Linda Asper is a politician 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...

. Originally a New Democrat, she joined the Liberal Party and then later returned to the New Democratic Party during the 1990s. She was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1999 to 2003.

Asper holds a Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 in Education, and had an extensive career as an educator before entering political life. She was a Winnipeg school trustee for the Seine River (Winnipeg)|Seine River division, and served as President of the Manitoba Teachers' Society

Manitoba Teachers' Society

The Manitoba Teachers' Society is the provincial trade union body for the teachers of Manitoba, Canada. It was founded in 1919, and currently has around 15,000 members...

 and Vice-President of the Canadian Teachers' Federation

Canadian Teachers' Federation

The Canadian Teachers' Federation is the national alliance of professional teacher organizations representing nearly 200,000 teachers throughout the country. The CTF is affiliated with Education International....

 for a period of time. Asper was also a member of the Faculty Council of 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...

, and served on the board of governors at St. Boniface College. In addition to her career in education, she was a member of the Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women.

In the 1990 provincial election

Manitoba general election, 1990

The Manitoba general election of September 11, 1990 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 30 out of 57 seats...

, Asper ran as a Liberal in the south Winnipeg riding of Niakwa. She 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 Jack Reimer

Jack Reimer

Jack Reimer is a Progressive Conservative politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 2007, and served in the government of Gary Filmon....

 by 4950 votes to 4301.

By 1999, Asper had crossed over to the New Democratic Party. In that year's 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....

, she was elected as a New Democratic for the Winnipeg riding of Riel, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent David Newman

David Newman (politician)

David Gerald Newman is a politician in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1995 to 1999, and was a cabinet minister under Gary Filmon from 1997 to 1999...

 4833 votes to 4559.

In April 2003, Asper announced that she was leaving politics to take a position with Education International

Education International

Education International is a global union federation of teachers' trade unions. Currently, it has 401 member organizations in 172 countries and territories, representing over 30 million education personnel from pre-school to university...

 an advocacy group based in Brussels, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Asper now promotes the rights of both children and educators on an international level, and has been a vocal opponent of child labour practices.

Linda Asper was the sister-in-law of the late Israel Asper.