- Greg Selinger
Gregory Selinger is a
politician inManitoba ,Canada . He has been a member of theLegislative Assembly of Manitoba since 1999, and serves as the Finance Minister in the government of New DemocraticPremier Gary Doer .Selinger was educated at the
University of Manitoba , Queen's University in Kingston,Ontario , and theLondon 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 theSt. Boniface Hospital andSt. Boniface Museum . He also served as a municipalcouncillor 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 calledWinnipeg 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, LiberalJean-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 federalNew 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; onOctober 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.
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