Greg Selinger

The Honourable Doctor
Greg Selinger
MLA, BSW, MPA, PhD
21st Premier of Manitoba
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 19, 2009
Lieutenant Governor Philip S. Lee
Preceded by Gary Doer
Manitoba Minister of Finance
In office
October 5, 1999 – September 8, 2009
Premier Gary Doer
Preceded by Harold Gilleshammer
Succeeded by Rosann Wowchuk
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 21, 1999
Preceded by Neil Gaudry
Constituency St. Boniface
Winnipeg City Councillor
In office
October 25, 1989 – October 28, 1992
Preceded by Guy Savoie
Constituency St. Boniface
Personal details
Born Gregory Francis Selinger[1]
February 16, 1951
Regina, Saskatchewan[2]
Political party New Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Claudette Toupin
Alma mater London School of Economics
Queen's University
University of Manitoba
Occupation municipal and provincial politician
Profession academic
Website gregselinger.ca

Gregory Francis "Greg" Selinger, MLA (born February 16, 1951)[3] is a Canadian politician. He has been serving as the 21st Premier of Manitoba since October 19, 2009,[4][5][6] leading an NDP government. From 1999 to 2009 he was the Minister of Finance in the government of his immediate predecessor, Gary Doer.[4][5][6][7] Selinger has been the member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Boniface since 1999.[4]

Early life and education

Selinger was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, the son of Margaret Eva (Crawford) and Nicodemus Selinger.[8][9] He came to Manitoba from Saskatchewan as a child with his single mother, who ran a small clothing store in Winnipeg.[10]

Selinger received a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Manitoba, a Master of Public Administration from Queen's University, and a PhD from the London School of Economics.[5][6][7][10][11][12]

Before entering politics, he worked as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba,[11] and sat on the boards of the St. Boniface Hospital, the St. Boniface Museum, the Community Income Tax Service Boards, and as President of the Old St. Boniface Residents Association.[5][6][12]

Municipal politics

After joining an alliance of progressive municipal politicians called Winnipeg into the '90s in the late 1980s, Selinger was elected to the Winnipeg City Council in 1989[13] as a candidate of the alliance in St. Boniface,[12] defeating incumbent Guy Savoie.[10] During his time as a city councillor, Selinger was a member of the Executive Policy Committee and was the Chair of the Committee on Finance and Administration.[7][10][12]

In 1992, Selinger ran for Mayor of Winnipeg and came in second place, losing to Susan Thompson.[10][13][14] Some have attributed his loss to his refusal to accept corporate and union donations, which he based on principle.[10]

Post municipal career

Following his failed mayoral bid, Selinger stepped back from politics and return to teaching at the University of Manitoba.[15]

Provincial politics

Minister of Finance

Selinger was easily elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1999,[4] defeating his closest opponent, Liberal Jean-Paul Boily, by 5439 votes to 2994 in the Winnipeg riding of St. Boniface.[16]

Selinger was appointed Minister of Finance, after the 1999 election,[12] in Gary Doer's first cabinet, and was also given responsibility for French Language Services, the administration of the Crown Corporations Review and Accountability Act and the administration of the Manitoba Hydro Act.[4] In his ten years as Minister of Finance, Selinger balanced every budget.[17] On January 17, 2001, he was also given responsibility for the Civil Service.[4]

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.[4]

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[4][5] with almost 75% of the vote in his riding.[18] On November 4, 2003, he was relieved of responsibilities for the Liquor Control Act;[4] 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.

He was re-elected in the 2007 provincial election.[4][5][19]

On June 28, 2007, Selinger regained responsibility for the administration of the Liquor Control Act and was charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act.[4]

Premier

On September 8, 2009, Selinger resigned from his cabinet position and announced his candidacy for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba.[20][21] He was running against fellow cabinet ministers Steve Ashton and Andrew Swan[11] until Swan dropped out of the race on September 28.[22][23] The leadership convention took place on October 17, 2009.[21] Rosann Wowchuk replaced Selinger as interim Minister of Finance.[24] He defeated his leadership rival, Steve Ashton, taking 1,317 votes among delegates, to Ashton's 685.[25][26] Selinger was sworn in as Premier of Manitoba by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on October 19, 2009, the same day that Gary Doer was sworn in as Canadian Ambassador to the United States.[25] Despite predictions of defeat, Selinger led the NDP to its fourth straight majority government in the October 2011 general election, surpassing Doer's record and winning 37 seats.

