Joseph Jeannotte
Encyclopedia
Joseph Jeannotte was a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Manitoba, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He was a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...

 member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...

 from 1958 to 1969.

Jeannotte was educated in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, and worked as a rancher before entering political life. He and his wife Annette raised three daughters, Janet, Dolores, and Irene, in Meadow Portage Manitoba.

Joseph befriended novelist Gabrielle Roy during her sojurn near his home and was depicted in the novel Where Nests the Waterhen as Monsieur Bessette.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1958 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...

, defeating Liberal-Progressive
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...

 incumbent Roy Brown
Roy Brown
Roy Brown may refer to:*Roy Brown , English professional footballer who was the first black player to play for Stoke City.*Roy Brown , English footballer...

, 2342 votes to 511 in the vast northern constituency of Rupertsland. Prior to the election, Jeannotte had visited Roblin's office in Winnipeg to announce his readiness to be a candidate for the region. Roblin later referred to him as "a wiry little frontiersman". The lopsided nature of Jeannotte's victory may be explained, in part, by the fact that Rupertsland voted several weeks after the rest of the province in the years prior to 1969, due to logistical difficulties in setting up polls in remote communities. Voters knew that the Progressive Conservatives had formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...

 after the election, and many may have chosen to vote for a candidate on the government side.

Jeannotte was re-elected by equally strong margins in the elections of 1959
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...

 and 1962
Manitoba general election, 1962
Manitoba's general election of December 16, 1962 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a second majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...

. He faced the most difficult challenge of his career in the 1966 election
Manitoba general election, 1966
The Manitoba general election held on June 23, 1966, was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a third consecutive majority win for the Progressive Conservative Party led by Dufferin Roblin...

, but still defeated Liberal Jean René Allard
Jean René Allard
Jean René Allard is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1969 as a New Democrat, but subsequently left to sit as an Independent MLA....

by a significant margin. He frequently traveled the entire riding by himself, driving a plane between remote locations. He was never appointed to cabinet, and did not run for re-election in 1969.
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