| David Newman | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Gerald Newman August 18, 1944 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Occupation | politician |
David Gerald Newman (born August 18, 1944) is a politician in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1995 to 1999, and was a cabinet minister under Gary Filmon from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Canadian House of Commons in Winnipeg South Centre.
Newman was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and educated at the University of Manitoba and Dalhousie University, receiving an LL.B. from the latter institution in 1968.[1] He joined the firm of Newman, MacLean in 1968, and became a partner in 1973. Newman helped to found the firm of Newman & Company in 1978, and was a Senior Partner in Pitblado and Hoskin from 1985 to 1995, serving as its Chairman after 1989. He also President of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce in 1989-90. Newman has extensive experience in labour law, and has also been actively involved in environmental and aboriginal issues.
Newman was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1995 provincial election, winning the Winnipeg seat of Riel as a Progressive Conservative; he finished 441 votes ahead of his nearest opponent, Liberal Gord Steeves. In 1996, Newman chaired a task force looking into the restructuring of Manitoba's civil law.
He entered cabinet on January 6, 1997, serving as Minister of Energy and Mines[2] and Minister of Northern Affairs, with responsibility for Native Affairs, the Communication Economic Development Fund Act, the Fisheries Act (Part III) and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Newman opposed the efforts of an aboriginal community in Cross Lake to receive increased government compensation for land flooding in the Churchill River Diversion Project, noting that other bands in the area had previously accepted a negotiated settlement of more than $200 million.
The Progressive Conservatives were defeated by the New Democratic Party under Gary Doer in the 1999 provincial election, and Newman lost to NDP candidate Linda Asper by 274 votes in Riel. The following year, he ran as a candidate of the federal Progressive Conservative Party in Winnipeg South Centre, seeking to replace long-time MP Lloyd Axworthy. Although the seat is generally regarded as safe for the Liberal Party, Newman polled a credible second-place, losing to Liberal Anita Neville by 15231 votes to 10675.
Newman returned to his legal practice after his defeat, in the restructured firm of Pitblado Hoskin Asper. In 2003, he was hired to represent Ken Courchene, accused of mismanaging resources at the Virginia Fountaine Addiction Foundation in the Sagkeeng First Nation in northern Manitoba.
During the Conservative Party of Canada's 2004 leadership race, Newman backed the unsuccessful candidacy of Tony Clement.