Greg Selinger
OM
21st Premier of Manitoba
In office
October 19, 2009 – May 3, 2016
MonarchElizabeth II
Lieutenant GovernorPhilip S. Lee
Janice Filmon
DeputyRosann Wowchuk
Eric Robinson
Kerri Irvin-Ross
Preceded byGary Doer
Succeeded byBrian Pallister
Leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party
In office
October 17, 2009 – May 7, 2016
Preceded byGary Doer
Succeeded byFlor Marcelino (Interim)
Manitoba Minister of Finance
In office
October 5, 1999 – September 8, 2009
PremierGary Doer
Preceded byHarold Gilleshammer
Succeeded byRosann Wowchuk
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Boniface
In office
September 21, 1999 – March 7, 2018
Preceded byNeil Gaudry
Succeeded byDougald Lamont
Winnipeg City Councillor
In office
October 25, 1989 – October 28, 1992
Preceded byGuy Savoie
ConstituencySt. Boniface
Personal details
Born
Gregory Francis Selinger

(1951-02-16) February 16, 1951
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada[1]
Political partyNew Democratic Party
SpouseClaudette Toupin
Alma materUniversity of Manitoba (BSW)
Queen's University (MPA)
London School of Economics (PhD)
OccupationAcademic
Websitegregselinger.ca

Gregory Francis Selinger OM (born February 16, 1951)[2] is a former Canadian politician who served as the 21st premier of Manitoba from 2009 until 2016,[3][4][5] leading an NDP government. From 1999 to 2009 he was the Minister of Finance in the government of his immediate predecessor, Gary Doer.[3][4][5][6] Selinger was the member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Boniface from 1999 until his resignation in early 2018.[3] His party was defeated by Brian Pallister and the Progressive Conservatives in the 2016 Manitoba general election.

Early life and education

Selinger was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, the son of Margaret Eva (Crawford) and Nicodemus Selinger.[7][8] He came to Manitoba from Saskatchewan as a child with his single mother, who ran a small clothing store in Winnipeg.[9]

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.[4][5][6][9][10][11]

Before entering politics, he worked as an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba,[10] 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.[4][5][11]

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[12] as a candidate of the alliance in St. Boniface,[11] defeating incumbent Guy Savoie.[9] 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.[6][9][11]

In 1992, Selinger ran for Mayor of Winnipeg and came in second place, losing to Susan Thompson.[9][12][13] Some have attributed his loss to his refusal to accept corporate and union donations, which he based on principle.[9] The 1992 civic election had 17 nominated candidates running for Mayor which resulted in votes getting split amongst several candidates similarly aligned on the political spectrum.[14]

Post municipal career

Following his failed mayoral bid, Selinger stepped back from politics and returned 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,[3] 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,[11] 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.[3] 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.[3]

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.[3]

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[3][4] with almost 75% of the vote in his riding.[18] On November 4, 2003, he was relieved of responsibilities for the Liquor Control Act.[3]

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.[3][4][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.[3]

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[10] 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 Progressive Conservatives in public opinion polls and never recovered. In the fall of 2014 several cabinet ministers privately asked Selinger to resign in hopes that the party would recover under a new leader, but 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 Minister of Finance Jennifer Howard (Fort Rouge), Minister of Municipal Government Stan Struthers (Dauphin), Minister for Jobs and the Economy Theresa Oswald (Seine River), Andrew Swan (Minto), Minister of Health Erin Selby (Southdale),[29] and several senior party officials went public with their call for Selinger's resignation.[28] Selinger asked ministers, labeled the "gang of five" in the media, to either disavow their public statements or quit. The five resigned on Monday, November 3. The same day Selinger said in a statement he was saddened by their decisions but had made it clear they could either "focus on the priorities of Manitoba families as part of our team, or resign." Selinger accepted the resignations of the five senior cabinet ministers and installed their replacements hours later.[30] On November 9, Selinger asked 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.[31] 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.[32]

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.[33]

Selinger's popularity never recovered after his party raised the PST in 2013. By the time the writs were dropped for the 2016 provincial election, the NDP had been well behind the Tories in opinion polling for almost four years. The NDP was heavily defeated, falling to only 14 seats, its smallest seat count in three decades.[34]

After politics

Selinger resigned as party leader following his government's defeat and returned to the backbench. Selinger announced on February 20, 2018, that he was resigning his seat in the legislature effective March 7, 2018. He continues to live in Winnipeg.

