Politics of Manitoba
Coat of arms of Manitoba
Polity type	Province within afederalparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy
Constitution	Constitution of Canada
Legislative branch
Name	Legislature Legislative Assembly
Type	Unicameral
Meeting place	Manitoba Legislative Building,Winnipeg
Presiding officer	Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Executive branch
Head of state
Currently	KingCharles III represented by Anita Neville, Lieutenant Governor
Head of government
Currently	Premier Wab Kinew
Appointer	Lieutenant Governor
Cabinet
Name	Executive Council
Leader	Premier (as President of the Executive Council)
Appointer	Lieutenant Governor
Headquarters	Winnipeg
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal
Chief judge	Marianne Rivoalen
Seat	Law Courts Building, Winnipeg

The Province ofManitoba, similar to otherCanadian provinces and territories, is governed through aWestminster-basedparliamentary system. The Manitoba government's authority to conduct provincial affairs is derived from theConstitution of Canada, which divides legislative powers among thefederal parliament and theprovincial legislatures. Manitoba operates through three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch—theGovernment of Manitoba—consists of theExecutive Council and thePremier, who is thehead of government and the President of the Executive Council. The legislative branch—theManitoba Legislature—is composed of theLieutenant Governor and theLegislative Assembly, which is composed of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba, as well as theSpeaker, theClerk, the Officers of the Legislative Assembly, and the employees of the legislative service.^[1]

The judicial arm consists of theChief Justice and the judges who preside over the courts. These three branches are linked throughthe Crown, which is thehead of state and represented by theLieutenant Governor of Manitoba.^[2] Under section 23 of the 1870Manitoba Act (which is part of theConstitution of Canada), bothEnglish andFrench areofficial languages of the legislature and courts of Manitoba.

Manitoba's primary political parties are theNew Democratic Party (NDP) and theProgressive Conservative Party (PC). Thepremier of Manitoba isWab Kinew, who leads the NDP with 34 seats. The lastgeneral election was held on October 3, 2023.

Manitoba is represented in federal politics by fourteenMembers of Parliament and sixSenators.^[3][4][5]

The Government of Manitoba uses aWestminster-basedparliamentary system and has three levels of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.

These three branches are linked throughthe Crown, which is thehead of state and represented by theLieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who is appointed by theGovernor General of Canada on advice of thePrime Minister.

In Canada, each provincial legislature is composed of theLieutenant-Governor and theprovincial legislative assembly.^[6][7] The Legislative Assembly consists of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba.^[1]

TheLieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who is appointed by theGovernor General of Canada on advice of thePrime Minister, represents the head of state,the Crown.^[2] The head of state is primarily a ceremonial role, although the Lieutenant Governor has the official responsibility of ensuring that Manitoba always has a duly constituted government, with the authority tosummon,prorogue, anddissolve the legislature.^[2][7]

In 1869, after the control ofRupert's Land was passed from Great Britain to the Government of Canada, Manitoba was created as the first Canadian province carved out of theNorth-Western Territory. It was given upper and lower houses, attaining full-fledged rights and responsibilities ofself-government. The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba was soon established on 14 July 1870,^[8] and would first meet on 15 March 1871 inFort Garry (nowWinnipeg).^[3] In 1876, Manitoba would abolish its upper house, theLegislative Council, thereby becoming aunicameral legislature.^[3] In 1980, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer was established to serve as an independent office of the Legislative Assembly for the purpose of administering fair elections

The executive branch (orcabinet) of Manitoba—theExecutive Council—is formed by members who are appointed by themajority party in the Legislative Assembly. Thatparty's leader is thePremier of Manitoba, and is both thehead of government and the President of the Executive Council.^[7]

In addition to the Premier, the executive branch consists ofgovernment ministries and deputy ministers.

