John Norquay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Norquay
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| 5th Premier of Manitoba | |
| In office October 16, 1878 – December 24, 1887 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Lieutenant Governor | Joseph-Édouard Cauchon James Cox Aikins |
| Preceded by | Robert Atkinson Davis |
| Succeeded by | David Howard Harrison |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for High Bluff | |
| In office December 27, 1870 – December 23, 1874 |
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| Preceded by | John Crerar |
| Succeeded by | District divided |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Andrews South | |
| In office December 23, 1874 – December 16, 1879 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Hay |
| Succeeded by | District re-created |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Andrews | |
| In office December 16, 1879 – July 11, 1888 |
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| Preceded by | District re-created |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Colcleugh |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Kildonan | |
| In office July 11, 1888 – July 5, 1889 |
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| Preceded by | John MacBeth |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Norquay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 8, 1841 near St. Andrews, Manitoba |
| Died | July 5, 1889 (aged 48) Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Elizabeth Setter
(m. 1862) |
| Relations | Thomas Norquay (brother) |
| Children | 8 (3 daughters and 5 sons) |
| Alma mater | St John's Collegiate School |
| Occupation | teacher, farmer and fur trader |
| Profession | Politician |
| Cabinet | Minister of Public Works/Minister of Agriculture (1871–1874) Provincial Secretary (1875–1876 & 1886–1887) Minister of Public Works (1875–1878) Provincial Treasurer (1878–1886) President of the Council (1879–1887) Railway Commissioner (1886–1887) |
John Norquay (May 8, 1841 – July 5, 1889) was an important Canadian politician. He served as the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony. This made him the first Premier of Manitoba to be born in the region.
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Early Life and Background
Norquay came from an Anglo-Métis background. This means he had both British and Indigenous (First Nations) ancestors. At the time, people sometimes used the term "Half-Breed," which was not considered offensive then. This background was important because the Manitoba Act gave special rights to people of mixed heritage.
He went to school with Church of England Bishop David Anderson. In the 1860s, Norquay worked as a teacher, a farmer, and a fur trader.
Beginning a Political Career
John Norquay played a small part in the Louis Riel's Red River Rebellion (1869–70). After the rebellion, he decided to get involved in politics.
In Manitoba's first general election on December 27, 1870, he was elected without opposition for the area of High Bluff. He quickly became a leader for the "mixed-blood" community in the new province.
Joining the Cabinet
In 1871, there was a push to remove Provincial Secretary Alfred Boyd from his job. When Boyd resigned, he suggested that someone from Manitoba's "mixed-blood" community should join the government. At that time, Manitoba's government tried to balance different ethnic, religious, and language groups.
Norquay was then asked to become the Minister of Public Works and Minister of Agriculture. This was a big step for him.
Norquay also tried to become a federal politician in 1872. He ran in the Marquette area but lost. He did not try to enter federal politics again after that.
Changes in Government
Manitoba's first government lost a vote in July 1874. This happened after Norquay's plan for new voting areas faced opposition. Norquay did not serve in the next two governments.
In Manitoba's second election in December 1874, Norquay became a leader of the opposition. He won his election in St. Andrew's North.
The 1874 election resulted in a "hung parliament." This means no single group had enough votes to form a government easily. The Premier at the time, Robert A. Davis, needed support from British representatives. So, in March 1875, he invited Norquay to join his team. Norquay accepted, bringing enough support to keep the government going.
Becoming Premier of Manitoba
Norquay was a very important minister in the Davis government. So, it was not a surprise when he was chosen to replace Davis as Premier in November 1878. He also became the Provincial Treasurer, managing the province's money.
He sought a new approval from voters in December 1878 and was re-elected. Norquay faced a tough election in his own area but won.
Political Challenges
In early 1879, Norquay faced a big challenge when he lost the support of Joseph Royal. Royal was a strong Catholic leader for French-speaking politicians. Royal wanted to create formal political parties in Manitoba with Thomas Scott. Both were Conservatives, and Scott wanted to lead the provincial Conservative Party.
Norquay was also connected to the federal Conservatives. However, he relied on support from local Liberals to keep his government together. He wanted to keep the province's "non-partisan" (not based on strict party lines) way of governing.
Norquay stopped Royal and Scott's plan by forming a new alliance with all the British politicians (except Scott). He then removed his French Canadian ministers from the government. This new government tried to pass laws that were not good for French-speaking people.
However, Norquay did not go through with the worst of these threats. He knew that compromise was needed. He soon convinced former Premier Marc-Amable Girard to rejoin his government. Norquay later said that his "anti-French" government was a difficult but necessary political move. The Norquay-Girard government won another election in December 1879. Norquay was re-elected without opposition in St. Andrew's.
Railway Development and Politics
Norquay's government focused a lot on building railways. In the 1880s, many people in Manitoba wanted to build local rail lines to lower transportation costs. But the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) had a 20-year monopoly, meaning they were the only ones allowed to build major lines in the west.
Norquay at first supported these local efforts. However, his opponents believed he had a secret deal with the CPR and Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. This deal would stop the local railways from being built. When Macdonald stopped Norquay's railway laws in 1882, a new opposition group formed. This group, led by Thomas Greenway, became the Manitoba Liberal Party.
These events pushed Norquay into an alliance with the province's Conservative leaders. Even though Norquay still said he was non-partisan, his politicians were seen as the Conservative Party in Manitoba. In the 1883 election, Norquay's supporters won most of the seats. A two-party system was starting to form in Manitoba.
Prime Minister John A. Macdonald supported Norquay for most of his nine years as Premier. Macdonald even visited Manitoba in 1886 to help Norquay win re-election. Norquay's Conservatives won, but the Liberals gained many votes. Without Macdonald's visit, Norquay might have lost.
Norquay's alliance with Macdonald ended in 1887. The provincial government changed its mind and actively supported the Red River Valley Railway, a local line. Macdonald and the CPR then played a big part in Norquay's downfall later that year.
End of Premiership
In September 1887, Norquay's government was accused of using money meant for Métis children for other government expenses. Norquay faced a lot of pressure to resign. His efforts to get loans for railways in eastern cities also failed.
His government's fate was sealed when Macdonald stopped the transfer of CPR land to Manitoba. This happened after Norquay's government had already paid a large sum of money to the company. Norquay's own ministers abandoned him, and he resigned on December 23, 1887. His successor, David H. Harrison, tried to keep Norquay's government together but failed. After this, Thomas Greenway was asked to form a new government.
Greenway's Liberals won a huge victory in July 1888. Norquay was barely re-elected in Kildonan. He became the leader of the opposition again, but his political power was much smaller. He was now opposed by John A. Macdonald, not trusted by other Manitoba Conservatives, and had little public support. He was also facing money problems. John Norquay died on July 5, 1889.
Legacy and Impact
Even though his last years were difficult, Norquay was generally successful in helping Manitoba grow. Between his first election in 1870 and his resignation in 1887, Manitoba's population grew ten times larger. As Premier, Norquay was in charge of expanding government services to meet this growth.
Besides his political work, John Norquay was also an important member of the Church of England in Manitoba. From 1875, he was regularly chosen to represent his church in the diocese of Rupert's Land.
Norquay's career was mostly free of racial unfairness. While he faced some racial insults, his long time in office shows that people in Manitoba were willing to accept an Indigenous Premier. This was true even with the tensions caused by Louis Riel's rebellions.
In 1904, Mount Norquay in Banff National Park was named after him. Norquay tried to climb the mountain in 1887 or 1888 but did not reach the top. His poor health and the mountain's difficult routes were likely the reasons.
