Wilbert James Tinkler

Wilbert James Tinkler was a farmer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as president of the province's Manitoba Social Credit Party for at least some of the period between 1947 to 1959, and ran several times at the provincial and federal levels as a Social Credit candidate.

Tinkler became the president of the Social Credit league at a time when it had only a minimal presence in the legislature, and a weak provincial organization. The party had joined the governing coalition of Premier John Bracken in 1940, and its parliamentary representation was subsequently regarded as little more than an adjunct to the province's Liberal-Conservative government. Several figures within the party had campaigned against the alliance in 1941, but all were defeated. The party's organization subsequently collapsed, and it offered no candidates for election in 1949.

Social Credit did not have an official political leader between 1941 and at least 1959. Tinkler, as its leading official for most of this period, was not a prominent public figure, though he did help reconstruct some semblance of a provincial network for the party. He was replaced as party president by S.S. Hunt of Dauphin in late June 1953, but appears to have regained this title later in the decade. Tinkler continued to work in the party after Jacob Froese became its official leader following the 1959 election.

Tinkler outlined his basic political philosophy during a speech in the 1953 provincial election. He claimed to follow four principles: (i) the individual is the most important aspect of God's creation, (ii) government should bring the people the results they want, (iii) security must be accompanied by freedom, and (iv) that which is physically possible and desirable must be made financially possible (Source: "Winnipeg Free Press", 6 June 1953). These principles are consistent with Social Credit's radical ideology on monetary issues, and its basic conservatism on most other issues.

The Social Credit League of Manitoba did not field any candidates in the 1959 provincial election. Tinkler endorsed the Liberal candidate in the Morris constituency, and was censured by the party executive for so doing. He claimed he was simply endorsing a local candidate, and that his actions did not reflect official Social Credit policy.

Tinkler ran for federal and provincial office on six occasions:

*Macdonald, 1945 (federal); 1235 votes (winner: William Gilbert Weir, L-P)
*Morris, 1953 (provincial); 844 votes (winner: Harry Shewman, Ind)
*Provencher, 1953 (federal); 1269 votes (winner: Rene Jutras, Lib)
*Provencher, 1958 (federal); 1363 votes (winner: Warner Jorgenson, PC)
*Morris, 1962 (provincial); 609 votes (winner: Harry Shewman, PC)
*Provencher, 1965 (federal); 1195 votes (winner: Warner Jorgenson, PC)