60 Facts About Drew Caldwell

Drew Caldwell was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for the constituency of Brandon East from 1999 until 2016, serving as a Cabinet Minister in the governments of Gary Doer and Greg Selinger.

Drew Caldwell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandon University, a Bachelor of Education degree from Queen's University in Kingston, and undertook graduate studies in history at McGill University in Montreal.

Drew Caldwell returned to Brandon permanently on the passing of his father in 1989, working as a supply teacher and managing the Brandon Career Symposium.

Drew Caldwell was active with community organizations such as the Park Community Centre and was a founding director of the Brandon Folk Music and Art Festival and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.

Drew Caldwell was a founding director of the Brandon Regional Health Authority, and - on the provincial stage - an Executive Member of the Union of Manitoba Municipalities, the Manitoba Association of Urban Municipalities and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities between 1997 and 1999.

Drew Caldwell opposed residential property tax increases while on city council, and supported owners of single-family homes in calling for parts of the city to be re-zoned from high-density residential to low-density residential.

Active in the Manitoba NDP since his teens, Drew Caldwell was President of the party when the writ was dropped for the 1999 General Election.

When longtime Brandon East MLA Len Evans announced his retirement in 1999, Drew Caldwell defeated Ross Martin and Susan Ferron to win the riding's NDP nomination.

Drew Caldwell was elected without difficulty in the general election that followed, as the NDP won a provincial majority government under Gary Doer.

Drew Caldwell's position was renamed as Minister of Education, Training and Youth in 2001, and his responsibilities for post-secondary institutions were transferred to Diane McGifford, the Minister of Advanced Education and Training.

Drew Caldwell responded that individual assessments were better suited to students' needs.

Drew Caldwell removed the controversial Youth News Network from Manitoba schools.

Drew Caldwell described YNN's programming as "clearly an unsatisfactory curriculum choice" for children, and oversaw the program's elimination once previously-signed contracts were concluded in August 2000.

When he assumed office, Drew Caldwell indicated that school board funding increases would be pegged relative to provincial economic growth.

Drew Caldwell acknowledged that the funding increases did not address all divisional needs, and blamed low levels of funding during the previous decade of Progressive Conservative government.

Drew Caldwell suggested that some trustees were overpaid, noting that St Vital trustees had voted to give themselves stipends of $300 per day to attend amalgamation meetings.

Shortly after assuming office, Drew Caldwell told his department to review the Norrie Commission findings on school boards and prepare a report on amalgamations.

Drew Caldwell indicated that his intent was to save money on administration, and put more funds directly into the classrooms.

Drew Caldwell called for voluntary board mergers in 2000, saying that school divisions would need at least two thousand students to be viable and that more than half the provincial divisions were below that level.

The response from school boards was tepid, and Drew Caldwell announced in late 2001 that he would reduce the number of provincial boards from 54 to 36.

Drew Caldwell argued that this was necessary to prevent large property tax increases.

Drew Caldwell agreed to pay $50 per student to divisions that he forced into amalgamation, to compensate for the difficulties of restructuring.

Drew Caldwell was forced to cut per-student funding for adult education in 2000, after an unexpected surge in enrollment from the previous year put his department $10 million over budget.

Drew Caldwell later argued that some adult education programs had been inadequately managed during the previous administration, and expressed concern about the quality of education that adult students were receiving.

Drew Caldwell's ministry discovered questionable recruitment practices in the Morris-Macdonald School Division, where cash bonuses had been paid to administrators who brought in thousands of adult students from elsewhere in the province.

Drew Caldwell ordered his department to investigate the matter, which he described as "clearly inappropriate".

Drew Caldwell dissolved the board the following month, and authorized the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to launch a criminal investigation.

Drew Caldwell indicated that he was willing to cushion the tax burden by allowing new trustees a longer period of time to pay off the debt.

Drew Caldwell acknowledged that his department had made a "foolish mistake" in allowing the transfer, but insisted that it was done to protect students from the consequences of a drastic budget cut.

Drew Caldwell added that the Agassiz and Morris-Macdonald situations were completely different, and rejected calls from the opposition for his resignation.

