Sharon Carstairs - Manitoba Liberal Leader

Manitoba Liberal Leader

Carstairs became leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party in 1984, at a time when the party held no seats in the legislature. She was defeated in a 1984 by-election in Fort Garry, but was elected for River Heights in the 1986 provincial election, defeating incumbent Tory Warren Steen. For the next two years, she was the only Liberal in the legislature.

Carstairs led the Liberal Party to a dramatic resurgence in the 1988 provincial election. The New Democratic Party had lost much of its support base, and Carstairs's Liberals managed to win the votes of many centre-left electors. The party won 20 of 57 seats for their best showing since 1953, and Carstairs became leader of the opposition, the first woman to hold such a position in any Canadian legislature.

The 1988 election saw the election of a Progressive Conservative minority government under Gary Filmon and the reduction of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba from government to third party status. It initially seemed that Carstairs had a strong opportunity to lead the Liberals to victory in the following election. The 1990 election, however, saw the Tories returned with a majority government and a resurgent NDP under Gary Doer regain official opposition status. The Liberals were reduced to only seven seats, and Carstairs was blamed by many in the party for squandering their best chance in years to form government.

A strong opponent of the Meech Lake Accords, Carstairs remained party leader and, in 1992, campaigned for the "No" side on the Charlottetown Accord, with financial assistance from former Manitoba Liberal Party leader Israel Asper. Her efforts were opposed by others in the Liberal Party, and she frequently argued with Lloyd Axworthy on constitutional matters. Carstairs resigned as party leader in 1993, and the party has continued to decline since her departure. Also in 1993, Carstairs published an autobiography entitled Not One of the Boys.