27 Facts About Dwain Lingenfelter

Dwain Lingenfelter was born on February 27,1949 and is a former Canadian politician from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.

Dwain Lingenfelter was a New Democratic Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1978 to 1986,1988 to 2000, and 2009 to 2011.

Dwain Lingenfelter led the Saskatchewan NDP from 2009 to 2011, when he served as leader of the Opposition.

In 2011, Dwain Lingenfelter became the first provincial NDP leader in Saskatchewan to lose his own seat in an election, and he retired from politics.

Outside of politics, Dwain Lingenfelter has served on a variety of corporate and non-profit boards, and has directed CypressView Land, a farming and ranching business, since the 1990s.

Dwain Lingenfelter grew up on a family farm near Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, where his grandfather began homesteading in 1911.

Dwain Lingenfelter grew up in a large family with eight other siblings.

Dwain Lingenfelter attended Shaunavon High School and went on to earn a political science degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dwain Lingenfelter has remained in the farming business, running CypressView Land, a farming and ranching business near Shaunavon.

Dwain Lingenfelter is married to Rubiela, with whom he has two children.

Dwain Lingenfelter was first elected to the Legislature in his home constituency of Shaunavon in the 1978 election.

In 1980, Dwain Lingenfelter joined the cabinet when he was appointed Minister of Social Services.

The NDP were swept from power in the 1982 election by Grant Devine's Progressive Conservative Party; Dwain Lingenfelter was one of only nine NDP members elected.

In 1987, Dwain Lingenfelter ran and won the race for the presidency of the Saskatchewan NDP.

Dwain Lingenfelter decided to run in the by-election to succeed Blakeney as MLA for Regina Elphinstone; he was successful, and re-joined the legislature in 1988 under new NDP leader Roy Romanow.

Dwain Lingenfelter again served as Opposition House Leader, and was Opposition Critic on privatization at a time when Devine's government was attempting to privatize a range of public assets.

However, earlier in 2000, Dwain Lingenfelter announced that he would be resigning to pursue private sector opportunities, suggesting he would be taking work in the oil industry.

Two weeks after Calvert's announcement, Dwain Lingenfelter became the first declared candidate in the leadership race.

Dwain Lingenfelter was joined in the race by former party president Yens Pedersen, MLA Deb Higgins, and doctor Ryan Meili.

Dwain Lingenfelter was considered the frontrunner, and by Spring 2009 had opened a wide lead in fundraising over his rivals ahead of the June 6 leadership election.

However, Dwain Lingenfelter courted controversy when it was revealed that his campaign had signed up hundreds of new party members without their knowledge, and paid for 1,100 memberships.

Dwain Lingenfelter blamed the issue on an "over exuberant" volunteer, while Pedersen called for him to quit the race.

Dwain Lingenfelter stayed in the race, receiving a high number of caucus and union endorsements.

Dwain Lingenfelter became the first NDP leader to lose his own seat in an election, and he tendered his resignation on election night, effective immediately.

Dwain Lingenfelter later admitted that he felt "rusty and made lots of mistakes" during the campaign, but that despite putting forward a good platform he did not expect to defeat what was a relatively new and popular Wall government.

Dwain Lingenfelter has since 2001 focused on his CypressView farming business; he has taken contract positions in the Alberta energy industry, including a two-year contract with TransAlta from 2015 to 2017 working on renewable energy development.

Dwain Lingenfelter has taken up board positions in the non-profit sector, including with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and, as in 2021, the Canadian Wildlife Foundation.