Drew Caldwell initially considered reforming the system by putting teachers' contracts under the Labour Relations Act, so as to allow a greater range of issues to be considered.

Drew Caldwell refused to introduce the option of strikes and lockouts, which neither side had requested.

Drew Caldwell announced later in the year that his government would begin phasing out the levy for homeowners, and would attempt to remove it entirely in five years.

Drew Caldwell introduced a revised funding formula for Manitoba schools in early 2002, simplifying some aspects of a model that was often criticized for its byzantine complexity.

In 2001, Drew Caldwell introduced a program to allow greater freedom for high-school students and teachers in designing their curriculum.

Some argued that these changes would devalue the quality of Manitoba education, but Drew Caldwell insisted that the new credit courses would be thoroughly vetted and would incorporate traditional subjects.

The University of Manitoba announced that it would need to introduce significant cuts in the wake of the budget, although Drew Caldwell argued that university management practices were responsible for the institution's shortfalls.

Drew Caldwell ceded cabinet responsibility for universities to Diane McGifford in 2001.

In 2001, Drew Caldwell announced that Manitoba would open high schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok in an effort to attract overseas students to Manitoba's post-secondary education system.

Drew Caldwell refused to allow PETA members on school property, and announced that he would take "appropriate legal steps" if they "entice[d] children into approaching [them] for materials".

Drew Caldwell indicated in late April 2002 that his government would focus infrastructural funds on repairing existing schools, rather than constructing new ones.

Drew Caldwell was appointed to a super-committee of cabinet, called the Community Economic Development Committee, in late March 2000.

Drew Caldwell announced a review of Winnipeg Child and Family Services's temporary shelters after a series of complaints, and worked to ensure that play therapy services for children would be retained.

In February 2003, Drew Caldwell received a report into the circumstances of a child who had been shaken to death seven years earlier while under the supervision of Winnipeg Child and Family Services.

Drew Caldwell responded by announcing an overhaul of the child welfare system, and indicated that Manitoba would set workload standards for social workers and supervisors.

Drew Caldwell announced his support for a national day-care program negotiated between the provinces and federal government in early 2003, and pledged that his government would create 788 new day-care spaces across the province in the following year.

Drew Caldwell announced a $3.3 million housing announcement for Winnipeg in October 2002, in conjunction with Mayor Glen Murray and Member of Parliament Anita Neville.

Drew Caldwell acknowledged that the housing situation in Manitoba was difficult, and expressed hope that his government would be able to create up to 2,500 units of affordable housing in five years.

Drew Caldwell later helped launch an affordable-housing project in north-end Winnipeg with members of the municipal and federal governments.

Drew Caldwell was re-elected in the 2003 provincial election, winning an easy victory over his Progressive Conservative opponent.

Drew Caldwell was originally retained as Family Services and Housing Minister, but left cabinet on November 4,2003.

Drew Caldwell had been suffering from respiratory difficulties for some time, and Doer indicated he requested to be removed due to health concerns.

Drew Caldwell became a staunch advocate for the relocation of Assiniboine Community College to the former BMHC site on Brandon's north hill, an initiative commenced during his tenure as Minister of Education.

Drew Caldwell assumed leadership roles in local advocacy for development of the Western Manitoba Cancer Treatment Centre, provincial investment in flood protection for the City of Brandon, Brandon University, the Keystone Centre, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and the hosting of the Memorial Cup.

Drew Caldwell criticized some of his government's decisions, challenging Health Minister Theresa Oswald over details of the decision to spray malathion to control mosquito populations.

Drew Caldwell was re-elected in the 2007 provincial election, as the Doer government was returned with a third consecutive majority.

Drew Caldwell was re-elected in the 2011 provincial election with an increased plurality, and remained the sole New Democratic government MLA in Western Manitoba.

Drew Caldwell returned to cabinet as Minister for Municipal Government in November 2014.

Drew Caldwell served on Treasury Board in his capacity as Minister.

Drew Caldwell supported Tom Mulcair in the 2012 leadership race to succeed Mr Layton.