Even prior to Manitoba's entry into Confederation, the need for an upper house at the provincial level was seen to be questionable by many Canadians.
There, the Legislative Council had been retained and was seen as a means to protect the interests of religious and linguistic minorities inside the province.
In this, they easily gained the agreement of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, who firmly believed in the necessity of an unelected upper house.
Mackenzie's government agreed to provide aid, but demanded that the Legislative Council be eliminated as a cost-cutting measure.
Finally in 1876, following the mediation of Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris who had promised the recalcitrant councillors lucrative government positions elsewhere, the Legislative Council was abolished.