The Province of Manitoba, similar to other Canadian provinces and territories, is governed through a Westminster-based parliamentary system. The Manitoba government's authority to conduct provincial affairs is derived from the Constitution of Canada, which divides legislative powers among the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures. Manitoba operates through three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch—the Government of Manitoba—consists of the Executive Council and the Premier, who is the head of government and the President of the Executive Council. The legislative branch—the Manitoba Legislature—is composed of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which is composed of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba, as well as the Speaker, the Clerk, the Officers of the Legislative Assembly, and the employees of the legislative service.
The judicial arm consists of the Chief Justice and the judges who preside over the courts. These three branches are linked through the Crown, which is the head of state and represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba."Roles and Responsibilities." Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. Retrieved 2021 January 29. Archived from the original on 2009-11-13. Under section 23 of the 1870 Manitoba Act (which is part of the Constitution of Canada), both English and French are official languages of the legislature and courts of Manitoba.
Manitoba's primary political parties are the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Progressive Conservative Party (PC). The premier of Manitoba is Wab Kinew, who leads the NDP with 34 seats. The last general election was held on October 3, 2023.
Manitoba is represented in federal politics by fourteen Members of Parliament and six Senators.
Arms of Government The Government of Manitoba uses a Westminster-based parliamentary system and has three levels of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.
These three branches are linked through the Crown, which is the head of state and represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who is appointed by the Governor General of Canada on advice of the Prime Minister. PeriodParliamentLower houseUpper house+Legislatures of Manitoba1870–76Legislature of ManitobaLegislative Assembly of ManitobaLegislative Council of Manitoba1876–N/A (abolished)
Legislative In Canada, each provincial legislature is composed of the Lieutenant-Governor and the provincial legislative assembly.Ruff, Norman J. 2006 February 7. "Provincial Government in Canada." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. The Legislative Assembly consists of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba.
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who is appointed by the Governor General of Canada on advice of the Prime Minister, represents the head of state, the Crown. 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 to summon, prorogue, and dissolve the legislature.
In 1869, after the control of Rupert's Land was passed from Great Britain and the Hudson's Bay Company to the Government of Canada, Manitoba was split off of the North-Western Territory and was created as a province. It was given upper house (the Legislative Council) and a lower house, attaining full-fledged rights and responsibilities of self-government. The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba was established on 14 July 1870, and would first meet on 15 March 1871 in Fort Garry (now Winnipeg). In 1876, Manitoba abolished its upper house, thereby becoming a unicameral legislature. In 1920 it was the first province in Canada to adopt a form of proportional representation to elect part of its legislative assembly. In the 1950s it was the first province in Canada to adopt an independent electoral commission to draw the boundaries of electoral districts. 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
Executive The executive branch (or cabinet) of Manitoba—the Executive Council—is formed by members who are appointed by the majority party in the Legislative Assembly. That party's leader is the Premier of Manitoba, and is both the head of government and the President of the Executive Council.
In addition to the Premier, the executive branch consists of government ministries and deputy ministers.
The Lieutenant Governor appoints and may dismiss the Premier and the members of their cabinets.
Judiciary Manitoba's judiciary consists of three courts:
the Provincial Court — This court is primarily a criminal court; 95% of criminal cases in Manitoba are heard in this court. the Court 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 (for indictable offences), and appeals for Provincial Court decisions. the Court 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 the Supreme Court of Canada.
Official languages Under section 23 of the 1870 Manitoba Act (which is part of the Constitution of Canada), both English and French are official languages of the legislature and courts of Manitoba.
With a provisional government set up by Métis leader Louis Riel in the Red River Colony—following the Red River Rebellion (or Resistance) against the federal Canadian government—Prime Minister John 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: the Manitoba Act. In addition to demanding that Manitoba be admitted into Confederation 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 the Act.Rea, J. E., and Jeff Scott. 2006 February 7. "Manitoba Act." The Canadian Encyclopedia.
In April 1890, the Manitoba Legislature ceased to publish bilingual legislation, as well as taking other courses of action in attempts to abolish the official status of French in the province. However, in Reference Re Manitoba Language Rights (1985), the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Manitoba 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.)Re Manitoba Language Rights, [1985 1 SCR 721]. – via LexUM.
Although French is an official language for the purposes of the legislature, legislation, and the courts, the Manitoba Act does not require it to be an official language for the purpose of the executive branch—except when performing legislative or judicial functions.In 1 S.C.R. 221–222 scc-csc.lexum.com , the Supreme Court rejected the contentions of the Société Franco-manitobaine that §23 extends to executive functions of the executive branch. 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. According to the 2006 Census, 82.8% of Manitoba's population spoke only English, 3.2% spoke only French, 15.1% spoke both, and 0.9% spoke neither.
In 2010, the Government of Manitoba passed the Aboriginal Languages Recognition Act, giving official recognition to seven indigenous languages: Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuktitut, Michif, Ojibway, and Oji-Cree.The Aboriginal Languages Recognition Act. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 2021 January 29. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
Federal politics Manitoba is represented in federal politics by fourteen Members of Parliament and six Senators. 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.
Federal elections are administered by Elections Canada.
Confederation Following the Red River Rebellion (or Resistance) against the federal Canadian government—with concern over Métis land rights, among other things—local people of the Red 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, a popularly-elected convention supported the creation of a provisional government. This government, considered illegal by the federal government in Ottawa, was led by Louis Riel, himself a Métis. With a provisional government in place, Prime Minister John 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: the Manitoba Act, which became part of the Constitution of Canada. Among other things, the final list demanded that Manitoba be admitted into Confederation as a province (rather than a territory). Though met with reluctance from Macdonald, Manitoba indeed entered Confederation as a province.
Centred on the area of Fort Garry, or present-day Winnipeg, the initial geography of Manitoba was much smaller—roughly of land were set aside for the Métis upon the Manitoba Act's passing. (Cf. Manitoba's total area today: .) The small population and size of the province made it unable to support itself financially. The federal government agreed to pay subsidies to the province, as well as grant it four seats in the federal Parliament.
Political parties
Historically, political parties first appeared between 1878 and 1883, with a two-party system: Liberals and Conservative.
The United Farmers of Manitoba appeared in 1922, and later merged with the Liberals in 1932 to form the dominant political party. Other parties, including the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), appeared during the Great Depression.
In the 1950s, Manitoban politics became a three-party system, and the Liberal party gradually declined in power. The CCF became the New Democratic Party (NDP), which came to power in 1969. Since then, the Conservatives, now the Progressive Conservative Party (PC), and the NDP have been the dominant parties.
+Political parties/ideologies of Manitoba Ideology PartyCommunismCommunist PartyGreen politicsGreen Party Social democracy New Democratic Party Liberalism Liberal Party Conservatism Progressive Conservative Party Right-wing libertarianismManitoba FirstManitoba Forward
Provincial elections
In Manitoba, general elections to the Legislative Assembly are typically held every five years; however, the Lieutenant Governor is able to call one at any time. The last general election of Manitoba was held on 3 October 2023, four years after the one held on 10 September 2019.