that it was too closely aligned with corporate interests.[53] He participated in anti-globalization protests inSeattle andQuebec City but also criticized the extra-parliamentary left's tactics, saying that protests would never bring economic change without mobilization in the political sphere.[54] He opposed theNew Politics Initiative at the NDP's 2001 convention, calling instead for a renewal of the existing party organization.[55]
Blaikie was the first declared candidate in the2003 leadership election. He called for a renewed focus on health care, natural resources and labour standards.[56] Blaikie was seen as a representative of the party's moderate left, fitting ideologically between the centristLorne Nystrom and the more left-wingJack Layton. He was supported by MPsPat Martin,Judy Wasylycia-Leis,Bev Desjarlais,Wendy Lill,Yvon Godin andDick Proctor,Manitoba PremierGary Doer,New Democratic Party of Ontario leaderHoward Hampton, and several former MPs including Simon de Jong,Dawn Black,Ian Waddell andHoward McCurdy.[57] In declaring his candidacy, he said,
I've heard it said of the NDP that we are too attached to the past, but I tell you that it is our political opponents who are theJurassic Park of Canadian politics. They would take us back to a meaner time when money was the measure of all things. We stand for the future that was sought and won and which must now be defended and enhanced.[58]
The NDP's 2003 leadership convention was the first to be determined by a partial "one member, one vote" system in which all members of the NDP were eligible to cast ballots. Blaikie finished second to Jack Layton, who appointed him as Deputy Leader after the convention. As Layton did not have a seat in the Commons, Blaikie also served as the NDP's parliamentary leader until the2004 federal election.[59] This led to his being sworn in as a member of the Privy Council. He was also named as the NDP's National Defence Critic,[60] and was front and centre in pushing the Liberals to not participate in theIraq War, in opposing Canadian participation inballistic missile defence, and in asking questions about the rules of engagement and changing role of Canadian troops inAfghanistan.[61]
Paul Martin succeeded Jean Chrétien as leader of the Liberal Party in November 2003 and asPrime Minister of Canada in December 2003, called anew election for June 2004. During this campaign, Blaikie openly disagreed with Layton's proposal that the Clarity Act be repealed.[62] The Liberals were reduced to a minority government, and the NDP increased its representation from 14 to 19 seats. Blaikie continued as Deputy Leader and Defence Critic, and was also named as Health Critic.[63] Notwithstanding their disagreement over the Clarity Act, Blaikie said that he enjoyed a good working relationship with Layton in parliament.[64]
TheConservative Party underStephen Harper won a minority government in the2006 federal election. Following the resumption of parliament in April, Blaikie was named as Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.[65] This position largely removed him from the day-to-day business of House debates, and put him in the role of a non-partisan overseer.[66]
Blaikie was an advocate for the reform of parliamentary institutions throughout his time in parliament. He served as second vice-chairman of an all-party committee on parliamentary reform in 1985,[67] which among other things made it easier forprivate member's bills to come to a vote.[68] He took part in another such committee in 1992, which issued a thirty-page report calling for more free votes, reforms to the parliamentaryQuestion Period, and a streamlined process for passing legislation.[69] He participated in a third such committee in 2001, although he indicated that he was disappointed with its results.[70]
On March 15, 2007, Blaikie announced that he would not be a candidate in thenext federal election.[71] He accepted a position as adjunct professor of Theology and Politics at theUniversity of Winnipeg, and announced plans to write a book on the relationship between faith and politics.[72] When he left the House of Commons in September 2008, he wrote an editorial that criticized parliament's declining standards, referring specifically to a rise in "character assassination, simulated indignation, and trivial pursuit over substantial debate".[73]
Blaikie was a contributor toNorthern Lights: An Anthology of Contemporary Christian Writing in Canada, which was published shortly after the 2008 federal election.[74]
In December 2008, Blakie announced that he would seek the NDP nomination for the provincial division ofElmwood, which had been vacated byJim Maloway, Blaikie's own successor in the federal riding of Elmwood—Transcona.[75] He won the nomination unopposed, after two previously declared candidates withdrew to support him.[76] Both Blaikie and Maloway have rejected the suggestion that they planned to "swap" their federal and provincial seats, and Blaikie has said that he returned to political life on the request of Premier Gary Doer.[77] He was elected without difficulty in late March 2009, and formally joined the legislature the following month.[78] On November 3, 2009, Blaikie was appointed to the cabinet of PremierGreg Selinger as the Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader.[79]
