Dufferin Roblin

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Dufferin ("Duff") Roblin , PC , CC , OM (born June 17, 1917 in Winnipeg , Manitoba , † May 30, 2010 in Victoria , British Columbia ) was a Canadian politician. From 1950 he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba . In 1954 he was elected chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and from June 30, 1958 to November 27, 1967, he ruled the province as Prime Minister. In 1978 he was appointed senator ; he held this office until 1992.

biography

Adolescent years

Roblin, a grandson of former Manitoba Prime Minister Rodmond Roblin , studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Chicago . In 1940 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and was promoted to Wing Commander during World War II . As such, he was a participant in Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944 ( D-Day ) and then served in the campaign in Europe . In 1946 he returned to Canada.

Provincial politics

Roblin began his political career on November 10, 1949, when he was first elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party (Tories) . There he represented the constituency of Winnipeg South. Soon he was one of the leading Tories who spoke out against the continuation of the coalition with the Manitoba Liberal Party . When the coalition collapsed in August 1950, he decided not to run for chairmanship, despite the great popularity. On June 8, 1953, he was re-elected as a member of parliament. About a year later, on June 18, 1954, he was elected chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party. In the legislative assembly he was also the official opposition leader .

In the June 16, 1958 election, the Tories won the majority of seats but missed an absolute majority. Roblin, who had been elected in the newly created constituency of Wolseley, then formed a minority government on June 30, 1958. This received the support of the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , since the Tories represented more liberal positions in some areas than the Manitoba Liberal Party, which had previously ruled for 26 years. In May 1959 the Tories won a majority in an early election.

Roblin's government reintroduced French as a school subject, increased social spending, and expanded the road network. It replaced the "one-room schools" from the founding time of the province with modern school buildings and expanded the range of higher education. By merging numerous communities with Winnipeg , it promoted the urbanization of the capital. To protect Winnipeg from the flooding of the Red River of the North , Roblin had the Red River Floodway built. This relief canal was soon nicknamed Duff's Ditch (" Duff's Ditch ") and has since protected the capital region from flood damage. Under Roblin's leadership, the Tories also won the December 1962 and June 1966 elections. In his own constituency, he had no significant challengers.

Federal politics

After nine years in office, Roblin resigned on September 27, 1967 from the office of Prime Minister. He was succeeded by Walter Weir . Roblin had run unsuccessfully for chairmanship of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada two weeks earlier , but decided nonetheless to switch to federal politics. He also resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly to run for the June 25, 1968 general election. In the constituency of Winnipeg South Center, he was clearly defeated as a candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party to the liberal candidate Edmund Boyd Osler .

Six years later, in the July 8th 1974 general election , Roblin tried again. But even in the constituency of Peterborough in the province of Ontario he was unsuccessful and was defeated by the liberal Hugh Faulkner . In March 1978, it appointed Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for Senator . As such, Roblin led the opposition faction in the Senate from April 1980 to September 1984, then the government faction until June 1986. On June 17, 1992, his 75th birthday, he duly resigned from the Senate.

For his services, Roblin was named Companion of the Order of Canada .

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personal data
SURNAME Roblin, Dufferin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Roblin, Duff
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Winnipeg , Manitoba
DATE OF DEATH May 30, 2010
Place of death Victoria , British Columbia