TheLieutenant Governor appoints and may dismiss the Premier and the members of their cabinets.^[7]

Manitoba's judiciary consists of three courts:

1. theProvincial Court — This court is primarily a criminal court; 95% of criminal cases in Manitoba are heard in this court.^[9]
2. theCourt of King's Bench — This court is the highest trial court in Manitoba. It has four jurisdictions:family law (child and family services cases),civil law,criminal law (forindictable offences), andappeals for Provincial Court decisions.
3. theCourt of Appeal — This court hears appeals from both the Court of King's Bench and the Provincial Court; decisions of this court can only be appealed to theSupreme Court of Canada.^[10]

Under section 23 of the 1870Manitoba Act (which is part of theConstitution of Canada), bothEnglish andFrench areofficial languages of the legislature and courts of Manitoba.

With aprovisional government set up byMétis leaderLouis Riel in theRed River Colony—following theRed River Rebellion (or Resistance) against the federal Canadian government—Prime MinisterJohn A. Macdonald decided to negotiate with Riel and his party. The provisional government drafted four successive lists of rights, the final version of which became the basis of federal legislation that created Manitoba: theManitoba Act. In addition to demanding that Manitoba be admitted intoConfederation as a province (rather than a territory), among other things, the final list also demanded that the lieutenant governor of the new province speak both French and English. Though Macdonald was reluctant, Manitoba entered Confederation as a province, and English and French-language rights were safeguarded in the new legislature and the courts. However, the right to education in either English or French was not protected by theAct.^[11]

In April 1890, theManitoba Legislature ceased to publish bilingual legislation, as well astaking other courses of action in attempts to abolish the official status of French in the province. However, inReference Re Manitoba Language Rights (1985), theSupreme Court of Canada ruled thatManitoba Act§23 still applied, and that legislation published only in English was invalid. (Unilingual legislation was declared valid for a temporary period to allow time for translation.)^[12][13]

Although French is an official language for the purposes of the legislature, legislation, and the courts, theManitoba Act does not require it to be an official language for the purpose of theexecutive branch—except when performing legislative or judicial functions.^[14] The Government of Manitoba is therefore not completely bilingual. The Manitoba French Language Services Policy of 1999 was established with the intent to provide a comparable level of provincial government services in both official languages.^[15] According to the2006 Census, 82.8% of Manitoba's population spoke only English, 3.2% spoke only French, 15.1% spoke both, and 0.9% spoke neither.^[16]

In 2010, the Government of Manitoba passed theAboriginal Languages Recognition Act, giving official recognition to seven indigenous languages:Cree,Dakota,Dene,Inuktitut,Michif,Ojibway, andOji-Cree.^[17]

Manitoba is represented in federal politics by fourteenMembers of Parliament and sixSenators.^[3][4][5] At its inception, the province was allotted only four seats in the federal Parliament, which at the time allowed strong representation for Manitoba considering its small population.^[11]

Federal elections are administered byElections Canada.

Following theRed River Rebellion (or Resistance) against the federal Canadian government—with concern overMétis land rights, among other things—local people of theRed River Settlement (or Colony) demanded for a voice to create the terms under which the Colony would be incorporated into the newly formed Canada. As such, apopularly-elected convention supported the creation of aprovisional government. This government, considered illegal by the federal government in Ottawa, was led byLouis Riel, himself a Métis. With a provisional government in place, Prime MinisterJohn A. Macdonald decided to negotiate with Riel and his people. Riel's government drafted four successive lists of rights, the final version of which became the basis of federal legislation that created the Province of Manitoba: theManitoba Act, which became part of theConstitution of Canada. Among other things, the final list demanded that Manitoba be admitted intoConfederation as a province (rather than a territory). Though met with reluctance from Macdonald, Manitoba indeed entered Confederation as a province.^[11]

Centred on the area ofFort Garry, or present-dayWinnipeg, the initial geography of Manitoba was much smaller—roughly 1,400,000 acres (5,700 km²) of land were set aside for the Métis upon theManitoba Act's passing.^[11] (Cf. Manitoba's total area today: 160,610,000 acres or 650,000 km².)^[18] The small population and size of the province made it unable to support itself financially. The federal government agreed to paysubsidies to the province, as well as grant it four seats in the federal Parliament.^[11]

Historically, political parties first appeared between 1878 and 1883, with a two-party system:Liberals andConservative.^[19]