As Conservation Minister, Blaikie stewarded the development of five new provincial parks in Manitoba in 2011 and played a significant role in the government's attempts to protect theboreal forest on the east side ofLake Winnipeg.[1] A year later, he was conferred the Crocus Award from Nature Manitoba for his role in creating the five provincial parks.[80][81]
On July 11, 2011, Blaikie announced that he would not be re-offering at theOctober 4 provincial election and would be retiring from political life.[1]
Blaikie was appointed to theOrder of Canada in November 2020 "for his lifelong contributions to parliamentary service and for his steadfast commitment to progressive change and social activism."[82][83] Amid theCOVID-19 pandemic in Canada, he was invested virtually on February 26, 2021.[84]
Blaikie died fromkidney cancer at his home in Winnipeg on September 24, 2022, at the age of 71.[85] His funeral was held on 2 October 2022 at a church in the Winnipeg suburb ofTranscona, which was attended by family members, close friends, as well as federal NDP leaderJagmeet Singh, provincial NDP leaderWab Kinew and former Manitoba premierGreg Selinger.[86]
| Manitoba provincial by-election, March 24, 2009:Elmwood Resignation ofJim Maloway | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 2,325 | 53.76 | -7.75 | $17,603.25 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Adrian Schulz | 913 | 21.11 | 0.10 | $15,919.78 | |||
| Liberal | Regan Wolfrom | 877 | 20.28 | 2.79 | $27,106.33 | |||
| Green | James R. Beddome | 210 | 4.86 | – | $1,115.73 | |||
| Total valid votes | 4,325 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected | 14 | – | ||||||
| Eligible voters / turnout | 11,907 | 36.44 | −13.54 | |||||
Source(s) Source: | ||||||||
Source:[97]
| 2006 Canadian federal election:Elmwood—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 16,967 | 50.85 | −1.14 | $40,314.57 | |||
| Conservative | Linda West | 10,720 | 32.13 | +6.02 | $68,007.66 | |||
| Liberal | Tanya Parks | 4,108 | 12.31 | −4.50 | $12,622.61 | |||
| Green | Tanja Hutter | 1,211 | 3.63 | +1.17 | $240.77 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Robert Scott | 363 | 1.09 | −0.23 | $706.54 | |||
| Total valid votes | 33,369 | 99.60 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 133 | 0.40 | +0.12 | |||||
| Turnout | 33,502 | 58.20 | +7.55 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 57,561 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | −3.58 | ||||||
| Sources:Official Results, Elections Canada andFinancial Returns, Elections Canada. | ||||||||
| 2004 Canadian federal election:Elmwood—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 15,221 | 51.99 | +3.84 | $37,459.54 | |||
| Conservative | Bryan McLeod | 7,644 | 26.11 | −5.58 | $33,737.79 | |||
| Liberal | Tanya Parks | 4,923 | 16.81 | −1.55 | $20,165.52 | |||
| Green | Elijah Gair | 719 | 2.46 | – | $204.72 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Robert Scott | 386 | 1.32 | – | $2,599.64 | |||
| Marijuana | Gavin Whittaker | 311 | 1.06 | – | – | |||
| Communist | Paul Sidon | 74 | 0.25 | – | $654.57 | |||
| Total valid votes | 29,278 | 99.73 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 80 | 0.27 | ||||||
| Turnout | 29,358 | 50.65 | ||||||
| Electors on the lists | 57,965 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | +4.71 | ||||||
| Percentage change figures are factored for redistribution. Conservative Party percentages are contrasted with the combined Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative percentages from 2000. | ||||||||
| Sources:Official Results, Elections Canada andFinancial Returns, Elections Canada. | ||||||||
| 2000 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 15,680 | 47.85 | −2.42 | $35,468.07 | |||
| Alliance | Shawn Rattai | 8,336 | 25.44 | +8.21 | $21,800.25 | |||
| Liberal | Bret Dobbin | 6,041 | 18.43 | −3.03 | $17,596.32 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Chris Brewer | 2,133 | 6.51 | −2.46 | – | |||
| Green | C. David Nickarz | 229 | 0.70 | – | – | |||
| Christian Heritage | Robert Scott | 146 | 0.45 | −0.83 | $3,639.93 | |||
| Independent | Theresa Ducharme | 118 | 0.36 | −0.13 | – | |||
| Communist | James Hogaboam | 87 | 0.27 | $263.77 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 32,770 | 99.61 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 127 | 0.39 | −0.21 | |||||
| Turnout | 32,897 | 58.38 | −1.97 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 56,345 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | −5.31 | ||||||
| Sources:Official Results, Elections Canada andFinancial Returns, Elections Canada. | ||||||||
| 1997 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 16,640 | 50.27 | +11.01 | $37,996 | |||
| Liberal | Rosemary Broadbent | 7,105 | 21.46 | −16.90 | $25,771 | |||
