Russell Paulley

Andrew Russell Paulley (November 3, 1909 – May 19, 1984) was a Canadian politician. He served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1959 to 1961, and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, from 1961 to 1969.

The son of Frederick Henry Paulley and Elizabeth Mary Partington, originally from Cerne Abbas, Dorset. Paulley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was educated in the city. In 1938, he married Mary Alice Sinclair. He moved to the suburb of Transcona and worked as a foreman upholsterer for the Canadian National Railway. Paulley served as mayor of Transcona from 1946 to 1949 and from 1952 to 1953. He also became a Freemason, and was involved in the province's socialist politics.

Paulley was a CCF candidate for St. Boniface in the federal election of 1949, finishing a distant second to Liberal Fernand Viau. He turned to provincial politics for the 1953 provincial election, and was elected for the riding of Kildonan—Transcona. After redistribution, he was re-elected for Radisson in 1958 and 1959.

The late 1950s was a period of transformation for the Manitoba CCF, as the federal party was in the process of merging with the Canadian Labour Congress to create the New Democratic Party. There was no strong opposition to the change in Manitoba, and the provincial CCF formally dissolved itself in 1961 to be succeeded by the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. On November 4, 1961, Paulley defeated Cliff Matthews and Hans Fries at a delegated convention to become the new party's leader.

The elections of 1962 and 1966 were disappointments for the Manitoba NDP. In the late 1950s, the CCF under Lloyd Stinson had made modest increases from its previous standing, and some party members believed that the NDP was well-positioned to replace the Liberals as the main opposition to Dufferin Roblin's Progressive Conservative government.

This did not occur. Roblin's government was fairly progressive, and won the support of many centre-left voters. Roblin was also a more popular figure than Paulley on a personal level. The Liberals, for their part, still had a support base in the province's rural and francophone communities, and were also able to win a few Winnipeg-area seats. The NDP fell from ten seats to seven in 1962. It recovered to eleven seats in 1966, but was still relegated to third-party status.

Paulley, who was re-elected on both occasions,

Paulley was one of several MLAs in the Winnipeg area to be targeted by a conservative "citizen's group" in the election of 1973. The group in question convinced the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties to avoid competing against each other in certain ridings, such that a single "anti-socialist" candidate could be offered. Facing Tory Phil Rizzuto as his only opponent, Paulley nevertheless won re-election by 6275 votes to 4151.

Paulley continued to serve as Minister of Labour throughout the second Schreyer government, also taking responsibility for the Civil Service Superannuation Act and Public Servants Insurance Act, and (after September 22, 1976) the Pension Benefits Act. He did not seek re-election in 1977, and did not play a significant role in public life following his retirement.

Paulley died on May 19, 1984.