In April 2013, the Selinger government reneged on an earlier promise to not increase sales taxes by implementing a 1% increase in the provincial sales tax rate from 7% to 8%, which resulted in a precipitous decline in popular support for the government and, ultimately, a caucus revolt against Selinger's leadership culminating in the resignation of five cabinet ministers.[27][28] Due, in part, to the unpopularity of the tax increase, the NDP fell far behind the Opposition Progressive Conservatives in public opinion polls. In the fall of 2014 several cabinet ministers privately asked Selinger to resign in hopes that the party would recover under a new leader, he declined. In September 2014, during a caucus retreat, several MLAs openly told Selinger he needed to resign but he refused.[28] A month later, at the end of October Jennifer Howard, (Fort Rouge), minister of finance, Stan Struthers, (Dauphin), minister of municipal government, Theresa Oswald, (Seine River), minister for jobs and the economy, Andrew Swan, (Minto), minister of justice and Erin Selby, (Southdale), minister of health.[29] and several senior party officials went public with their call for Selinger's resignation.[28] On November 3, the five ministers resigned from cabinet due to their opposition to Selinger's continued leadership but remained in the NDP caucus as backbench MLAs. Selinger responded on November 9 by asking the party executive to hold a leadership election during the party's annual convention scheduled for March 6-8, 2015, stating his intention to be a candidate.[30] The party executive subsequently agreed. Theresa Oswald, one of the five rebel ex-ministers, challenged Selinger for the leadership as did Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Steve Ashton who had not protested against Selinger but who resigned from cabinet to enter leadership contest.[31] At the March 8, 2015 leadership election, Ashton was eliminated on the first ballot and Selinger prevailed on the second ballot with 50.93% of ballots cast, defeating Oswald by 33 votes.[32]

Electoral record

New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election, 2009
Candidate Votes Percentage
Greg Selinger 1,317 65.75%
Steve Ashton 685 34.20%
Spoiled ballots 1 0.05%
Total 2,003 100.00%
Manitoba general election, 2007: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
     New Democratic Party Greg Selinger 5,090 66.04 -8.3 $16,599.60
LiberalGilbert Laberge 1,049 13.61 0.82 $3,582.87
     Progressive Conservative Jennifer Tarrant 993 12.88 1.65 $722.42
GreenAlain Landry 530 6.88 6.88 $378.57
     Communist Thane-Dominic Carr 45 0.58 0.58 $373.97
Total valid votes 7,707 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 7,745 59.56
Electors on the lists 13,004
Manitoba general election, 2003: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
     New Democratic Party Greg Selinger 4,904 74.34
LiberalDougald Lamont 952 14.43 –
     Progressive Conservative Dan Zahari 741 11.23
Total valid votes 6597 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 6635 52.19
Electors on the lists 12,712
Manitoba general election, 1999: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
     New Democratic Party Greg Selinger 5,439 56.57
LiberalJean-Paul Boily 2,994 31.14 –
     Progressive Conservative Robert Olson 1,181 12.28
Total valid votes 9614 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 63
Turnout 9677 74.35
Electors on the lists 13,015
1992 Winnipeg mayoral election
Candidate Votes Percentage
Susan Thompson 89,743 39.01%
Greg Selinger 75,123 32.66%
Dave Brown 31,859 13.85%
Ernie Gilroy 26,001 11.30%
Natalie Pollock 1,311 0.57%
Dan Zyluk 833 0.36%
Darryl Soshycki 727 0.32%
Walter Diawol 553 0.24%
Menardo A. Caneda 534 0.23%
Martin Barnes 526 0.23%
James W. Miller (Pin The Elder) 500 0.22%
Bryan R. Benson 491 0.21%
Bob McGugan 433 0.19%
Charles-Alwyn Scotlend 421 0.18%
Ed Hay 374 0.16%
Aurel Joseph Prefontaine 348 0.15%
Rudolph Parker 267 0.12%
Total 230,044 100.00%

