Gary Filmon
Encyclopedia
Gary Albert Filmon, PC
, OC
, OM
(born August 24, 1942) is a Manitoba
politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier
from 1988 to 1999.
and subsequently worked as a civil engineer
. He entered public life in 1975, being elected to the Winnipeg City Council
. For the next four years, Filmon was a prominent member of Winnipeg's Independent Citizens' Election Committee, an unofficial alliance of right-wing Liberal and Progressive Conservative interests in the city.
. On January 16, 1981, Filmon was appointed Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
and Minister of the Environment in the government of Sterling Lyon
.
Lyon's Tories were defeated later in 1981 by the New Democratic Party
under Howard Pawley
, though Filmon was re-elected in the new riding of Tuxedo. He was elected to replace Lyon as party leader in 1983, defeating Brian Ransom
and Clayton Manness
at a delegated convention. At the time, Filmon was considered to be on the party's progressive wing. Supporters of Ransom would later allege that Filmon's campaign team had sponsored Manness's candidacy as a means of splitting the conservative vote.
Filmon's Tories narrowly lost the 1986 election, winning 26 seats against 30 for the NDP. This election was generally regarded as lacking in defining issues, and the two major parties were not seen as having many ideological divisions between them.
Howard Pawley's slender majority government fell in 1988 when a disgruntled NDP backbencher voted with the opposition on a confidence motion. In the subsequent election, the Manitoba Liberal Party
rose from one seat to twenty, taking seats away from both the Tories and the NDP in the process. The Tories dropped to 25 seats, but nevertheless emerged as the largest party in the legislature and formed a minority government
. Filmon himself was almost defeated by a Liberal candidate in Tuxedo.
The 1988-1990 parliament was most notable for its debates on the Meech Lake Accord
, which would have confirmed the distinct status of Quebec
within Canada
. The Pawley government had supported this initiative, but Filmon was initially opposed to it, and the Manitoba assembly refused to ratify the treaty (rather to the embarrassment of Progressive Conservative
Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
). Filmon eventually agreed to a compromise deal negotiated by Jean Charest
in 1990, but this came to nothing when New Democratic MLA Elijah Harper
refused to grant unanimous consent for debate before the bill's deadline. (Harper objected to the fact that the Accord did not recognize the rights of Canada's aboriginal peoples. See "Meech Lake Accord" and "Elijah Harper" for further details.)
In other matters, Filmon was closer to the policies of the Mulroney government. He supported the 1987 free trade
initiative, and worked in favour of the Charlottetown Accord
(a successor to Meech Lake) in 1992.
Filmon called an election in 1990, and campaigned on the need for a majority government. Despite the increased unpopularity of the Mulroney government at the federal level, Filmon's Tories were able to win over many voters who had supported the Liberals in 1988. His party won thirty seats, and the NDP re-emerged as the official opposition with twenty.
While not an ideological conservative in the tradition of Margaret Thatcher
, Filmon nonetheless presided over an austerity program of budget cuts. His government's measures resulted in a balanced budget in 1995, the province's first in 20 years. Filmon also permitted suburban regions to break away from the amalgamated city of Winnipeg, reversing the policies initiated by the Edward Schreyer
government in the early 1970s. In 1993, Filmon supported Kim Campbell
's bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
(Winnipeg Free Press, 13 June 1993).
Despite government cuts to social programs and urban development, Filmon's Tories were able to win re-election in 1995. This was due in part to the unpopularity of Bob Rae
's NDP government in neighbouring Ontario
, and concerns that the Manitoba NDP would govern in a similar manner if elected. Subsequently, the Filmon government privatized the province's telephone system [Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. recorded in its 2010 Management Proxy Circular, that Filmon was a director from 2003, currently receiving a director's annual retainer of $120,000 plus $20,000 as chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee] mandated balanced budgets, and took actions limiting the power of teacher's and nurse's unions. While Filmon avoided the excessive rhetoric of Ontario
Premier Mike Harris
(1995–2002), there were nevertheless strong similarities to the reforms instituted by these governments in the late 1990s.
In the late 1990s, the reputation of the Filmon government was damaged by a scandal involving vote-rigging in the 1995 election. A number of independent "aboriginal issues" candidates were alleged to have been commissioned by Progressive Conservative organizers to run in NDP ridings, in an attempt to split the left-of-centre vote. Filmon was not personally implicated, but a number of his senior aides were. Manitoba
also experienced increased unemployment during this period, with Filmon's popularity suffering as a result.
