Current Manitoba Governor Jason Winters.
The Governor of Manitoba (originally Governor-General of Manitoba) is the chief executive of the Confederation of Manitoba. When the Britannic Design was drafted in 1781, the Governor-General (as he was then known) was selected by Parliament. This continued to be the case until 1808, when a revision of the Design allowed for the Governor to be chosen by the Royal Governors of Manitoba's individual provinces. Following the adoption of the Second Britannic Design in 1842, the Governor of Manitoba was popularly elected.
The first Governor-General of Manitoba was Francis Legge, who was sworn in at North City on 2 July 1782. Legge was a former governor of Nova Scotia who, along with Guy Carleton, had advocated for Quebec's inclusion in the Design. Carleton's influence may have been responsible for Legge's appointment as Governor-General of Manitoba. Legge's tenure as Governor-General was brief, as he died within a year of his appointment.
Other notable Governors of Manitoba include Douglas Sizer, who was the Liberal Party's nominee for Governor-General of the Confederation of North America in the 1898 Grand Council elections; Foster McCabe, who was a leading contender to replace Governor-General Henderson Dewey after the latter's death in May 1929; and Jason Winters, who was the Liberal nominee for Governor-General in the 1968 Grand Council elections.
| Governors of Manitoba |
|---|
| Francis Legge • Douglas Sizer • Foster McCabe • Jason Winters |