References

  1. ↑ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/r/a/Juliann-Crawford/ODT2-0001.html
  2. ↑ http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/nextpremier/candidateprofiles/2009/10/09/11359931.html
  3. ↑ "Greg Selinger". New Democratic Party of Manitoba. 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 "MLA Biographies - Living". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. November 4, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "About Greg". Greg Selinger for Premier of Manitoba. Greg Selinger Campaign. 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Executive Council – Greg Selinger". Government of Manitoba. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Munroe, Susan. "Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger". About.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ http://www.coastreporter.net/mother-of-manitoba-premier-greg-selinger-has-died-at-the-age-of-85-1.1197721
  9. ↑ http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-215232/name-Margaret_Selinger/order-publish_date%7CDESC,last_name%7CASC,first_name%7CASC/
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Lett, Dan (October 11, 2009). "One will be premier: Greg Selinger". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kusch, Larry (September 12, 2009). "Out of the starting gate". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Annual Report 2002–2003" (PDF). Manitoba Round Table for Sustainable Development. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2004. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Historical Results". City of Winnipeg – City Clerk's Department. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ 1992 "Election Archive – 1966 to 1995 Mayoralty Results". City of Winnipeg – City Clerk's Department. January 16, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  15. ↑ http://todaysndp.ca/greg-selinger
  16. ↑ "St. Boniface". Summary of Electoral Results – 1999 General Election. Elections Manitoba. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Manitoba's Doer resigns as premier". Toronto Star (Star Media Group). August 27, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  18. ↑ "St. Boniface — Official Results — 2003 Provincial Election". Elections Manitoba. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  19. ↑ "St. Boniface — Official Results — 2007 Provincial Election". Elections Manitoba. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  20. ↑ Turenne, Paul (September 8, 2009). "Selinger joins the premier race". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Keele, Jeff (September 8, 2009). "Greg Selinger Enters Race". Global TV. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Swan bows out of NDP race". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 28, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ Turenne, Paul (September 28, 2009). "Swan drops out of NDP race". Winnipeg Sun (Sun Media). Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  24. ↑ "PREMIER APPOINTS INTERIM MINISTERS" (Press release). Government of Manitoba. September 14, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Selinger picked as Manitoba's next NDP premier". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 17, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ Welch, Mary Agnes (October 17, 2009). "Selinger wins NDP leadership race". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Manitoba NDP leadership: Greg Selinger re-elected, remains premier". CBC News. March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "A timeline of the Manitoba NDP leadership crisis". Metro. March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  29. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-revolt-5-ministers-resign-from-premier-greg-selinger-s-cabinet-1.2821632
  30. ↑ http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/manitoba-premier-greg-selinger-will-face-party-leadership-vote-in-march-282069911.html
  31. ↑ "BREAKING: Steve Ashton enters Manitoba NDP leadership rac". Global News. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Greg Selinger remains leader of Manitoba NDP, province's premier". CBC News. March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greg Selinger.
Political offices
Preceded by
Gary Doer		 Premier of Manitoba
October 19, 2009 – present 		Incumbent
President of the Executive Council of Manitoba
October 19, 2009 – present
Manitoba Minister of Federal/Provincial Relations
October 19, 2009 – present
Preceded by
Harold Gilleshammer		 Manitoba Minister of Finance
October 5, 1999 – September 8, 2009 		Succeeded by
Rosann Wowchuk
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Preceded by
Neil Gaudry		 Member of the Legislative Assembly for St. Boniface
September 21, 1999 – present 		Incumbent
Winnipeg City Council
Preceded by
Guy Savoie		 City Councilor for St. Boniface
October 25, 1989 – October 28, 1992 		Succeeded by
Unknown
Party political offices
Preceded by
Gary Doer		 Leader of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba
October 17, 2009 – present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by
David Alward
as the Premier of New Brunswick		 Canadian order of precedence
as the Premier of Manitoba 		Succeeded by
Christy Clark
as the Premier of British Columbia
Preceded by
Philip S. Lee
as the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba		 Order of precedence in Manitoba
as the President of the Executive Council of Manitoba 		Succeeded by
Richard Scott
as Chief Justice of Manitoba