TheUnited Farmers of Manitoba appeared in 1922, and later merged with the Liberals in 1932 to form the dominant political party.^[19] Other parties, including theCo-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), appeared during the Great Depression.^[19]

In the 1950s, Manitoban politics became a three-party system, and the Liberal party gradually declined in power.^[19] The CCF became theNew Democratic Party (NDP), which came to power in 1969.^[19] Since then, the Conservatives, now theProgressive Conservative Party (PC), and the NDP have been the dominant parties.^[19]

The Elections Act
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Citation	C.C.S.M. c. E30
Territorial extent	Manitoba
Enacted by	4th Session, 38th Legislature
Assented to	13 June 2006
Amended by
SM 2019, c. 22
Related legislation
The Election Financing Act The Electoral Divisions Act The Legislative Assembly Act
Status: Current legislation

In Manitoba,general elections to theLegislative Assembly are typically held every five years; however, theLieutenant Governor is able to call one at any time. The last general election of Manitoba was held on3 October 2023, four years after the one held on10 September 2019.

These provincial elections are regulated byElections Manitoba. Much likefederal elections, Manitoba elections are administered by the province's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-council. The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer was established in 1980 to serve as an independent office of theLegislative Assembly and theClerk ofExecutive Council. Obstructing the CEO would become an election offence as of 1998. Moreover, the CEO appoints theCommissioner of Elections, who carries sole investigation and prosecution responsibilities.

As of 2001, the CEO would also have the authority to appointReturning Officers, which was originally a political appointment by Cabinet. Prior to 2001, in the case of a tie vote, the Returning Officer would be the one to cast the deciding ballot. Tie votes are now resolved through aby-election.

In 1870, only males who were established members of the community and in good financial standing, could vote. At that time, voting took place at public constituency meetings, in which each voter would publicly declare his preference. There, the electoral officer would record the votes, and the simple plurality (i.e.,first-past-the-post or FPTP) system was used to elect members for the 24 seats in theLegislative Assembly. In 1888, the requirement to be in "good financial standing" was eliminated,^[i] and two years later, those receiving government salary ofCA$350 or more could now vote.^[20][ii]

In 1916, Manitoba became the first Canadian province to grantwomen the right to vote.^[20] (However it did not hold a general election until1920 so its first woman MLA did not come first in Canada.)

A new system of representation was introduced in1914, when Winnipeg was divided into three constituencies, each represented by two members, each of which was elected in separate contest. Two ballots, one for each seat in a district, were issued. No candidate could be listed on both ballots in a district. The districts outside Winnipeg meanwhile retained the plain FPTP system.

Manitoba's electoral system was again the center of innovation with the 1920 introduction ofSingle transferable vote, aproportional representation election system, in Winnipeg. This was the first time a PR system was used in a provincial election in Canada. In this system, the city was consolidated into a single constituency electing ten members; and voters cast one vote. Preferential votes were used to allow voters to mark back-up preferences. Voters had the right to indicate their preferences by putting a number beside candidates' names on the ballot paper (i.e., 1, 2, 3, etc.). The votes were counted using a method of counting provided via amendments toThe Elections Act.

In 1924, the FPTP system in districts outside Winnipeg was replaced byalternative voting, where to be elected a candidate had to have a majority of the votes (or close to it). In constituencies with more than two candidates, voters cast transferable votes by ranking candidates by marking candidates' name on the ballot with a number - 1, 2, 3, etc.^[20] With the retention of STV in Winnipeg, the mixed STV/AV system was used in eight elections, until 1955. (In 1949 Winnipeg was redistricted.)

Advance voting was first introduced during the1932 general election of Manitoba.^[20][iii]

In 1949,^[iv] the single, ten-member constituency of Winnipeg was replaced by three constituencies, each represented by4 members. As well, the constituency ofSt. Boniface was given two members, also elected by STV. IRV outside of Winnipeg and St. Boniface was retained.

