1981 Manitoba general election explained

Election Name:	1981 Manitoba general election
Country:	Manitoba
Type:	parliamentary
Ongoing:	no
Party Colour:	no
Party Name:	no
Previous Election:	1977 Manitoba general election
Previous Year:	1977
Next Election:	1986 Manitoba general election
Next Year:	1986
Seats For Election:	57 seats of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba 29 seats were needed for a majority
Election Date:	November 17, 1981
Leader1:	Howard Pawley
Leaders Seat1:	Selkirk
Last Election1:	23
Seats1:	34
Seat Change1:	11
Popular Vote1:	228,784
Percentage1:	47.38%
Swing1:	8.76pp
Leader2:	Sterling Lyon
Leaders Seat2:	Charleswood
Last Election2:	33
Seats2:	23
Seat Change2:	10
Popular Vote2:	211,602
Percentage2:	43.82%
Swing2:	4.93pp
Leaders Seat3:	Ran in
Last Election3:	1
Seats3:	0
Seat Change3:	1
Popular Vote3:	32,373
Percentage3:	6.70%
Swing3:	5.59pp
Map Size:	300px
Premier
Posttitle:	Premier after election
Before Election:	Sterling Lyon
After Election:	Howard Pawley

The 1981 Manitoba general election was held on November 17, 1981 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the opposition New Democratic Party, which took 34 of 57 seats. The governing Progressive Conservative Party took the remaining 23, while the Manitoba Liberal Party was shut out from the legislature for the only time in its history. The newly formed Progressive Party failed to win any seats.

Sterling Lyon's Progressive Conservative government ran on a promise to continue investing in the province's "mega-projects" (including as a $500 million Alcan aluminum smelter, a $600 million potash mine and a "Western power grid"), and suggested that an NDP government would jeopardize these plans. The NDP campaign, which was largely co-ordinated by Wilson Parasiuk, questioned the Lyon government's fiscal accountability in such matters, noting that it had sold 50% of Trout Lake Copper Mine stock, possibly at a major loss. Jacques Bougie, the Alcan administrator for Manitoba, was also described as holding undue influence over the government.

The NDP campaign generally focused on the economy, and drew attention to the issue of Manitobans emigrating from the province because of job losses. Progressive Party leader Sidney Green described Lyon's initiatives as "bega-projects", a reference to the government's controversial fundraising with foreign corporations.

The election was considered too close to call until the final week, when the NDP campaign gained momentum.

Results

Party		Party Leader	of candidates	Seats			Popular Vote
Party		Party Leader	of candidates	Before¹	Elected	% Change		%	Change	New Democratic	Howard Pawley	57	20	34	+70.0%	228,784	47.38%	+8.76	Progressive Conservative	Sterling Lyon	57	32	23	-28.1%	211,602	43.82%	align="right"	-4.93	Liberal	Doug Lauchlan	39	1	-	align="right"	-100%	32,373	6.70%	align="right"	-5.59	Sidney Green	36	3	-	align="right"	-100%	8,731	1.81%	+1.81	Paula Fletcher	2	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	261	.05%	align="right"	-0.01	Independent	4	1	-	align="right"	-100%	1,141	.24%	+0.24
	Vacant			1	n.a.
Total			195	57	57	-	487,154	100%

¹ "Before" refers to standings in the Legislature at dissolution, and not to the results of the previous election. These numbers therefore reflect changes in party standings as a result of by-elections and members crossing the floor.