Stewart McLean

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For the CBC radio host see Stuart McLean

Stewart McLean (November 21, 1913-April 13, 1996) was a Manitoba politician. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin and Walter Weir, and unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba in 1967.

McLean was born and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba, and received a B.A. and an LL.B. from the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the Manitoba bar in 1945, and served as Mayor of Dauphin from 1955 to 1958.

In 1958, McLean was elected to the Manitoba legislature for the riding of Dauphin. A Progressive Conservative, McLean was appointed Minister of Education in the minority government of Dufferin Roblin. He retained this position after Roblin's Tories won a majority government in 1959, and was responsible for overseeing the consolidation of several school boards.

On December 9, 1963, McLean was shifted to the office of Attorney-General. He held this position until July 22, 1966, when he was appointed Provincial Secretary and Minister of Public Works.

Ideologically, McLean was a representative of the Progressive Conservative Party's right wing, and had difficulty accepting some of Dufferin Roblin's more innovative policies (for instance, "shared services" for separate schools).

When Roblin moved to federal politics in 1967, McLean was one of four candidates who sought to replace him. He placed third on the first ballot with 87 votes, and was eliminated on the second after falling to 73. Most of his supporters voted for Weir, the winning candidate, on the third and final ballot.

Weir initially kept McLean as Provincial Secretary and Public Works Minister, but shifted him to the Ministry of Transportation on September 24, 1968.

Weir's Tories were defeated by Edward Schreyer's New Democrats in 1969. McLean was personally defeated in by New Democrat Peter Burtniak, by 41 votes. He did not return to provincial politics after this.

McLean died in 1996.