21 Facts About Tobias Norris

Tobias Crawford Norris was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922.

Tobias Norris was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 1896 provincial election in the constituency of Lansdowne.

The Liberals won a landslide majority in this election, though Tobias Norris was not called to serve in the cabinet of premier Thomas Greenway.

Tobias Norris was narrowly re-elected in the 1899 election, and moved with his party to the opposition benches.

Tobias Norris was one of many Liberals defeated in the party's electoral debacle of 1903, losing to Conservative Harvey Hicks by sixteen votes.

Tobias Norris defeated Hicks by ninety-six votes in the 1907 election, and emerged as one of the leading figures in the legislative opposition.

Tobias Norris was re-elected in Lansdowne, and continued as opposition leader.

Tobias Norris ran a stronger campaign in the 1914 election, though Roblin's Conservatives still won 28 of 48 seats in an expanded legislature.

Roblin's government was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal in early-1915, and Tobias Norris was called to serve as premier in his place.

Tobias Norris was sworn in as premier on May 15,1915, and gave himself the powerful position of Railway Commissioner.

Tobias Norris called another election for August 6,1915, and was rewarded with a landslide majority.

Tobias Norris's government was considered a leading force for reform in Canada receiving a petition from Winona Flett of over 35,000 signatures for women's suffrage.

Tobias Norris's administration extended the vote to women, as well as introducing temperance legislation, and bringing in workman's compensation as well as a minimum wage.

Tobias Norris's government introduced a rural farm credit system, a mother's allowance for widows, a public nursing system and workplace health and safety regulations.

The "Unionist" and "Laurier" Liberals in Manitoba were not reunited until 1922, but Tobias Norris's hold on power was never threatened by the split.

Tobias Norris was in power during a period of rising labour and farmer radicalism in Manitoba, with the most significant event being the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.

The Tobias Norris government was little involved in the strike itself.

Tobias Norris's administration favoured a negotiated compromise with the strikers and played little role in the strike's suppression by the federal government.

Tobias Norris was re-elected in Lansdowne and continued to serve as leader of the opposition until 1927.

Tobias Norris resigned his seat to campaign federally, but was returned to the legislature in a by-election later in the same year.

Tobias Norris stood down as Liberal leader before the 1927 election, but remained a member of the legislature and was again elected for Lansdowne.