Sharon Carstairs
Manitoba Liberal leader
Manitoba Liberal leader
-----------------------

Carstairs became leader of the [Manitoba Liberal Party](/wiki/Manitoba_Liberal_Party "Manitoba Liberal Party") in 1984, at a time when the party held no seats in the legislature. She came second to [Progressive Conservative](/wiki/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Manitoba "Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba") candidate [Charlie Birt](/wiki/Charlie_Birt "Charlie Birt") in a 1984 [by\-election](/wiki/By-election "By-election") in the south [Winnipeg](/wiki/Winnipeg "Winnipeg") [electoral district](/wiki/Electoral_district_%28Canada%29 "Electoral district (Canada)") of [Fort Garry](/wiki/Fort_Garry_%28electoral_district%29 "Fort Garry (electoral district)"), but was elected for the central Winnipeg district of [River Heights](/wiki/River_Heights_%28electoral_district%29 "River Heights (electoral district)") in the [1986 provincial election](/wiki/1986_Manitoba_general_election "1986 Manitoba general election"), defeating incumbent Tory [Warren Steen](/wiki/Warren_Steen "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](/wiki/1988_Manitoba_general_election "1988 Manitoba general election"), which saw the [New Democratic Party of Manitoba](/wiki/New_Democratic_Party_of_Manitoba "New Democratic Party of Manitoba") under [Howard Pawley](/wiki/Howard_Pawley "Howard Pawley") reduced from government to [third party](/wiki/Third_party_%28politics%29 "Third party (politics)") status, and the election of a Progressive Conservative [minority government](/wiki/Minority_government "Minority government") under [Gary Filmon](/wiki/Gary_Filmon "Gary Filmon"). Carstairs' Liberals won 20 of 57 seats for their best showing since 1953, largely by drawing many centre\-left voters from the NDP. Carstairs became [leader of the opposition](/wiki/Leader_of_the_Opposition_%28Manitoba%29 "Leader of the Opposition (Manitoba)"), the first woman to hold such a position in any Canadian legislature.

Having led the party out of almost 20 years in the political wilderness, it initially seemed that Carstairs had a strong opportunity to lead the Liberals to victory in the following election. Had she done so, she would have become the first woman elected in her own right as a provincial premier in Canada. The [1990 election](/wiki/1990_Manitoba_general_election "1990 Manitoba general election"), however, saw the Tories returned with a [majority government](/wiki/Majority_government "Majority government") and a resurgent NDP under [Gary Doer](/wiki/Gary_Doer "Gary Doer") regain official opposition status. The Liberals were reduced to only seven seats. Many Liberals felt Carstairs had squandered their best chance in three decades to form government.

A strong opponent of the [Meech Lake Accord](/wiki/Meech_Lake_Accord "Meech Lake Accord"), Carstairs remained party leader and, in 1992, campaigned for the "No" side on the [Charlottetown Accord](/wiki/Charlottetown_Accord "Charlottetown Accord"), with financial assistance from former party leader [Israel Asper](/wiki/Israel_Asper "Israel Asper"). Her efforts were opposed by others in the Liberal Party, and she frequently argued with [Lloyd Axworthy](/wiki/Lloyd_Axworthy "Lloyd Axworthy") on constitutional matters. Carstairs resigned as party leader in 1993 and was succeeded by MLA [Paul Edwards](/wiki/Paul_Edwards_%28politician%29 "Paul Edwards (politician)"). The party has continued to decline since her departure, and has never come anywhere near as close to winning government as it did in 1988; it has only briefly held [official party status](/wiki/Official_party_status "Official party status") for slightly more than a year in 2018–19 since.

In 1993, Carstairs published an autobiography entitled *Not One of the Boys*.


Why didn't the Liberals win government in any of the subsequent elections?