Electoral record

2016 Manitoba general election: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger3,62442.41-26.47$10,697.28
Progressive ConservativeMamadou Ka2,21125.87+7.97$18,430.93
LiberalAlain Landry1,66319.46+12.40$3,387.94
GreenSigne Knutson1,04812.26+6.09$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 8,54698.38-$45,064.00
Total rejected ballots 1411.62+1.18
Turnout 8,68763.67+4.17
Eligible voters 13,644
New Democratic hold Swing -17.22
Source: Elections Manitoba[35][36]
2011 Manitoba general election: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger5,91468.87+2.53$25,356.02
Progressive ConservativeFrank Clark1,53717.90+4.94$6,094.72
LiberalBrad Gross6067.06−6.58$641.00
GreenAlain Landry5306.17−0.74$96.10
Total valid votes 8,58799.56
Rejected and declined ballots 380.44
Turnout 8,62559.50
Electors on the lists 14,496
2009 New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election
Candidate Votes Percentage
Greg Selinger 1,317 65.75%
Steve Ashton 685 34.20%
Spoiled ballots 1 0.05%
Total 2,003 100.00%
2007 Manitoba general election: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger5,09066.04−8.30$16,599.60
LiberalGilbert Laberge1,04913.61−0.82$3,582.87
Progressive ConservativeJennifer Tarrant99312.88+1.65$722.42
GreenAlain Landry5306.88+6.88$378.57
CommunistThane-Dominic Carr450.58+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
2003 Manitoba general election: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger4,90474.34+17.77$18,257.78
LiberalDougald Lamont95214.43-16.71$5,020.72
Progressive ConservativeDan Zahari74111.23-1.05$769.27
Total valid votes 6,597 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 6,635 52.19
Electors on the lists 12,712
1999 Manitoba general election: St. Boniface
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger5,43956.57+24.56
LiberalJean-Paul Boily2,99431.14-14.34
Progressive ConservativeRobert Olson1,18112.28-6.79
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://www.winnipegsun.com/news/nextpremier/candidateprofiles/2009/10/09/11359931.html
  2. ↑ "Greg Selinger". New Democratic Party of Manitoba. 2010. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "MLA Biographies - Living". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. November 4, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About Greg". Greg Selinger for Premier of Manitoba. Greg Selinger Campaign. 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Executive Council – Greg Selinger". Government of Manitoba. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 Munroe, Susan. "Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger". About.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Mother of Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger has died at the age of 85 - Coast Reporter". Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  8. ↑ "MARGARET SELINGER Obituary". Winnipeg Free Press Passages. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lett, Dan (October 11, 2009). "One will be premier: Greg Selinger". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 Kusch, Larry (September 12, 2009). "Out of the starting gate". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "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.
  12. 1 2 "Historical Results". City of Winnipeg – City Clerk's Department. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Election Archive – 1966 to 1995 Mayoralty Results". City of Winnipeg – City Clerk's Department. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ "City of Winnipeg Elections" (PDF). City of Winnipeg Election Archives.
  15. ↑ "Greg Selinger - Manitoba NDP". Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ "St. Boniface". Summary of Electoral Results – 1999 General Election. Elections Manitoba. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. 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. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  19. ↑ "St. Boniface — Official Results — 2007 Provincial Election". Elections Manitoba. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  20. ↑ Turenne, Paul (September 8, 2009). "Selinger joins the premier race". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  21. 1 2 Keele, Jeff (September 8, 2009). "Greg Selinger Enters Race". Global TV. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Swan bows out of NDP race". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 28, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Swan bows out of NDP race". CBC News. September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  24. ↑ "PREMIER APPOINTS INTERIM MINISTERS" (Press release). Government of Manitoba. September 14, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  25. 1 2 "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. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Manitoba NDP leadership: Greg Selinger re-elected, remains premier". CBC News. March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  28. 1 2 3 "A timeline of the Manitoba NDP leadership crisis". Metro. March 8, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Manitoba revolt: 5 ministers resign from Premier Greg Selinger's cabinet". November 3, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Manitoba Premier Selinger appoints five new ministers after revolt". The Globe and Mail. November 3, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Manitoba premier Greg Selinger will face party leadership vote in March - Winnipeg Free Press". Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
  32. ↑ "BREAKING: Steve Ashton enters Manitoba NDP leadership rac". Global News. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Greg Selinger remains leader of Manitoba NDP, province's premier". CBC News. March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Brian Pallister's PCs win majority government in Manitoba". CBC News. April 19, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Candidates: 41st General Election". Elections Manitoba. March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  36. ↑ "41st General Election, April 19, 2016 - Official Results". Elections Manitoba. April 19, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
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