30 Facts About Gary Filmon

Gary Filmon was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the premier from 1988 to 1999.

Gary Albert Filmon was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to working-class parents, and is of Romanian and Polish-Ukrainian background.

Gary Filmon entered public life in 1975, being elected to the Winnipeg City Council; for the next four years, Gary Filmon was a member of Winnipeg's Independent Citizens' Election Committee, an unofficial alliance of centre-right Liberal and Progressive Conservative interests in the city.

In 1979, Gary Filmon won a by-election to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the riding of River Heights, held after the resignation of former Tory leader Sidney Spivak.

On January 16,1981, Gary Filmon was appointed Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Minister of Environment in the government of Sterling Lyon.

Lyon's Tories were defeated later in 1981 by the New Democratic Party under Howard Pawley, though Gary Filmon was re-elected in the new riding of Tuxedo.

Gary Filmon was elected to replace Lyon as party leader in 1983, defeating Brian Ransom and Clayton Manness at a delegated convention.

At the time, Gary Filmon was considered to be on the party's progressive wing.

The NDP, led by Gary Filmon Doer, fell to 12 seats and third place.

Gary Filmon himself was almost defeated by a Liberal candidate in Tuxedo; but he survived by 123 votes.

The Pawley government had supported this initiative, but Gary Filmon was initially opposed to it, and the Manitoba assembly refused to ratify the treaty.

Gary Filmon eventually agreed to a compromise deal negotiated by Jean Charest in 1990.

In other matters, Gary Filmon was closer to the policies of the Mulroney government.

Gary Filmon supported the 1987 free trade initiative, and worked in favour of the Charlottetown Accord in 1992.

Gary Filmon called an election in 1990, and campaigned on the need for a majority government.

Gary Filmon's party won thirty seats, and the NDP re-emerged as the official opposition with twenty.

Gary Filmon permitted suburban regions to break away from the amalgamated city of Winnipeg, reversing the policies initiated by the Edward Schreyer government in the early 1970s.

In 1993, Gary Filmon supported Kim Campbell's bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Subsequently, the Gary Filmon government privatized the province's telephone system, mandated balanced budgets, and took actions limiting the power of teacher's and nurse's unions.

Gary Filmon was not personally implicated, but a number of his senior aides were.

Manitoba experienced increased unemployment during this period, with Gary Filmon's popularity suffering as a result.

Notwithstanding these setbacks, Gary Filmon sought a fourth mandate in late 1999.

Gary Filmon promised half a billion dollars in new tax cuts, while claiming that he could simultaneously re-invest an identical amount into health and education.

Gary Filmon resigned as party leader in 2000, and stood down as an MLA in the same year.

Gary Filmon was appointed to the federal Security Intelligence Review Committee on October 4,2001, which necessitated an appointment to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

Gary Filmon was promoted to chair of SIRC on June 24,2005 following the retirement of Paule Gauthier.

Gary Filmon has worked as a business consultant since his retirement from office.

Gary Filmon sat on the board of directors of Manitoba's public telephone utility, MTS, from 2003 until his mandatory retirement in 2015.

In February 2006, Gary Filmon was considered to replace Frank McKenna as Canadian Ambassador to the United States.

Gary Filmon is married to Janice Filmon, who was lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 2015 to 2022.