Markus Buchart
Encyclopedia
Markus Buchart is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was the first leader of the Green Party of Manitoba
, serving from 1999 until his resignation in March 2005. He is now a leading spokesperson for the Winnipeg Green Party
. Buchart was forty-four years old in October 2006.
degree from the University of Manitoba
and a Master's Degree
from McGill University
, both in Economics
. He was a provincial civil servant from 1986 to 1992, working for both Progressive Conservative
and New Democratic Party
governments on tax policy, federal-provincial relations and environmental policy. He left in 1992, disappointed with the government's environmental direction. He received a law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1995, and ran an independent law practice for several years before joining the downtown Winnipeg law firm of Tupper & Adams in 2004. His practice consists mainly of civil litigation. In late 2006, he moved to the firm of Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger.
Buchart has been active with several environmental, peace and social justice groups, and was an editor and writer for the local environmental quarterly Links Magazine from 1989 to 1998. In one 1995 article, he wrote that Manitoba civil servants had been instructed to write environmental laws and regulations so as to ensure that the government would not be held liable for lax enforcement. He has repeatedly called for Manitoba to improve its water safety legislation, noting that the provincial Environment Act exempts farmland from its provisions. Buchart criticized a water safety bill introduced by Steve Ashton
in 2004, arguing that while it would provide for effective testing, it would not prevent waste-runoff from entering the water system in the first place. He has also argued that the province ignored its own laws by allowing the City of Winnipeg to spray malathion
against mosquito
es.
Buchart opposed the True North Entertainment Centre's bid to construct an arena on the site of Winnipeg's old Eaton's building in 2002. He spearheaded a court challenge against the Assiniboine Credit Union
's decision to fund the project, describing the initiative as a risky venture for members (including himself). He later drew attention to the initial transfer of ownership for the Eaton's building, which was permitted on a sworn value of $10 and resulted in the non-payment of a provincial land transfer tax. Following criticism, the government imposed a transfer tax of $100,000. The property was valued at five million dollars in a subsequent transfer of ownership.
Gary Filmon
in the Tuxedo constituency. He declared his support for small business in this election, arguing that small enterprises provide jobs for local economies and cause less pollution than large companies. He also drew attention to the fact that several municipalities in southeastern Manitoba were donating public tax revenues to political parties, a practice that he strongly criticized.
The Green Party ran fourteen candidates in the 2003 election
, and ran a more visible campaign than in 1999. Buchart criticized the governing New Democratic Party's stewardship of the environment, and said that his party would amend the provincial Parks Act to provide protection to all parks. He campaigned in the Wolseley constituency, and received 1,193 votes (19.5%) for a second-place finish against New Democrat Rob Altemeyer
. No other GPM candidate received more than 7% support. Buchart's leadership was challenged by Nelson Morrison in November 2004, but he handily retained his position.
Buchart resigned as party leader in March 2005, saying that Green Party meetings and committees were being disrupted by a small group of "unruly and ungovernable" radical members. Six other members of the party executive resigned at the same time. Buchart argued that his opponents were more interested in "placard-waving protests" than in building a serious political party.
Buchart announced the creation of the Winnipeg Green Party
in May 2006, and campaigned under its banner in the 2006 municipal election
. The City of Winnipeg does not officially recognize parties, and all municipal Green candidates appeared on the ballot as independents. In addition to promoting environmental goals, the Winnipeg Greens called for Video Lottery Terminal
s to be removed from all bars, restaurants and city-owned casinos.
Buchart supported Jim Harris
's tenure as leader of the federal Green Party
, and campaigned for David Chernushenko to become Harris's successor in 2006.
and the City of Winnipeg. Expenditure entries refer to individual candidate expenses.
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 first leader of the Green Party of Manitoba
Green Party of Manitoba
The Green Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada, founded on November 11, 1998. The party is legally autonomous from the Green Party of Canada, though for several years many of its members also belonged to the Green Party of Canada in Manitoba, a federal...
, serving from 1999 until his resignation in March 2005. He is now a leading spokesperson for the Winnipeg Green Party
Winnipeg Green Party
The Winnipeg Green Party is a municipal political party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The party has been inactive recently and is possibly defunct.-2006 campaign:...
. Buchart was forty-four years old in October 2006.
Early life and private career
Buchart has a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree 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...
and a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, both in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He was a provincial civil servant from 1986 to 1992, working for both 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:...
and 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...
governments on tax policy, federal-provincial relations and environmental policy. He left in 1992, disappointed with the government's environmental direction. He received a law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1995, and ran an independent law practice for several years before joining the downtown Winnipeg law firm of Tupper & Adams in 2004. His practice consists mainly of civil litigation. In late 2006, he moved to the firm of Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger.
Buchart has been active with several environmental, peace and social justice groups, and was an editor and writer for the local environmental quarterly Links Magazine from 1989 to 1998. In one 1995 article, he wrote that Manitoba civil servants had been instructed to write environmental laws and regulations so as to ensure that the government would not be held liable for lax enforcement. He has repeatedly called for Manitoba to improve its water safety legislation, noting that the provincial Environment Act exempts farmland from its provisions. Buchart criticized a water safety bill introduced by Steve Ashton
Steve Ashton
Steve Ashton is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is a long-serving member of the Manitoba legislature, and is currently a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Greg Selinger....
in 2004, arguing that while it would provide for effective testing, it would not prevent waste-runoff from entering the water system in the first place. He has also argued that the province ignored its own laws by allowing the City of Winnipeg to spray malathion
Malathion
Malathion is an organophosphate parasympathomimetic which binds irreversibly to cholinesterase. Malathion is an insecticide of relatively low human toxicity, however one recent study has shown that children with higher levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites in their urine are more likely...
against mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es.
Buchart opposed the True North Entertainment Centre's bid to construct an arena on the site of Winnipeg's old Eaton's building in 2002. He spearheaded a court challenge against the Assiniboine Credit Union
Assiniboine Credit Union
Assiniboine Credit Union is a credit union based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and at the end of 2008 was the ninth largest credit union in Canada. ACU has 25 branches in Winnipeg and Northern Manitoba. The credit union merged with Astra and Vantis credit unions in 2007...
's decision to fund the project, describing the initiative as a risky venture for members (including himself). He later drew attention to the initial transfer of ownership for the Eaton's building, which was permitted on a sworn value of $10 and resulted in the non-payment of a provincial land transfer tax. Following criticism, the government imposed a transfer tax of $100,000. The property was valued at five million dollars in a subsequent transfer of ownership.
Political career
Buchart describes himself as a "blue-green", and is on the eco-capitalist wing of Canada's green movement. He was chosen as the Manitoba Green Party's first leader in 1999, one year after the party's creation. The Manitoba Greens fielded six candidates in the 1999 provincial election, and Buchart ran against Progressive Conservative PremierPremier 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...
Gary Filmon
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM 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.-Early life and municipal career:...
in the Tuxedo constituency. He declared his support for small business in this election, arguing that small enterprises provide jobs for local economies and cause less pollution than large companies. He also drew attention to the fact that several municipalities in southeastern Manitoba were donating public tax revenues to political parties, a practice that he strongly criticized.
The Green Party ran fourteen candidates in the 2003 election
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 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 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
, and ran a more visible campaign than in 1999. Buchart criticized the governing New Democratic Party's stewardship of the environment, and said that his party would amend the provincial Parks Act to provide protection to all parks. He campaigned in the Wolseley constituency, and received 1,193 votes (19.5%) for a second-place finish against New Democrat Rob Altemeyer
Rob Altemeyer
Rob Altemeyer is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature.Altemeyer was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was educated at the University of Manitoba where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master's Degree in Natural...
. No other GPM candidate received more than 7% support. Buchart's leadership was challenged by Nelson Morrison in November 2004, but he handily retained his position.
Buchart resigned as party leader in March 2005, saying that Green Party meetings and committees were being disrupted by a small group of "unruly and ungovernable" radical members. Six other members of the party executive resigned at the same time. Buchart argued that his opponents were more interested in "placard-waving protests" than in building a serious political party.
Buchart announced the creation of the Winnipeg Green Party
Winnipeg Green Party
The Winnipeg Green Party is a municipal political party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The party has been inactive recently and is possibly defunct.-2006 campaign:...
in May 2006, and campaigned under its banner in the 2006 municipal election
Winnipeg municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Winnipeg municipal election was held on October 25, 2006 to elect a mayor, councillors and school trustees in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.Sam Katz was re-elected Mayor of Winnipeg over left-leaning challenger Marianne Cerilli.-Council:...
. The City of Winnipeg does not officially recognize parties, and all municipal Green candidates appeared on the ballot as independents. In addition to promoting environmental goals, the Winnipeg Greens called for Video Lottery Terminal
Video Lottery Terminal
A Video Lottery Terminal or VLT is a gaming machine that allows gamblers to bet on the outcome of a video game.A VLT is similar to a slot machine, in that each terminal is a stand-alone device containing a random-number generator...
s to be removed from all bars, restaurants and city-owned casinos.
Buchart supported Jim Harris
Jim Harris (politician)
James R. M. "Jim" Harris is a Canadian author, environmentalist, and politician. He was leader of the Green Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006, when he was succeeded by Elizabeth May.-Early life and Green activism:...
's tenure as leader of the federal Green Party
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
, and campaigned for David Chernushenko to become Harris's successor in 2006.
Electoral record
All 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....
and the City of Winnipeg. Expenditure entries refer to individual candidate expenses.