Notwithstanding these setbacks, Filmon sought a fourth mandate in late 1999. During this campaign, he announced that his government would undertake a further right-wing policy shift if re-elected. He promised half a billion dollars in new tax cuts, while claiming that he could simultaneously re-invest an identical amount into health and education. This announcement was greeted with skepticism from many voters, and the Tories lost to Gary Doer
's New Democrats by 32 seats to 24 (the Liberals were reduced to one seat, as many Liberal voters from 1995 shifted to the NDP). Filmon resigned as party leader in 2000, and stood down as an MLA in the same year.
on October 4, 2001, which necessitated an appointment to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
. He was promoted to chair of SIRC on June 24, 2005 following the retirement of Paule Gauthier
.
Filmon has also worked as a business consultant since his retirement from office. In 2003, he was commissioned by the government of British Columbia
to undertake a survey of forest fires in that province. On June 22, 2005, at the Annual General Meeting of the Exchange Industrial Income Fund (EIF.UN-X), Filmon was elected as the chairman of the board of trustees for the ensuing year. Filmon currently (2006) sits on the board of directors of MTS http://www.mts.mb.ca/, the public telephone utility his government privatized after promising not to do so.
In February 2006, Filmon was considered to replace Frank McKenna
as Canadian Ambassador to the United States. In the end, Michael Wilson
was appointed to this post.
In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
"for his contributions to public office and to the province of Manitoba, as well as for his continuing leadership on numerous provincial and national boards, committees and organizations".
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, OC
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, OM
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
(born August 24, 1942) is a Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
from 1988 to 1999.
Early life and municipal career
Filmon was born in Winnipeg, and is of partly Polish background. He was educated at the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
and subsequently worked as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. He entered public life in 1975, being elected to the Winnipeg City Council
Winnipeg City Council
The Winnipeg City Council is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors.-2006-2010:Council elected in the 2006 election:-2010-2014:...
. For the next four years, Filmon was a prominent member of Winnipeg's Independent Citizens' Election Committee, an unofficial alliance of right-wing Liberal and Progressive Conservative interests in the city.
Provincial politics
In 1979, Filmon won a by-election to the Manitoba legislature in the riding of River Heights, held after the resignation of former Tory leader Sidney SpivakSidney Spivak
Sidney Spivak was a Manitoba politician. He was a Cabinet Minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin, Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon, and was himself leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1971 to 1975.Spivak was born to a Jewish family in Winnipeg, and was educated at...
. On January 16, 1981, Filmon was appointed Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Manitoba)
The Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs is a former cabinet position in the government of Manitoba, Canada.The position initially emerged from the offices of Provincial Secretary and Minister of Public Works in the late 1960s...
and Minister of the Environment in the government of Sterling Lyon
Sterling Lyon
Sterling Rufus Lyon, PC, OC was a lawyer, cabinet minister, and the 17th Premier of Manitoba, Canada from 1977 to 1981. His government introduced several fiscally-conservative measures, and was sometimes seen as a local version of the government of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom...
.
Lyon's Tories were defeated later in 1981 by the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
under Howard Pawley
Howard Pawley
Howard Russell Pawley, PC, OC, OM is a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th Premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988.-Personal life:...
, though Filmon was re-elected in the new riding of Tuxedo. He was elected to replace Lyon as party leader in 1983, defeating Brian Ransom
Brian Ransom
Brian Ransom was a Manitoba politician. In 1983, he unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba....
and Clayton Manness
Clayton Manness
Clayton Manness is a Manitoba politician. In 1983, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba....
at a delegated convention. At the time, Filmon was considered to be on the party's progressive wing. Supporters of Ransom would later allege that Filmon's campaign team had sponsored Manness's candidacy as a means of splitting the conservative vote.
Filmon's Tories narrowly lost the 1986 election, winning 26 seats against 30 for the NDP. This election was generally regarded as lacking in defining issues, and the two major parties were not seen as having many ideological divisions between them.
Howard Pawley's slender majority government fell in 1988 when a disgruntled NDP backbencher voted with the opposition on a confidence motion. In the subsequent election, the Manitoba Liberal Party
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
rose from one seat to twenty, taking seats away from both the Tories and the NDP in the process. The Tories dropped to 25 seats, but nevertheless emerged as the largest party in the legislature and formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. Filmon himself was almost defeated by a Liberal candidate in Tuxedo.
The 1988-1990 parliament was most notable for its debates on the Meech Lake Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
, which would have confirmed the distinct status of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
within Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Pawley government had supported this initiative, but Filmon was initially opposed to it, and the Manitoba assembly refused to ratify the treaty (rather to the embarrassment of Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
). Filmon eventually agreed to a compromise deal negotiated by Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
in 1990, but this came to nothing when New Democratic MLA Elijah Harper
Elijah Harper
Elijah Harper is an Aboriginal Cree Canadian politician and band chief. He was a key player in the rejection of the Meech Lake Accord, an attempt at Canadian constitutional reform.- Early life :...
refused to grant unanimous consent for debate before the bill's deadline. (Harper objected to the fact that the Accord did not recognize the rights of Canada's aboriginal peoples. See "Meech Lake Accord" and "Elijah Harper" for further details.)
