Walter Weir

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Walter Cocksmith Weir (born June 7, 1929 in High Bluff , Manitoba , † April 17, 1985 in Minnedosa , Manitoba) was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly from 1959 to 1971 . After holding several ministerial posts in the government of Dufferin Roblin , he ruled the province of Manitoba from November 27, 1967 to July 15, 1969 as Prime Minister. From 1967 to 1971 he was chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (Tories) .

biography

A few years after graduating from high school, Weir moved to Minnedosa in 1953 , where he owned a funeral home for ten years. He was initially active in local politics, from 1955 to 1957 chairman of the hospital committee and from 1958 to 1959 as a member of the city council. In May 1959 he ran in the elections to the legislative assembly and was elected member of the rural constituency of Minnedosa. He was re-elected three times in a row. Prime Minister Dufferin Roblin appointed Weir to the Cabinet in October 1961 and appointed him Minister for Local Affairs; he held this office until February 1963. In November 1962 he was appointed Minister for State Building Projects, and in July 1967 he moved to the Ministry of Road Construction.

After Roblin announced his move from provincial to federal politics, Weir ran for Tory party leadership. At the party congress he prevailed against Sterling Lyon and two other candidates and was, whereupon he took over the office of Prime Minister on November 27, 1967. Weir represented the rural populist wing of the party, addressing the conservative members who had been marginalized during the more progressive Roblin's tenure. His government kept spending growth to a minimum, and in 1968 presented a balanced budget with no tax increases. He opposed the introduction of the official bilingualism and gained national fame due to the dispute with the Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau .

Weir also proposed reform of the Canadian Senate . According to his ideas, all provinces should be represented equally and some senators should be appointed on the recommendation of the provincial governments. In addition, the Senate should be given more powers, including the right to ratify international treaties. He called early elections for June 25, 1969, which turned out to be a strategic error. Instead of continuing to rule with a majority as hoped, the Tories lost to the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, led by Edward Schreyer .

On July 15, 1969, Weir had to resign as Prime Minister. Until February 1971 he remained party leader of the Tories and opposition leader ; then Sidney Spivak followed . In September of the same year he also resigned as an MP. His seat then fell to Dave Blake . Walter Weir lived in Ontario for five years but returned to Minnedosa in 1976. From 1978 he was a member of the board of directors of Manitoba's state utilities and during the reign of Sterling Lyons he headed a local tax commission set up by the provincial government.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Winnipeg Free Press , Jan. 2, 1969, p. 3.
  2. ^ Winnipeg Free Press, February 13, p. 1.
  3. ^ Winnipeg Free Press, Feb. 1, 1969, p. 7.
personal data
SURNAME Weir, Walter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Weir, Walter Cocksmith (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH June 7, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH High Bluff , Manitoba
DATE OF DEATH April 17, 1985
Place of death Minnedosa , Manitoba