Editing Rodmond Roblin (section)

==Early life and career==
Roblin was born in [[Sophiasburgh Township, Ontario|Sophiasburgh]], in [[Prince Edward County, Ontario|Prince Edward County]], [[Canada West]] (later [[Ontario]]). The Roblin family was established in Sophiasburgh by the Loyalist farmers Philip and Elizabeth Roblin from [[Monroe (village), New York|Smith's Clove (now known as Monroe)]] in [[Orange County, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uelac.org/education/WesternResource/403-Roblin.pdf |title=The Roblins of Manitoba |website=UELAC.org |access-date=August 26, 2022}}</ref> He was educated at Albert College in [[Belleville, Ontario|Belleville]], arrived in [[Winnipeg, Manitoba|Winnipeg]] in 1877, and worked as a [[grain trade|grain merchant]].  Roblin served as [[Reeve (Canada)|reeve]] of [[Dufferin, Manitoba|Dufferin]] for five years and as warden for two and was also a school trustee in the community.

He entered provincial politics in the [[1886 Manitoba general election|1886 Manitoba election]], running as a [[Liberal Party of Manitoba|Liberal Party]] candidate against the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Conservative]] [[cabinet minister]] [[David H. Wilson (politician)|David H. Wilson]] in the constituency of [[Dufferin (Manitoba provincial electoral district)|Dufferin North]]. He lost the race by five votes but won a subsequent by-election held on May 12, 1888.

The by-election took place shortly after [[Thomas Greenway]] had been inaugurated as Manitoba's first Liberal [[Premier of Manitoba|premier]]. Roblin was then a supporter of Greenway and was re-elected by acclamation when the new premier called [[1888 Manitoba general election|another provincial election]] for July 1888.

Although Greenway's Liberals won the election with a landslide majority, the new premier was unable to fulfill a campaign promise for the development of local railways.  The [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] had lost its formal monopoly in the region, but it remained the dominant line, and transportation costs remained high. Confronted with Greenway's failure, Roblin abandoned the government in 1889 and caucused with the small Conservative opposition.  With the death of [[John Norquay]] in the same year, Roblin emerged as the party's leading spokesman and was the Conservative Party's ''de facto'' leader in the legislature between 1890 and 1892.

In opposition, Roblin spoke against Greenway's proposed education reforms. After his failure to reform the provincial railway system, Greenway repudiated an earlier pledge and withdrew state support for Manitoba's [[Catholic]] and francophone education system. His reforms triggered a national political crisis known as the [[Manitoba Schools Question]]. Many Canadian francophones regarded Greenway's policy as discriminatory, but it was extremely popular with Manitoba's anglophone and Protestant majority.  Greenway's government was re-elected in the [[1892 Manitoba general election|1892 election]], and Roblin was personally defeated in the rural constituency, including the town of [[Morden, Manitoba|Morden]].

Greenway won another landslide victory in the [[1896 Manitoba general election|1896 election]], but Roblin was this time returned to the legislature for the constituency of [[Woodlands (Manitoba riding)|Woodlands]].  He became the parliamentary leader of the Conservatives for a second time but stood aside to allow [[Hugh John Macdonald]] to become the official leader of the party in 1897.

The [[1899 Manitoba general election|1899 provincial election]] was very different from the previous two campaigns. The schools question had been resolved in 1896, and Greenway was forced to defend a fairly-mediocre record on other issues against a more organized opposition. The result was a narrow victory for Macdonald's Conservatives, who won 22 of 40 seats.  Macdonald was inaugurated as premier early in 1900. Roblin, who was re-elected in Woodlands, but despite being was the main architect of the Conservative victory, he was left out of cabinet.