Len Harapiak
Encyclopedia
Leonard Harapiak is a Manitoba
politician. He served in the NDP
government of Howard Pawley
, and narrowly lost the party's leadership to Gary Doer
in 1988.
A school principal and part-time farmer, Harapiak first ran for the Manitoba NDP in 1977 in the north-western riding of Swan River. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative
candidate Douglas Gourlay, but nonetheless impressed many in the party's leadership. Due to a physical resemblance, he was dubbed the "Ukrainian Bobby Kennedy", and was considered as a leadership candidate in 1979 when Edward Schreyer
resigned. He declined this offer.
Harapiak lost to Gourlay for a second time in 1981. He finally won the Swan River riding in 1986, defeating Gourlay by 65 votes. He joined Howard Pawley
's cabinet immediately after the election, being sworn in as Minister of Natural Resources on April 17, 1986. On September 21, 1987, he was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture.
After Pawley's government lost a vote of confidence in 1988, Harapiak ppNew Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election, 1988|ran for the Manitoba NDP leadership]] and did better than expected. He believed he had a chance of winning after placing a strong second on the first ballot, but was defeated by Gary Doer
on the third by 21 votes. He was defeated by Tory
Parker Burrell
in the general election which followed.
Harapiak subsequently left politics, and worked as a director at the Winnipeg Technical Centre. His sister, Rosann Wowchuk, was appointed as a cabinet minister in Gary Doer
's government in 1999.
He is also the brother of agronomist John Harapiak and Harry Harapiak
.
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 served in the NDP
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...
government of 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:...
, and narrowly lost the party's leadership 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...
in 1988.
A school principal and part-time farmer, Harapiak first ran for the Manitoba NDP in 1977 in the north-western riding of Swan River. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative
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:...
candidate Douglas Gourlay, but nonetheless impressed many in the party's leadership. Due to a physical resemblance, he was dubbed the "Ukrainian Bobby Kennedy", and was considered as a leadership candidate in 1979 when 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....
resigned. He declined this offer.
Harapiak lost to Gourlay for a second time in 1981. He finally won the Swan River riding in 1986, defeating Gourlay by 65 votes. He joined 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:...
's cabinet immediately after the election, being sworn in as Minister of Natural Resources on April 17, 1986. On September 21, 1987, he was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture.
After Pawley's government lost a vote of confidence in 1988, Harapiak ppNew Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election, 1988|ran for the Manitoba NDP leadership]] and did better than expected. He believed he had a chance of winning after placing a strong second on the first ballot, but was defeated by 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...
on the third by 21 votes. He was defeated by Tory
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:...
Parker Burrell
Parker Burrell
Parker Burrell is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1990, representing the northern riding of Swan River for the Progressive Conservative Party.Burrell was educated at The Pas, Manitoba, and received a Certificate of...
in the general election which followed.
Harapiak subsequently left politics, and worked as a director at the Winnipeg Technical Centre. His sister, Rosann Wowchuk, was appointed as a cabinet minister in 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 government in 1999.
He is also the brother of agronomist John Harapiak and Harry Harapiak
Harry Harapiak
Harry Harapiak was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley...
.