1. John Norquay was the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887.
27 Facts About John Norquay
1. 2.
John Norquay was born near St Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region.
3.
John Norquay came from an Anglo-Metis ethnic background.
4.
John Norquay was educated by Church of England bishop, David Anderson, and worked as a teacher, farmer, and fur trader during the 1860s.
5.
John Norquay played only a minor role in the events of Louis Riel's Red River Rebellion, but decided to enter public life shortly thereafter.
6.
John Norquay was acclaimed for the riding of High Bluff in Manitoba's first general election, and soon became a leader in the "mixed-blood" community.
7.
John Norquay was accordingly called to serve as Minister of Public Works and Minister of Agriculture.
8.
Davis knew that he would be unable to govern effectively without strong British representation, and invited John Norquay to join his cabinet in March 1875.
9.
John Norquay accepted, and brought with him enough parliamentary support to ensure the ministry's continued survival.
10.
John Norquay was a prominent minister in the Davis administration, and it was not a surprise when he was called to replace Davis as Premier in November 1878.
11.
In early 1879, John Norquay faced a more serious challenge after losing the support of Joseph Royal.
12.
John Norquay was affiliated with the federal Conservatives, but relied on support from local Liberals to keep his government intact.
13.
John Norquay countered the Royal-Scott "coup attempt" by forging a new parliamentary alliance with all of the province's British MLAs, and expelling his French Canadian ministers from cabinet.
14.
John Norquay did not follow through on the worst of his ministry's threats.
15.
John Norquay recognized the need for conciliation, and soon convinced former premier, Marc-Amable Girard, to rejoin cabinet as provincial secretary.
16.
John Norquay would later argue that his "anti-French" ministry was an unpleasant political necessity.
17.
In Manitoba's fifth election, "Liberal-Conservative" and "Conservative" candidates won 19 of 30 seats between them; all were regarded as John Norquay supporters, set against a Liberal opposition.
18.
The scandal further contributed to John Norquay's growing image problem amongst his constituents and was worsened when the courts sided with Ryan; with Ryan being awarded $50,000 for unpaid work.
19.
In September 1887, the John Norquay government was accused of using trust funds for Metis children as general revenue.
20.
John Norquay himself faced extreme pressure to resign, particularly after a tour of eastern cities for railway loans ended without success.
21.
John Norquay was abandoned by his ministers, and resigned on December 23,1887.
22.
John Norquay was narrowly re-elected in Kildonan, defeating Liberal Duncan McArthur by 305 votes to 303.
23.
John Norquay became leader of the opposition, but with a much reduced political base: he was now opposed by John A Macdonald, distrusted by other Manitoba Conservatives, lacking in popular support, and suffering personal financial hardship.
24.
John Norquay died on July 5,1889, without having attained a reversal in his fortunes.
25.
Between his first election in 1870 and his resignation in 1887, the population of Manitoba had grown tenfold; as Premier, John Norquay was responsible for expanding government services accordingly.
26.
John Norquay was the victim of some racial slurs, but his longevity in office suggests that Manitobans were willing to accept an aboriginal premier, despite the tensions caused by Louis Riel's rebellions.
27.
John Norquay attempted to climb the mountain in 1887 or 1888 but contrary to some reports, did not reach the summit.