Gregory Selinger
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Gregory Selinger is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 1999, and serves as the Finance Minister in the government of New Democratic Premier Gary Doer.
Selinger was educated at the University of Manitoba, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the London School of Economics, receiving a Ph.D. from the latter institution. Before entering politics, he worked as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba, and sat on the boards of the St. Boniface Hospital and St. Boniface Museum. He also served as a municipal councillor in St. Boniface, Manitoba.
He was elected to the Winnipeg city council in 1989, defeating incumbent Guy Savoie in the Tache district (Selinger had previously accused Savoie of being involved a conflict-of-interest in overseeing changes to the city's development by-laws). During this election, Selinger was the candidate of a short-lived alliance of left-wing and progressive politicians called Winnipeg into the '90s.
In 1992, Selinger ran for Mayor of Winnipeg and placed a close second against the winner, Susan Thompson.
Selinger was easily elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1999, defeating his closest opponent, Liberal Jean-Paul Bolly, by 5439 votes to 2994 in the Winnipeg riding of St. Boniface.
Selinger was appointed Minister of Finance in Gary Doer's first cabinet, and was also given responsibility for French Language Services, administration of the Crown Corporations Review and Accountability Act and administration of the Manitoba Hydro Act. On January 17, 2001, he was also given responsibility for the Civil Service. He has presided over several balanced budgets in his Finance portfolio.
Following a cabinet shuffle on September 25, 2002, he was charged with the administration of the Liquor Control Act, while being relieved of his duties for the Manitoba Hydro Act.
In 2003, Selinger supported Bill Blaikie's campaign to lead the federal New Democratic Party.
Selinger was re-elected in the provincial election of 2003 with almost 75% of the vote in his riding. On November 4, 2003, he was relieved of responsibilities for the Liquor Control Act; on October 12, 2004, he was made responsible for the Public Utilities Board.
In January 2005, Selinger announced that his government would change its system of accounting for expenditures and revenues. This followed a request from Auditor General Jon Singleton, who criticized the government for listing crown corporation losses and other matters as off-budget spending. Selinger is considered a strong performer in the Doer Cabinet.
