[1] Lauchlan was an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada, and was the President of Mount Royal College in Calgary during the 1970s.
On November 30, 1980, Lauchlan was elected leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, defeating Hugh Moran by 493 votes to 300.
The Manitoba Liberals were in a precarious position in this period, holding only one seat in the provincial legislature (that of June Westbury, who replaced Axworthy in the by-election).
With the electorate polarized between the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats, the Liberals were unable to present themselves as a viable alternative.
In the general election of 1981, Lauchlan finished a poor third in the riding of Wolseley and the Liberal Party was eliminated from the legislature for the only time in its history.