Walter Weir
Walter C. Weir | |
---|---|
15th Premier of Manitoba | |
In office November 27, 1967 – July 15, 1969 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Lieutenant Governor | Richard S. Bowles |
Preceded by | Dufferin Roblin |
Succeeded by | Edward Schreyer |
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba | |
In office May 14, 1959 – September 1, 1971 | |
Preceded by | Charles Shuttleworth |
Succeeded by | Dave Blake |
Constituency | Minnedosa |
Personal details | |
Born | Walter Cocksmith Weir[1] June 7, 1929 High Bluff, Manitoba, Canada |
Died | April 17, 1985 Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada | (aged 55)
Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Spouse |
Harriet Thompson (m. 1951) |
Children | Leslie Enid, John Dixon, James Patrick and Hugh Cameron |
Alma mater | Portage Collegiate Institute |
Occupation | funeral director |
Profession | politician |
Cabinet | Minister of Municipal Affairs (1961-1963) Minister of Public Works (1962-1967) Minister of Highways (1967) |
Walter Cocksmith Weir (June 7, 1929 – April 17, 1985) was a Canadian politician. Weir served as the 15th premier of Manitoba from 1967 to 1969.
The son of James Dixon Weir, he was born in
Weir was first elected to the
When Roblin moved to federal politics in 1967, Weir defeated Sterling Lyon and two other candidates to become the party's new leader. He was sworn in as Premier on November 27, 1967.
Weir represented a "rural populist" wing within the Manitoba Tories, and spoke for the party's more conservative members who had been marginalized during
Weir also proposed reforms for the Senate of Canada. He called for all provinces to have an equal number of senators and for some Senate representatives to be appointed on the recommendation of provincial governments. He also recommended for the Senate to be given more powers, including the authority to ratify international treaties.[8]
Weir called four by-elections in early 1969, largely to test his government's popularity on the bilingualism issue. Tory candidates were successful in three of those contests, and it appeared as if his government's stance had been vindicated. Weir called a general election for June 25, 1969, even though only three years had passed since the previous election.
That turned out to be a strategic error, particularly after the New Democratic Party selected Edward Schreyer as its leader during the campaign. Schreyer was a youthful and charismatic figure from the centrist wing of the NDP, and his party was able to win the support of many centre-left voters, including those who had voted for Pierre Trudeau's federal Liberals the previous year. The NDP won 28 seats against 22 for the Tories. On election night, Weir told his supporters, "The people have spoken. And the people are wrong."[9]
While the NDP came up one seat short of a majority, it was not immediately clear who would form government. Weir initially flirted with supporting a coalition with the Manitoba Liberals in which former Liberal leader Gildas Molgat, despite his party finishing in third place, would have become Premier. However, that came undone when Liberal MLA Laurent Desjardins threw his support to the NDP, which allowed Schreyer to replace Weir as Premier shortly thereafter.
Weir stepped down as PC leader in February 1971, and retired as an MLA in September of the same year. He did not re-enter political life again. Weir died in the evening of April 17, 1985 of a suspected heart attack at his home in Minnedosa, Manitoba.[10]
References
- ^ "Walter Cocksmith Weir (1929-1985)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society.
- ^ a b Normandin, Pierre G (1965). Canadian Parliamentary Guide.
- ISBN 978-0889772168. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 12 February 1969, p. 5.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 1969, p. 3.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 29 January 1969, p. 4.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 13 February 1969, p. 1.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 1969, p. 7.
- ^ Newman, Don (December 2, 2010). "Nothing wrong with a little informed populism".
- ^ "Former premier Walter Weir dies", Brandon Sun, Thursday, April 18, 1985, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada