Ken Waddell
Encyclopedia
Ken Waddell is a politician
in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was the Mayor
of Neepawa
from 1998 to 2002, and sought the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
in its 2006 leadership election. He has also sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
.
, and holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Agriculture
from the University of Manitoba
(1970). He moved to Neepawa in 1971, and was an agriculture representative for the provincial government until becoming a farmer
and auctioneer. He began publication of the Neepawa Banner newspaper in 1989, and also owns the Rivers Banner in the nearby community of Rivers
. He was a regional director of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce in 1998-99.
Waddel has been a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba since 1982, apart from a stint as Manitoba director of the officially non-partisan Canadian Taxpayers Federation
from 1997 to 2002. He was narrowly elected as Mayor of Neepawa in the 1998 municipal election
.
During the buildup to the 1999 provincial election
, Waddell wrote an editorial piece criticizing the provincial New Democratic Party
's liberal perspectives on abortion
and gay rights. Among other things, he wrote that the NDP would "promote the gay lifestyle in schools, but [...] ignore the problems that this gross misrepresentation yields". The editorial was widely circulated during the campaign, and some have speculated that it led the NDP to temper its support for gay rights to prevent a loss of rural support. When questioned about the editorial in 2001, Waddell said that he never expected it to have an impact on the election. He also remarked that NDP leader Gary Doer
had, in his opinion, done a surprisingly good job as Premier of Manitoba
.
Waddell served as president of the Manitoba Smart Network in this period, and worked to expand high-speed internet services in small-town Manitoba. He ran for re-election as mayor in 2002
, but was defeated. In 2004, he was appointed to a two-year term as a director of the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association.
Waddell supported the Canadian Alliance
at the federal level in the early 2000s, and joined the successor Conservative Party of Canada
in 2003. He unsuccessfully sought the party's nomination for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
in the 2004 federal election
.
. Regarded as a long-shot candidate, he argued that the party should focus on rural issues and present a non-socialist alternative to the governing NDP. He rejected being labeled as a social conservative, although he said that he would focus his campaign on "family values
". He also wrote a Winnipeg Free Press
editorial during the campaign, entitled "It's time to get off socialist highway".
Many Progressive Conservatives admired Waddell's speaking abilities, but believed that his ideological views would be unacceptable to urban and some rural voters. He did not win any high-profile endorsements. He received 1,099 votes at the party's convention, about 12% of those cast.
, but lost to Stu Briese
. He later won the party's nomination for the northeast Winnipeg
division of Concordia, where he ran another long-shot campaign against NDP Premier Gary Doer. He was convincingly defeated. His wife Christine Waddell and son Mike Waddell were also Progressive Conservative candidates in this election.
's appointment to the Order of Canada
in July 2008. In June 2009, he indicated that he would consider seeking the Conservative Party of Canada
's open nomination for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
in the 2011 federal election.
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. Municipal results are taken from the Winnipeg Free Press, 29 October 1998, A13 and 28 October 2002, A10.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in 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...
, 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...
. He was the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Neepawa
Neepawa, Manitoba
Neepawa is a town in Manitoba, Canada located on the Yellowhead Highway at the intersection with Highway 5. its population was 3,298. Neepawa was incorporated as a town in 1883. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Langford and bordered to the north by the Rural Municipality of Rosedale....
from 1998 to 2002, and sought the leadership 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:...
in its 2006 leadership election. He has also sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
.
Publisher and mayor
Waddell was born and raised in Holland, ManitobaHolland, Manitoba
Holland, Manitoba is a community in the Rural Municipality of Victoria, in Manitoba.It is located at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 34, along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks....
, and holds a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
from the University of Manitoba
University 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...
(1970). He moved to Neepawa in 1971, and was an agriculture representative for the provincial government until becoming a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and auctioneer. He began publication of the Neepawa Banner newspaper in 1989, and also owns the Rivers Banner in the nearby community of Rivers
Rivers, Manitoba
Rivers is a town in the Canadian province of Manitoba located 40 kilometres northwest of Brandon. Rivers had a population of 1,193 people in the 2006 census. Rivers was named in 1908 after Sir Charles Rivers Wilson, Chairman of the Board of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway...