Six years later, Manitoba dropped the mixed STV/AV system. The four multi-member districts were divided into single-seat districts, and there and everywhere elsewhere the election system switched toFirst past the post. Winnipeg, St. Boniface and two suburban districts were made into 20single-member constituencies.^[20]

Manitoba was the first province in Canada with an independent boundaries commission in 1957, when the Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission is formed. The Commission included three members until 2006, when the number was increased to five and the presidents ofBrandon University andUniversity College of the North were added.^[20]

The voting age was lowered in 1969 from 21 to 18.^[20]

In 1980, theElections Finances Act (EFA) was proclaimed in Manitoba,^[v] introducing spending limits on advertising for candidates and parties; atax-credit system for contributions to registered political parties and candidates; and provisions forfinancial disclosure of contributions and expenses. Three years later, it would be decided that election day is always to take place on a Tuesday.^[vi] In 1985, spending limits were expanded to include all expenses, rather than just advertising. Since then, definitions were clarified (e.g., the definition ofelection expense), exclusions were made (e.g.,voluntarism from being an election expense), and provisions were added (e.g., makingadvance payments and assigning reimbursements) throughout the decades. Effective 1 July 1986, onlyCanadian citizens would be eligible to vote, which would excludeBritish subjects andlanded immigrants.^[20]

In 1998, penalties for election offences were increased. Though spending limits for advertising were also eliminated that year, they would be reinstated in 2001. Five years later, in 2006, rewriting of theElections Act would bring about significant changes to understanding Manitoba's electoral system.^[20] A set election date was established in 2008, with the first election set to take place on4 October 2011, and subsequent elections to take place on the first Tuesday of October every four years. Also that year, election expense limits and election advertising expense limits for parties and candidates were increased; political parties were made entitled topublic funding (called an 'annual allowance'), with a requirement of having to file a statement in order to receive that allowance; the ban on government advertising and publications was extended to 90 days prior to a set-date election; and thresholds were increased for fundraising-event ticket sales and on items sold for fundraising.^[20]

The currentPremier of Manitoba isWab Kinew, who leads theNew Democratic Party (NDP) with 34 seats. TheProgressive Conservative Party (PC) holds 22 seats, and theLiberal Party with 1 seat; however, the Liberals do not have official party status in the Manitoba Legislature.^[21]

Winnipeg city elections began to usesingle transferable voting (STV) in 1920, electing six councillors in three wards but only three at a time due to staggered terms. This system was used until 1970, when single-member wards were introduced.^[23]

Meanwhile Winnipeg's municipal structure was changed to the Metro system.

Below the provincial level of government, Manitoba is divided intomunicipalities of two types: urban and rural. A municipality in Manitoba is "a municipality that is continued or formed under" theMunicipal Act, which was enacted in 1996.^[24] Municipalities that can be formed under this legislation include urban municipalities (cities, towns and villages) and rural municipalities.^[24] TheLocal Government Districts Act, enacted in 1987, allows the formation of local government districts as another municipality type.^[25] Of Manitoba's 137 municipalities, 37 of them are urban municipalities (10 cities, 25 towns and 2 villages), 98 are rural municipalities and 2 are local government districts.^[26] TheMunicipal Act and theLocal Government Districts Act stipulate governance of these municipalities.^[24][25] Additional charters or acts are in place specifically for the cities ofBrandon,Flin Flon,Portage la Prairie,Thompson andWinnipeg, the towns ofMorris andWinnipeg Beach, and the rural municipalities ofKelsey,St. Andrews andVictoria Beach.^[27]

• List of Manitoba general elections
• Monarchy in Manitoba
• List of Manitoba government departments and agencies
• Elections Manitoba
• Politics of Canada
  • Political culture of Canada
  • Council of the Federation

• Adams, Christopher. 2008.Politics in Manitoba: Parties, Leaders, and Voters. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.ISBN 9780887557040.
• Thomas, Paul, and Curtis Brown, eds. 2010.Manitoba Politics and Government: Issues, Institutions, Traditions. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.ISBN 9780887557194.

• "Three Levels of Government in Canada (English)." Elections Manitoba. 2020 October 19.

• Politics of Manitoba

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