1988 жылғы Манитоба провинциясы сайлауы

none

The 1988 Manitoba general election was held on April 26, 1988 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government. The Progressive Conservative Party won 25 seats, against 20 for the Liberal Party and 12 for the New Democratic Party.

The election was called unexpectedly in early 1988, after disgruntled NDP backbencher Jim Walding voted against his government's budget on March 9, 1988. With former cabinet minister Laurent Desjardins having essentially abandoned his seat earlier in the year, the Legislative Assembly was almost evenly divided. Walding's defection thus resulted in Howard Pawley's NDP government being defeated, 28 votes to 27. As the budget vote was a confidence measure, the Pawley ministry was forced to resign and call new elections two years ahead of schedule. Popular support for the NDP was at an historically low level when the election was called, due to soaring Autopac rates and a taxpayer funded bailout of the Manitoba Telephone System. The Pawley government's support for the Meech Lake Accord was also unpopular in some circles. One internal poll had the party at only 6% support, and there were concerns that they could be reduced to only two or three seats in the 57 seat legislature. Pawley resigned as party leader on the day after the budget defeat, and Urban Affairs Minister Gary Doer narrowly defeated Agriculture Minister Leonard Harapiak to replace him at a party convention held during the campaign. Pawley himself announced he would enter federal politics and did not seek re election in his own seat. In an unusual arrangement, the outgoing premier remained in office until after the election. Even after Doer's selection, the consensus was that the NDP would not be reelected. However, they managed to stabilize at around 20% in the polls. Many traditional NDP voters, especially in the city of Winnipeg, abandoned the party to support the Liberals in this cycle.

The Progressive Conservatives, led by Gary Filmon, ran on a platform of saving revenue by selling public corporations, including ManOil and Manfor. Filmon also promised to scrap the province's Public Investment Corporation entirely. The Liberals also promised more prudent fiscal management, but did not propose to sell these crown corporations. Liberal leader Sharon Carstairs was also known as a prominent opponent of the Meech Lake Accord. The NDP, which retained a support base in the north of the province, promised to create northern training centres in Thompson and The Pas. The national abortion debate also surfaced in this campaign, although none of the major parties put forward a clear position on the issue. Although Filmon was personally anti abortion, the Progressive Conservatives were unwilling to propose specific action on the subject, and withdrew from an early promise to close Henry Morgentaler's private clinic. The Liberals favoured counselling, including a focus on adoption. The NDP emphasized prevention and support services for poorer women who choose to continue their pregnancies.

The Progressive Conservatives entered the election with a significant lead in the polls, but saw their support undercut by the Liberals in the campaign's final weeks. Before the party leaders' debate, a Winnipeg Free Press poll indicated that 40% of voters considered Liberal leader Sharon Carstairs as the best choice for Premier, with 24% favouring Progressive Conservative Gary Filmon and 19% favouring NDP leader Gary Doer. 17% were undecided. Carstairs performed well in the leaders' debate, and did much to improve her party's popularity as the campaign reached its end.

+ Evolution of voting intentions at provincial level Polling firmLast day of survey Source PCMB MLP MNDP Other ME (Margin of Error) SampleElection 1988April 26, 198838.3735.5223.622.49University of Manitoba Research Ltd. February 198850.422.825.4University of Manitoba Research Ltd. October 10, 198736.723.337.3University of Manitoba Research Ltd. June 198735.918.740.3Western Opinion ResearchApril 1987362833University of Manitoba Research Ltd. February 19871988 04 1243342218183.5%TelephoneAngus Reid1988 03 1448321918063.5%TelephoneU of M1987 10 1036.723.337.32.71,0903.0%TelephoneWestern Opinion1987 03 2636283335004.5%Telephone