Thomas Greenway

Thomas Greenway ( born March 25, 1838 in Kilkhampton, Cornwall, † October 30, 1908 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian politician. After eight years in office as Minister of Agriculture, he ruled as prime minister the province of Manitoba on 19 January 1888 to 6 January 1900. From 1883 to 1904 he was chairman of the Manitoba Liberal Party. In addition, he was from 1875 to 1878 and from 1904 to 1908 Member of the Canadian House of Commons.

Biography

Together with his parents emigrated born in southwest England Greenway in 1846 to Canada. He lived in Huron County, Ontario, where he worked as a trader. For ten years he was mayor of the small town Stephen Township. 1872 and 1874 Greenway was a candidate for the Conservative Party for a seat in the House of Commons, but was defeated both times scarce. The result of the second election was later declared invalid, and he decided the 1875 election became necessary for themselves. Rejecting the protectionist economic policies of the federal government, he alienated himself increasingly from conservatives and referred to himself as an Independent from 1876. In 1878 he decided not to seek re-election.

Greenway moved to Manitoba in 1879 and acquired with financial support from Malcolm Colin Cameron, who later became Vice- Governor of the Northwest Territories, sprawling land in the southwest of the province. To promote the settlement of the territory which he founded Crystal City. The settlement did not develop as hoped, as the Canadian Pacific Railway ( CPR) did not build their transcontinental railway line over his lands. In December 1879 Greenway was elected in the constituency for the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Mountain Manitoba. At the elections of 1883 he ran as Chairman of the Provincial Rights Party, which won against interference by the Federal Government in the province legislation and the monopoly of the CPR to fight back. In the same year from the Manitoba Liberal Party was formed.

Prime Minister John Norquay lost the end of 1887, the favor of the federal government, because he wanted to promote the construction of branch lines. His successor, David Howard Harrison was unable to form a stable government and resigned after three weeks, after which Greenway was commissioned to form a government on January 19, 1888. He initially enjoyed great popularity since the Federal Government of the CPR bought from the monopoly and the provincial government to build their own rail lines allowed. In early elections in July 1888, the Liberals won 33 of 38 seats. However, the provincial government had in the construction of railway lines no lucky hand and the expected freight tariff reductions were made ​​, so that trade suffered.

The provincial government has continued to promote immigration, and moved numerous German, Ukrainians, but also continue Scots, Irish, Welsh and English to do so. At the same time the province was drastically increased to the north and west. Winnipeg grew to become the fourth-largest city in Canada. Thus Catholics and francophone became a minority. Greenway secured a political majority by 1890, the two-tier French- English school system by a unified Ministry of Education replaced (→ Manitoba school question ). He also sat in the same year a law repealed, which prescribed the laws of bilingualism - a change in the law, which remained in force until 1984. The gamble paid off and Greenway was re-elected in 1892. When the federal government tried to take countermeasures, he won the election of 1896 with even larger majority.

But the elections in December 1899 Greenway lost, because in the eyes of conservatives too many Eastern Europeans, especially Ukrainians, had been brought into the country. Also, it no longer allowed him to draw the protest voters on his side with the Manitoba school question, because the federal government had enforced a compromise ( even if it was more than cosmetic kind ). On January 6, 1900, he relinquished the premiership to Hugh John Macdonald. Greenway remained chairman of the Manitoba Liberal Party and led the opposition. The elections of 1903 went even worse for the Liberals. Greenway went to for the Liberal Party of Canada to the House of Commons elections in 1904 and was elected in the constituency Lisgar. The next four years he was only a backbencher in the House. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier appointed Greenway finally as Chairman of the Railway Commission, but he died a day before taking office.

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