Ernest Draffin

Who was Ernest Draffin?

Ernest Richard "Ernie" Draffin was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1945 to 1949 as a member of the social-democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation.

The son of Ernest Richard Draffin and Margaret McGowan, Draffin was educated at Brooklands, Manitoba and at the Kiwanis Night School for Boys. He began working at Canadian National Telegraphs in 1925. Originally as a messenger, he later rose to the position of Chief Timekeeper, retiring in 1973. He was a member of the Commercial Telegraphers Union of America, and served on the provincial executive of the CCF. Draffin was also active in ice hockey and soccer. Draffin also served as president of the Manitoba Football Association, later the Manitoba Soccer Association, helped found the Manitoba Sports Federation and was technical director for soccer at the 1967 Pan American Games.

He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate David Best by 180 votes in the suburban Winnipeg constituency of Assiniboia. He served as an opposition member in the legislature for the next four years.