Obie Baizley

William Obadiah Baizley (born May 25, 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, died May 3, 2000) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin and Walter Weir.

Baizley was educated at Glenlawn College in St. Vital, Manitoba and the Lincoln Chiropractic College in Indiana. He returned to Manitoba in 1937 and worked as a chiropractor, also serving as president of the Manitoba Chiropractors' Association before entering political life. During World War Two, he was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1959 provincial election, unexpectedly defeating CCF leader Lloyd Stinson by 326 votes in the south-central Winnipeg riding of Osborne. He served as a backbench supporter of Roblin's government for the next four years.

Re-elected without difficulty in the 1962 provincial election, Baizley was appointed to cabinet on February 27, 1963 as Minister of Labour. He held this position until September 24, 1968, serving under both Roblin and Weir in this capacity. He endorsed Walter Weir to succeed Roblin as PC leader in 1967.

Baizley was re-elected easily in the 1966 election, but lost to Ian Turnbull of the NDP by 623 votes in 1969. He did not seek a return to office after this time.

During the 1970s, Baizley was chair of the Manitoba Labour Board. He also served as president of Riverview United Church.