Neil Gaudry
Encyclopedia
Neil Gaudry was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1988 until his death, sitting as a Liberal.
Before entering public life, Gaudry worked as an accountant and office manager. He was the secretary-treasurer of Malcolm Construction Ltd. for twenty-five years, and was active in the community of Interlake before moving to Winnipeg in his later years.
Gaudry was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1988
, in the Winnipeg riding of St. Boniface. This historically francophone
riding had been represented by Laurent Desjardins
almost continuously since 1959; originally a Liberal, Desjardins crossed to the New Democratic Party
in 1969 and was re-elected four times under that party's banner. Desjardins retired in 1988 when the Manitoba NDP was experiencing a sharp decline in popularity, and Gaudry recaptured St. Boniface for the Liberals with well over 50% of the vote. The election was won by the Progressive Conservatives
, and Gaudry joined 19 other Liberals in the official opposition.
Gaudry was easily elected again in the 1990 election
, with only a slightly reduced plurality. His share of the popular vote fell to below 50% in the provincial election of 1995
, but he was still re-elected fairly easily, despite the Liberals winning only two other seats in the rest of the province.
The Manitoba Liberal Party experienced internal divisions in 1997, due to disgruntlement with the leadership of Ginny Hasselfield
. At one stage, Kevin Lamoureux
and Gary Kowalski
broke from the official party caucus to sit as Independent Liberals; Gaudry was the only Liberal MLA to continue supporting the official party leadership during this period.
Neil Gaudry died on February 18, 1999, and the legislature passed a motion of condolence in his memory on April 26 of the same year. Had he lived, he probably would have sought office again in the 1999 provincial election
.
Gaudry frequently championed francophone causes during his time in the legislature. He sought to have Louis Riel
recognized as a Father of Confederation
, and was an active member in l'Assemblee internationale des parlementaires de la langue francaise. Despite partisan differences, he also assisted the Progressive Conservative government of Gary Filmon
on matters relating to francophone education.
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 a member of 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...
from 1988 until his death, sitting as a Liberal.
Before entering public life, Gaudry worked as an accountant and office manager. He was the secretary-treasurer of Malcolm Construction Ltd. for twenty-five years, and was active in the community of Interlake before moving to Winnipeg in his later years.
Gaudry was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1988
Manitoba general election, 1988
The Manitoba general election of April 26, 1988 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government...
, in the Winnipeg riding of St. Boniface. This historically francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
riding had been represented by Laurent Desjardins
Laurent Desjardins
Laurent Desjardins is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Manitoba legislature for most of the period from 1959 to 1988, and was a cabinet minister under New Democratic Premiers Edward Schreyer and Howard Pawley.Desjardins was educated at St. Boniface College, St...
almost continuously since 1959; originally a Liberal, Desjardins crossed to 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...
in 1969 and was re-elected four times under that party's banner. Desjardins retired in 1988 when the Manitoba NDP was experiencing a sharp decline in popularity, and Gaudry recaptured St. Boniface for the Liberals with well over 50% of the vote. The election was won by the Progressive Conservatives
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 Gaudry joined 19 other Liberals in the official opposition.
Gaudry was easily elected again in the 1990 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...
, with only a slightly reduced plurality. His share of the popular vote fell to below 50% in the provincial election of 1995
Manitoba general election, 1995
The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...
, but he was still re-elected fairly easily, despite the Liberals winning only two other seats in the rest of the province.
The Manitoba Liberal Party experienced internal divisions in 1997, due to disgruntlement with the leadership of Ginny Hasselfield
Ginny Hasselfield
Ginny Hasselfield is a Canadian politician, and was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party between 1996 and 1998. A former Manitoba teacher and principal, she was also president and co-founder of Cross Cultural Communications International Inc. a company that provided diversity training and...
. At one stage, Kevin Lamoureux
Kevin Lamoureux
Kevin Lamoureux, MP is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 election by 44 votes...
and Gary Kowalski
Gary Kowalski
Gary Kowalski is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1993 to 1999, sitting for most of that time as a Liberal....
broke from the official party caucus to sit as Independent Liberals; Gaudry was the only Liberal MLA to continue supporting the official party leadership during this period.
Neil Gaudry died on February 18, 1999, and the legislature passed a motion of condolence in his memory on April 26 of the same year. Had he lived, he probably would have sought office again in 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....
.
Gaudry frequently championed francophone causes during his time in the legislature. He sought to have Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
recognized as a Father of Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, and was an active member in l'Assemblee internationale des parlementaires de la langue francaise. Despite partisan differences, he also assisted the Progressive Conservative government of 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:...
on matters relating to francophone education.