Thomas Greenway - Crystal City - and the roots of the provincial Liberal Party in Manitoba

Thursday morning I had the opportunity to visit with some of the students and staff at the Thomas Greenway School in Crystal City.

Greenway was the Premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, he focused his efforts on improving immigration to Manitoba, on improving competition in railway service, on improving conditions for farmers (for example undertaking the first major drainage programs), and on developing a province-wide education system.

A good fiscal manager, Greenway reduced the size of government administration and increased spending on health and education. He was a visionary who had led many to come from Ontario to southern Manitoba, he worked closely with Clifford Sifton who served as the provincial Justice Minister and later the federal minister responsible for immigration federally.

For more about Thomas Greenway see Battling for a Better Manitoba ( http://www.hrtlandbooks.com/books/battling.htm)


In the photo, I am standing with Bill Harding, Principal of the Thomas Greenway Middle School (grades 5-8) and Bev Leadbeater (our Liberal candidate in Turtle Mountain in 2003). Behind is a portrait of Thomas Greenway found in the entrance to the school.