33 Facts About Becky Barrett

Rebecca Catherine Barrett was an American-born Canadian politician.

Becky Barrett served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Gary Doer from 1999 to 2003.

Becky Barrett was born in Pensacola, Florida, US, and moved to Canada in 1975.

Becky Barrett earned a Master's degree in social work from the University of Manitoba in 1979, and was a social worker before entering political life.

Becky Barrett was elected in the north-end Winnipeg district of Wellington in the 1990 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Ernie Gilroy by over 1,200 votes.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba won a majority government in this election, and Becky Barrett was appointed the New Democratic Party's family services critic in opposition.

Becky Barrett later criticized the Filmon government for cutting several Manitobans from social assistance programs without investing in education, job creation programs and skills upgrading.

Becky Barrett introduced a private member's bill that, if passed, would have required the Manitoba Office of the Children's Advocate to report to the legislature rather than the Minister of Family Services.

Becky Barrett called on the Filmon government to remove provincial judge Bruce McDonald from office in 1993, after McDonald was reported as telling a female complainant to "work something out" with a man accused of assaulting her.

Becky Barrett called for Manitoba to ban pellet guns in 1993, when a 14-year-old girl required hospitalization after being shot in the leg.

Becky Barrett led the Manitoba NDP's candidate search committee in the buildup to the 1995 provincial election, and placed an emphasis on recruiting women and minority candidates.

Becky Barrett was personally re-elected, defeating her Liberal opponent by almost 2,000 votes.

The Progressive Conservatives won a second majority government provincially, and Becky Barrett was named as her party's urban affairs critic.

Becky Barrett did not run for re-election in Wellington, but instead challenged popular Liberal incumbent Kevin Lamoureux in the neighbouring division of Inkster.

Becky Barrett was regarded as a strong ally of incoming premier Gary Doer, and there was little surprise when he chose her as a member of his first cabinet.

Becky Barrett was sworn in as Minister of Labour on October 5,1999, with responsibility for administering the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act and the Workers Compensation Act, as well as for the Civil Service and Multiculturalism.

Becky Barrett argued that the changes were necessary to correct a decade of imbalance under the previous government.

The bill was met with intense opposition from the business community and, in response to criticism, Becky Barrett changed the bill to give either party in a labour dispute the right to call for binding arbitration after sixty days.

Becky Barrett allowed parents to take more time off work after the birth of their children and increased Manitoba's minimum wage by 25 cents for every year of her tenure in office.

Some business groups again opposed these messages, though on this occasion Becky Barrett received support from the labour movement and the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.

Becky Barrett's reforms made Manitoba the first province in Canada to provide compensation for firefighters who develop certain types of cancer while on the job.

Becky Barrett established an arm's-length complaints office for Manitoba's Autopac program in April 2000 and signed an official proclamation in the same month to commemorate the 13 Winnipeg civic workers who had been killed on the job since 1978.

Becky Barrett announced a new round of civil service hiring in early 2001, with a particular focus on employment equity.

Becky Barrett held a series of public hearings into Manitoba's pension legislation in 2003, in the first full review of the legislation since 1984.

Shortly after her appointment to cabinet in 1999, Becky Barrett successfully pressured the federal government to allow Manitoba to recruit more than twice as many immigrants for skilled jobs.

Becky Barrett worked with the federal government to ensure Canada's ratification of the International Labour Organization's convention 182 against child labour.

Becky Barrett introduced legislation in 2000 to recognize Holocaust Memorial Day in Manitoba.

Becky Barrett was criticized for approving a plan that would have allowed Manitoba Public Insurance to divert part of its annual surplus to infrastructural repairs at three Manitoba universities in late 2000.

In late 2002, Becky Barrett announced that she would not be a candidate in the next provincial election.

Becky Barrett supported Alexa McDonough's successful bid to lead the federal New Democratic Party in 1995.

Becky Barrett ran federal Member of Parliament Pat Martin's successful re-election campaign in the 2006 federal election at Winnipeg Centre.

Becky Barrett chose to refer the matter back to the WCB board of directors, a decision that some critics later described as an abdication of ministerial responsibility.

Becky Barrett died in Winnipeg on January 26,2024, at the age of 81.