. He was a regional director of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce in 1998-99.
Waddel has been a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba since 1982, apart from a stint as Manitoba director of the officially non-partisan Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a Canadian federally incorporated, non-profit organization and taxpayers union that claims to have over 70,000 supporters across Canada. The organization advocates lower taxes, and a reduction of what it considers to be waste in government...
from 1997 to 2002. He was narrowly elected as Mayor of Neepawa in the 1998 municipal election
Manitoba municipal elections, 1998
The 1998 Manitoba municipal elections were held on October 28, 1998 to elect mayors, councillors and school trustees in various communities throughout Manitoba, Canada.-Brandon:...
.
During the buildup to the 1999 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
, Waddell wrote an editorial piece criticizing the provincial 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...
's liberal perspectives on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and gay rights. Among other things, he wrote that the NDP would "promote the gay lifestyle in schools, but [...] ignore the problems that this gross misrepresentation yields". The editorial was widely circulated during the campaign, and some have speculated that it led the NDP to temper its support for gay rights to prevent a loss of rural support. When questioned about the editorial in 2001, Waddell said that he never expected it to have an impact on the election. He also remarked that NDP leader 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...
had, in his opinion, done a surprisingly good job as Premier of Manitoba
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...
.
Waddell served as president of the Manitoba Smart Network in this period, and worked to expand high-speed internet services in small-town Manitoba. He ran for re-election as mayor in 2002
Manitoba municipal elections, 2002
The 2002 Manitoba municipal elections were held on October 23, 2002 to elect mayors, councillors and school trustees in various communities throughout Manitoba, Canada.-Brandon:...
, but was defeated. In 2004, he was appointed to a two-year term as a director of the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association.
Waddell supported the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
at the federal level in the early 2000s, and joined the successor Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in 2003. He unsuccessfully sought the party's nomination for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1904...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
.
Leadership candidate
Waddell ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba in 2006, following the resignation of Stuart MurrayStuart Murray
Stuart Murray is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and leader of the opposition in the Manitoba legislature from 2000 to 2006.-Early life and career:...
. Regarded as a long-shot candidate, he argued that the party should focus on rural issues and present a non-socialist alternative to the governing NDP. He rejected being labeled as a social conservative, although he said that he would focus his campaign on "family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....
". He also wrote a Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
editorial during the campaign, entitled "It's time to get off socialist highway".
Many Progressive Conservatives admired Waddell's speaking abilities, but believed that his ideological views would be unacceptable to urban and some rural voters. He did not win any high-profile endorsements. He received 1,099 votes at the party's convention, about 12% of those cast.
Candidate for the provincial legislature
Waddell sought the Progressive Conservative nomination for Ste. Rose in the 2007 provincial electionManitoba general election, 2007
The Manitoba general election held on May 22, 2007 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 36 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with nineteen seats. The Liberal...
, but lost to Stu Briese
Stu Briese
Stu Briese is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2007 provincial election, for the electoral division of Ste. Rose. Briese is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.-External links:*...
. He later won the party's nomination for the northeast Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
division of Concordia, where he ran another long-shot campaign against NDP Premier Gary Doer. He was convincingly defeated. His wife Christine Waddell and son Mike Waddell were also Progressive Conservative candidates in this election.
Since 2007
Waddell criticized Henry MorgentalerHenry Morgentaler
Henry Morgentaler, CM is a Canadian physician and prominent pro-choice advocate who has fought numerous legal battles for that cause.-Early life:...
's appointment to 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...
in July 2008. In June 2009, he indicated that he would consider seeking the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
's open nomination for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1904...
in the 2011 federal election.
Other
Despite his social conservatism on other matters, Waddell is an opponent of the death penalty.External links
Electoral record
All provincial electoral information is taken from Elections ManitobaElections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. Municipal results are taken from the Winnipeg Free Press, 29 October 1998, A13 and 28 October 2002, A10.