In other matters, Filmon was closer to the policies of the Mulroney government. He supported the 1987 free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
initiative, and worked in favour of the Charlottetown Accord
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
(a successor to Meech Lake) in 1992.
Filmon called an election in 1990, and campaigned on the need for a majority government. Despite the increased unpopularity of the Mulroney government at the federal level, Filmon's Tories were able to win over many voters who had supported the Liberals in 1988. His party won thirty seats, and the NDP re-emerged as the official opposition with twenty.
While not an ideological conservative in the tradition of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, Filmon nonetheless presided over an austerity program of budget cuts. His government's measures resulted in a balanced budget in 1995, the province's first in 20 years. Filmon also permitted suburban regions to break away from the amalgamated city of Winnipeg, reversing the policies initiated by the Edward Schreyer
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer , commonly known as Ed Schreyer, is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation....
government in the early 1970s. In 1993, Filmon supported Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
's bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
(Winnipeg Free Press, 13 June 1993).
Despite government cuts to social programs and urban development, Filmon's Tories were able to win re-election in 1995. This was due in part to the unpopularity of Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's NDP government in neighbouring Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and concerns that the Manitoba NDP would govern in a similar manner if elected. Subsequently, the Filmon government privatized the province's telephone system [Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. recorded in its 2010 Management Proxy Circular, that Filmon was a director from 2003, currently receiving a director's annual retainer of $120,000 plus $20,000 as chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee] mandated balanced budgets, and took actions limiting the power of teacher's and nurse's unions. While Filmon avoided the excessive rhetoric of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Premier Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
(1995–2002), there were nevertheless strong similarities to the reforms instituted by these governments in the late 1990s.
In the late 1990s, the reputation of the Filmon government was damaged by a scandal involving vote-rigging in the 1995 election. A number of independent "aboriginal issues" candidates were alleged to have been commissioned by Progressive Conservative organizers to run in NDP ridings, in an attempt to split the left-of-centre vote. Filmon was not personally implicated, but a number of his senior aides were. Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
also experienced increased unemployment during this period, with Filmon's popularity suffering as a result.
Notwithstanding these setbacks, Filmon sought a fourth mandate in late 1999. During this campaign, he announced that his government would undertake a further right-wing policy shift if re-elected. He promised half a billion dollars in new tax cuts, while claiming that he could simultaneously re-invest an identical amount into health and education. This announcement was greeted with skepticism from many voters, and the Tories lost to Gary Doer
Gary Doer
Gary Albert Doer, OM is a Canadian diplomat and politician from Manitoba, Canada. Since October 19, 2009, he has served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States...
's New Democrats by 32 seats to 24 (the Liberals were reduced to one seat, as many Liberal voters from 1995 shifted to the NDP). Filmon resigned as party leader in 2000, and stood down as an MLA in the same year.
Post-political career
Filmon was appointed to the federal Security Intelligence Review CommitteeSecurity Intelligence Review Committee
The Security Intelligence Review Committee is an independent agency of the government of Canada empowered to oversee and review the operations of Canada's security service, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and investigate complaints against CSIS...
on October 4, 2001, which necessitated an appointment to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
. He was promoted to chair of SIRC on June 24, 2005 following the retirement of Paule Gauthier
Paule Gauthier
Paule Gauthier, PC, OC, OQ, QC is a Canadian lawyer, arbitrator and public servant.Born in Joliette, Quebec, she received a law degree from Université Laval in 1969. She is a senior partner in the law firm of Desjardins Ducharme Stein Monast and specialises in corporate and commercial law...
.
Filmon has also worked as a business consultant since his retirement from office. In 2003, he was commissioned by the government of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to undertake a survey of forest fires in that province. On June 22, 2005, at the Annual General Meeting of the Exchange Industrial Income Fund (EIF.UN-X), Filmon was elected as the chairman of the board of trustees for the ensuing year. Filmon currently (2006) sits on the board of directors of MTS http://www.mts.mb.ca/, the public telephone utility his government privatized after promising not to do so.
In February 2006, Filmon was considered to replace Frank McKenna
Frank McKenna
Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, QC is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006...
as Canadian Ambassador to the United States. In the end, Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson (politician)
Michael Holcombe Wilson, PC, CC is a Canadian diplomat, politician and business leader.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson attended Upper Canada College, Trinity College at the University of Toronto where he joined The Kappa Alpha Society...
was appointed to this post.
In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
"for his contributions to public office and to the province of Manitoba, as well as for his continuing leadership on numerous provincial and national boards, committees and organizations".