1953). Easily returned as a Liberal-Progressive candidate in the 1953 election, Préfontaine was given the additional portfolio of Provincial Secretary on September 4, 1953. He held both cabinet positions until June 30, 1958, when the Campbell government resigned from office. Lloyd Stinson, leader of the Manitoba CCF, once described Préfontaine as an "independent spirit", and claimed he never seemed comfortable in the Campbell administration. Préfontaine was re-elected in the 1958 election. The Liberal-Progressives, who in one form or another had governed Manitoba since 1915, were defeated by Dufferin Roblin's Progressive Conservatives in this election, and Préfontaine moved with his party to the opposition benches. He was again re-elected in the 1959 election, but did not run in 1962. Préfontaine's son, René Préfontaine, was also active in politics, though ironically as a supporter of Roblin's Progressive Conservatives. It was on Edmond's advice that René turned down an offer to join the Roblin cabinet in 1959. Préfontaine died in Quebec City in 1971 following a lengthy illness. References 1898 births 1972 deaths Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs Franco-Manitoban people People from Eastman Region, Manitoba