Jump to content

Brian Ransom (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Ransom (June 6, 1940–February 26, 2020) was a Canadian provincial politician in Manitoba.[1] In 1983, he unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba.[2]

Ransom was born in Boissevain, Manitoba, and was educated at the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta. He worked as a resource manager and farmer before entering public life.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 1977, representing the rural riding of Souris-Killarney. In that year, Sterling Lyon's Progressive Conservatives won an upset victory over Edward Schreyer's New Democrats. Following the election, Ransom was appointed Minister of Mines, Resources and Environment. Following a reorganization of cabinet in 1979, he became Minister of Natural Resources and Chairman of the Treasury Board. In January 1981, he was promoted to Minister of Finance.[1]

Ransom did not serve long in this position, as Lyon's government fell to the NDP under Howard Pawley at another election later in the year. Ransom was easily re-elected in the riding of Turtle Mountain, defeating New Democrat Joan Johannson by 3,115 votes.[3] He ran for the party's leadership in 1983 as a representative of the party's rural/conservative wing, but on the second ballot lost to Gary Filmon, who was then regarded as a progressive.[2] Subsequently, supporters of Ransom would allege that the Filmon camp encouraged third-place candidate Clayton Manness to run as a means of splitting the conservative vote.

Ransom did not seek re-election in the 1986 Manitoba general election. He subsequently became chairman of the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board,[4] and worked as a consultant in sustainable development.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "MLA Biographies - Deceased". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Paul G; Brown, Curtis (2010). Manitoba Politics and Government: Issues, Institutions, Traditions. University of Manitoba Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0887554018. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  3. ^ "Turtle Mountain". Manitoba Votes 2007. CBC News. 2007.
  4. ^ "Settlement Agreements". Manitoba Hydro. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2014-03-09.