| Reform | Helen Sterzer | 5,703 | 17.23 | +3.42 | $19,506 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Glenn Buffie | 2,968 | 8.97 | +4.01 | $7,682 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Robert Scott | 423 | 1.28 | $3,633 | ||||
| Independent | Theresa Ducharme | 161 | 0.49 | $111 | ||||
| Marxist–Leninist | Ken Kalturnyk | 104 | 0.31 | $11 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 33,104 | 99.40 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 199 | 0.60 | ||||||
| Turnout | 33,303 | 60.36 | ||||||
| Electors on the lists | 55,177 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | +13.95 | ||||||
| Percentage change figures are factored for redistribution. | ||||||||
| Sources:Official Results, Elections Canada andFinancial Returns, Elections Canada. | ||||||||
| 1993 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 16,074 | 38.86 | −2.26 | $33,353 | |||
| Liberal | Art Miki | 15,855 | 38.33 | +6.45 | $45,977 | |||
| Reform | Helen Sterzer | 5,829 | 14.09 | – | $7,111 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Brett Eckstein | 2,112 | 5.11 | −20.51 | $13,422 | |||
| National | Marnie Johnston | 900 | 2.18 | – | $14,483 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Robert Scott | 362 | 0.88 | – | $2,688 | |||
| Natural Law | Geoff Danyluk | 150 | 0.36 | – | $78 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Ken Kalturnyk | 42 | 0.10 | −0.17 | $216 | |||
| Canada Party | Bill Tataryn | 39 | 0.09 | – | $0 | |||
| Total valid votes | 41,363 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 144 | 0.35 | +0.04 | |||||
| Turnout | 41,507 | 70.15 | −5.32 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 59,169 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | −4.36 | ||||||
| Source: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Financial figures taken fromofficial contributions and expenses provided byElections Canada. | ||||||||
| 1988 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Transcona | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 17,361 | 41.13 | |||||
| Liberal | Shirley Timm-Rudolph | 13,460 | 31.88 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Mike Thompson | 10,815 | 25.62 | |||||
| Western Independence | Fred Cameron | 308 | 0.73 | |||||
| Independent | Gerry West | 156 | 0.37 | |||||
| Marxist–Leninist | Karen Naylor | 115 | 0.27 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 42,215 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 130 | 0.31 | ||||||
| Turnout | 42,345 | 75.47 | ||||||
| Electors on the lists | 56,110 | |||||||
| 1984 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Birds Hill | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 23,903 | 45.81 | −8.47 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Hare | 20,644 | 39.56 | +10.12 | ||||
| Liberal | Lil Johnson | 5,447 | 10.44 | −5.00 | ||||
| Confederation of Regions | Al MacDonald | 1,069 | 2.05 | |||||
| Rhinoceros | Honest Don Bergen | 569 | 1.09 | +0.38 | ||||
| Independent | Edward G. Price | 549 | 1.05 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 52,181 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 163 | |||||||
| Turnout | 52,344 | 76.70 | +7.32 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 68,248 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | −9.29 | ||||||
Source:[12]
| 1980 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Birds Hill | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 24,672 | 54.27 | +4.11 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | John Froese | 13,385 | 29.44 | −9.00 | ||||
| Liberal | Ron Wally | 7,020 | 15.44 | +4.28 | ||||
| Rhinoceros | Honest Don Bergen | 322 | 0.71 | – | ||||
| Marxist–Leninist | Karen Naylor | 60 | 0.13 | +0.02 | ||||
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 45,459 | 100.00 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 84 | |||||||
| Turnout | 45,543 | 69.38 | −12.28 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 65,647 | |||||||
| New Democratichold | Swing | +6.55 | ||||||
| [101] | ||||||||
Source:[12]
| 1979 Canadian federal election:Winnipeg—Birds Hill | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| New Democratic | Bill Blaikie | 25,492 | 50.16 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Dean Whiteway | 19,536 | 38.44 | |||||
| Liberal | Ronald Wally | 5,674 | 11.16 | |||||
| Communist | Harold J. Dyck | 62 | 0.12 | |||||
| Marxist–Leninist | Karen Naylor | 56 | 0.11 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 50,820 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 107 | |||||||
| Turnout | 50,927 | 81.66 | ||||||
| Electors on the lists | 62,361 | |||||||
Source:[12]
All electoral information is taken fromElections Canada. Italicized expenditures from elections after 1997 refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. Expenditures from 1997 refer to submitted totals. The +/- figures from 1988, 1997 and 2004 are adjusted for redistribution.
Proudfoot, Shannon (October 1, 2022)."OBITUARY Veteran NDP MP Bill Blaikie was dean of the House during seismic times in Canadian politics".The Globe and Mail. RetrievedJuly 5, 2023.
