Gary Doer

Gary Doer

Gary Albert Doer (born March 31, 1948 in Winnipeg , Manitoba ) is a Canadian politician and diplomat . He was Prime Minister of Manitoba Province from October 5, 1999 to October 19, 2009 . Doer was minister in Howard Pawley's cabinet from 1986 . In 1988, the former trade union official was elected chairman of the social democratic New Democratic Party of Manitoba and took over government after eleven years in the opposition. Since resigning as Prime Minister, he has been Canada's Ambassador to Washington, DC

Professional life and entry into politics

Doers ancestors come from Germany and Wales . He studied political science and sociology at the University of Manitoba , but dropped out after a year. Instead, he worked in the prison system and rose to become vice director of Winnipeg Juvenile Prison . 1979 Doer was elected chairman of the Manitoba Government Employees 'Association (Manitoba Government Employees' Association) and held this office until 1986. He served in leadership roles in the Manitoba Federation of Labor and the National Union of Provincial Government Employees . He was also on the board of directors of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football club .

Doer had joined the New Democratic Party of Manitoba (NDP) in 1972 . In 1975 he resigned from the party in order to maintain the political neutrality of his union. At the beginning of 1986 he announced his entry into politics. In March of this year, he ran in the election for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and was elected in the constituency of Concordia , which is located in northeast Winnipeg. On April 17, Prime Minister Howard Pawley appointed him Minister for Urban Development. Pawley's government had only a small majority and failed on March 8, 1988, due to a vote of no confidence because a renegade NDP MP had supported the opposition.

In the opposition

After Pawley's resignation as party chairman, Doer was elected to his successor on March 30, 1988 at the NDP convention in Winnipeg, although he was only able to prevail in the third ballot with a narrow margin. He was not sworn in as Prime Minister as Parliament had already been dissolved. In the parliamentary elections at the end of April 1988 Doer could not avert the defeat of the NDP, which had been looming for a long time. He himself was able to keep his seat, but the party lost over a third of its voters and was only the third strongest force.

While the opportunity arose to form a coalition government with the Manitoba Liberal Party , Doer decided instead to informally support the Gary Filmon- led minority government of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba . The dominant political theme was the Meech Lake Accord , which aimed to supplement the Canadian constitution . The chairmen of Manitoba's three leading parties agreed in June 1990 to approve a compromise proposal by the federal government. However, the NDP MP Elijah Harper, a chief of the Cree , protested against the insufficient consideration of the interests of the indigenous people. Since the unanimity required by law did not materialize, the Meech Lake Accord could not be implemented.

In the elections in September 1990 the NDP was able to gain, but the progressive conservatives won an absolute majority of the seats. As chairman of the second largest party, Doer became the official opposition leader. He ceaselessly criticized the government's austerity measures in health and education. His party supported the Charlottetown Accord , which, like the failed Meech Lake Accord, provided for several constitutional amendments. However, this agreement was rejected in a nationwide referendum in 1992; Manitoba Province had the second highest opposition.

In April 1995 the NDP was again able to gain slightly in the elections, but the progressive conservatives remained in power. Filmon's government made further cuts in health and education. Doer criticized that these were only ideologically motivated and unnecessary from a financial point of view. He also opposed the privatization of the telecommunications company Manitoba Telephone System, without success .

prime minister

In the elections in September 1999, the NDP succeeded in ousting the progressive conservatives and gaining a majority of the seats. It was driven by promises to improve healthcare and not privatize the Manitoba Hydro electric company . Doer followed a course that resembles the " Third Way " of British Prime Minister Tony Blair . Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba appointed Doer as the new Prime Minister of Manitoba on October 5, 1999. At the same time, Doer took over the management of the Ministry of External Relations.

Doers government is seen as cautious and pragmatic, sometimes also as slightly conservative. It took over numerous positions of the previous government in its own program and - in contrast to previous NDP governments - held back when announcing and implementing new reform projects. Despite higher spending in the public health system, the state budget was consistently balanced, and the good economic situation made moderate tax cuts possible. In the elections in June 2003, the NDP was able to extend its lead.

In 2004 the provincial government passed a pioneering non-smoker protection law , which bans smoking in public buildings and in companies. The bill was supported by all parties and is the first of its kind in Canada. Other provinces have followed suit. Doer supported the Kyoto Protocol from the start . The government created a fund to finance projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The American business magazine BusinessWeek named Doer at the end of 2005 as one of the twenty most important people worldwide who are committed to climate protection . In the elections in May 2007, Doer's government was confirmed for the second time. Despite a slight decrease in the proportion of voters, the result was a seat gain.

On August 27, 2009, Doer announced surprisingly that he would not run for the 2011 elections and would step down soon; however, he did not give an exact date. The following day, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed him to succeed Michael Wilson as the new ambassador to Washington, DC The Doers' Assembly of Delegates appointed Treasury Secretary Greg Selinger to succeed him as Party Chairman and Prime Minister on October 17. Doer took up his new post two days later.

Web links

Commons : Gary Doer  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Gary Doer ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Gary Doer phenomenon ( memento of the original from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Maclean's, May 24, 2007  
2. ^ "Doer captures NDP helm in tight Manitoba race." Globe and Mail, March 31, 1988, p. A1.
3. ↑ "social program cuts unnecessary." Winnipeg Free Press , April 3, 1996, p A3.
4. ^ "Hydro sparks to fly in election." Winnipeg Free Press, March 8, 1999, p. A10.
5. ↑ "NDP redraws image for voters." Winnipeg Free Press, December 16, 1998, p A11.
6. ^ "Smoking ban 'historic'." Winnipeg Free Press, March 3, 2004, p. A1.
7. ↑ Leading the Way on Climate Change ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Department of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining of Manitoba  
8. ^ Doer named Canada's next US ambassador , CBC News, August 28, 2009
9. ↑ Selinger picked as Manitoba's next NDP premier , CBC News, October 17, 2009