Murdoch Mackay
Encyclopedia
Murdoch Mackay was a Manitoba
politician. He led the Manitoba Liberal Party
from 1931 to 1932, and brought the party into an alliance with John Bracken
's Progressives
.
Mackay was born in Melville, Nova Scotia
. He subsequently moved to Manitoba, and was elected to the provincial legislature in the general election of 1927. A Liberal, Mackay defeated Progressive
incumbent Clifford Barclay
by 18 votes in the riding of Springfield
.
The provincial Liberals fared poorly in this election, winning only seven seats in a 55-member legislature. Party leader Hugh Robson
stepped down in 1930. After a brief period in which James Breakey
led the parliamentary caucus, Mackay was chosen over Fred C. Hamilton
as party leader in 1931.
MacKay brought the Manitoba Liberals into an alliance with the governing Progressives in 1932. By this time, the Liberals and Progressives of Manitoba were already co-operating at the federal level; national Liberal
leader William Lyon Mackenzie King
wanted the same alliance at the provincial level to prevent a Conservative
victory in the next election. The Liberals joined the government in early 1932, and two members of the party were brought into cabinet. Mackay himself was made a Minister without Portfolio on May 27, 1932.
His term in office was brief. The united "Liberal-Progressives" easily defeated the Conservatives in the election, but Mackay was defeated by Barclay (now running as an "Independent Farmer-Labour" candidate) in Springfield. He resigned from cabinet, and left provincial politics. Mackay attempted a comeback in 1945, but lost to CCF candidate George Olive
by over one thousand votes.
As well as being a politician, MacKay was known by many as a prominent local physician in the town of Transcona, with a reputation for kindness and a great sense of humour. He graduated from Manitoba Medical School in 1916 and married Ruby Gowland the following year. They had four daughters who all graduated from the University of Manitoba
. Throughout his career, MacKay was well known for his compassion - accepting food from patients that could not afford to pay upfront. He remains a community hero and his commitment to the Transcona area was honoured in his 2005 nomination as "The Greatest Transconian". MacKay had a great love of learning and, as such, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate
, a high school in Winnipeg
, was named in his honour in 1964, one year after his death.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
politician. He led the Manitoba Liberal Party
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 :...
from 1931 to 1932, and brought the party into an alliance with John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
's Progressives
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
.
Mackay was born in Melville, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He subsequently moved to Manitoba, and was elected to the provincial legislature in the general election of 1927. A Liberal, Mackay defeated Progressive
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
incumbent Clifford Barclay
Clifford Barclay
Clifford Barclay was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 to 1927, and again from 1932 to 1936....
by 18 votes in the riding of Springfield
Springfield, Manitoba
Springfield is Manitoba's oldest and largest rural municipality. Established in 1873, Springfield stretches from urban industrial development on the eastern boundary of the City of Winnipeg, through urban, rural residential, agricultural and natural landscapes, to the Agassiz Provincial Forest on...
.
The provincial Liberals fared poorly in this election, winning only seven seats in a 55-member legislature. Party leader Hugh Robson
Hugh Robson
Hugh Amos Robson was a politician and judge in Manitoba. He briefly served as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party in the 1920s.-Career:...
stepped down in 1930. After a brief period in which James Breakey
James Breakey
James Washington Breakey , was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was briefly the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, and was subsequently a supporter of the province's Liberal-Progressive coalition government.After working as a financial agent, Breakey was elected to the Legislative Assembly...
led the parliamentary caucus, Mackay was chosen over Fred C. Hamilton
Fred C. Hamilton
Fred C. Hamilton was a Manitoba politician who made two unsuccessful bids for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party ....
as party leader in 1931.
MacKay brought the Manitoba Liberals into an alliance with the governing Progressives in 1932. By this time, the Liberals and Progressives of Manitoba were already co-operating at the federal level; national Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
leader William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
wanted the same alliance at the provincial level to prevent a 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:...
victory in the next election. The Liberals joined the government in early 1932, and two members of the party were brought into cabinet. Mackay himself was made a Minister without Portfolio on May 27, 1932.
His term in office was brief. The united "Liberal-Progressives" easily defeated the Conservatives in the election, but Mackay was defeated by Barclay (now running as an "Independent Farmer-Labour" candidate) in Springfield. He resigned from cabinet, and left provincial politics. Mackay attempted a comeback in 1945, but lost to CCF candidate George Olive
George Olive
George Olive was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1945 to 1953, as a member of the social-democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation....
by over one thousand votes.
As well as being a politician, MacKay was known by many as a prominent local physician in the town of Transcona, with a reputation for kindness and a great sense of humour. He graduated from Manitoba Medical School in 1916 and married Ruby Gowland the following year. They had four daughters who all graduated from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. Throughout his career, MacKay was well known for his compassion - accepting food from patients that could not afford to pay upfront. He remains a community hero and his commitment to the Transcona area was honoured in his 2005 nomination as "The Greatest Transconian". MacKay had a great love of learning and, as such, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate
Murdoch MacKay Collegiate
Murdoch MacKay Collegiate is a public, co-ed high school located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is part of the River East Transcona School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
, a high school in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, was named in his honour in 1964, one year after his death.