Manitoba had a new Premier on this date in 2009 with the swearing-in of Greg Selinger as the province’s 21st head of government since Confederation. A New Democrat, Selinger had first been elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1999 and served in the all-powerful post of Minister of Finance for a decade.
In office as Premier, Selinger broke a promise to voters that he would not increase the provincial sales tax. When he did just that, his popularity – and of his government’s – tanked. Soon he was plagued by caucus and cabinet calls for his resignation. Premier Selinger’s position became so precarious in his party that he allowed a leadership vote to be called and stood himself as a candidate. He ended up victorious but would lose the ensuring provincial election.caption id="attachment_150273" align="alignleft" width="300"
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger responds to questions regarding the Speech from the Throne at a press conference at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Monday, Nov. 16, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods/captionArthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.