55 Facts About Jon Gerrard

Jon Gerrard was born on October 13,1947 and is a politician in Manitoba, Canada.

Jon Gerrard was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state in the government of Jean Chretien.

Jon Gerrard was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1998 until 2013, and the member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for River Heights from 1999 until his defeat in 2023.

Jon Gerrard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Saskatchewan, a Doctor of Medicine degree from McGill University, a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Certificate in Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Jon Gerrard worked at several prominent American institutions in the 1970s, and returned to Canada in 1980 to accept a position as pediatrician at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital.

Jon Gerrard has authored or co-authored over 200 scientific publications, and became known during the 1980s as an expert on the research and treatment of cancer in children.

Jon Gerrard has been interested in bald eagles since his teenage years, and co-authored a book entitled The Bald Eagle: Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch in 1988.

Jon Gerrard has been studying eagles at Besnard Lake in Saskatchewan for 50 years.

Jon Gerrard was a delegate to the Liberal Party's 1968 leadership convention, supporting John Turner.

Jon Gerrard later volunteered for the "Non" side in the 1980 Quebec referendum, and became Liberal riding president for Lisgar in 1984.

Jon Gerrard worked closely with Industry Minister John Manley, and oversaw the development of such programs as Technology Partnerships Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Canada Research Chairs.

Jon Gerrard outlined the Chretien government's strategy for the burgeoning information highway in February 1994, as internet use increased throughout the country.

Jon Gerrard indicated that his plan would be targeted toward creating jobs, reinforcing Canada's cultural identity, and ensuring universal internet access at affordable rates.

Jon Gerrard officially launched an $80 million action plan on January 30,1995, providing funding for online applications in the fields of business, research, health care and education.

In March 1994, Jon Gerrard described the internet as "very much a Liberal technology in the sense that it is much more individual than collective".

In June 1994, Manley and Jon Gerrard ordered a full review of federal science and technology policy.

Jon Gerrard personally supervised the review's consultative sessions, and was appointed as vice-chairman of the National Advisory Board.

Jon Gerrard himself was described a "passionate advocate" of research investment, and as the driving force behind the government's National Technology Investment Program of 1996.

Jon Gerrard was given additional responsibilities as Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification on January 25,1996.

Jon Gerrard oversaw the expansion of the Community Futures Development Corporation Network throughout Western Canada, and worked with Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy to ensure a secure transition of the Port of Churchill rail line from Canadian National to OmniTRAX.

Jon Gerrard voted in favour of the Chretien government's national gun registry program in late 1994, despite some personal reservations.

The registry was unpopular with many rural Manitobans, and Jon Gerrard remarked to John Manley soon after the vote that it would likely cost him his seat in the next election.

Jon Gerrard returned to his work at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital after his defeat.

Jon Gerrard became a Medical Research Council of Canada scholar in residence at the University of Manitoba's medical school and applied to become Dean of Medicine, as well as returning to his research work on bald eagles.

Jon Gerrard returned to active political life in 1998, as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.

Jon Gerrard resigned in February 1998, and Gerrard declared his candidacy to succeed her.

Jon Gerrard set modest goals for his party in the 1999 provincial election, saying that the Liberals could win between ten and fifteen seats to hold the balance of power in a minority government.

Jon Gerrard focused his attention on health care, and pledged that he would serve as his own Minister of Health if elected as Premier.

Jon Gerrard promised to appoint a health ombudsman, commit $25 million toward repairing provincial infrastructure, provide $20 million for post-secondary education, end provincial clawbacks of federal tax credits for welfare recipients, and create a new Ministry of Digital Economy and the Information Highway.

Jon Gerrard tried to deflect criticism by joking that he would "put his 50 Liberal candidates up against 57 Tory and NDP candidates any day", but the failure to run a full slate unquestionably damaged his party's prospects.

On election day, Jon Gerrard personally defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Mike Radcliffe in the upscale Winnipeg division of River Heights, which Carstairs had previously represented, but the Liberals won no other seats.

Jon Gerrard was the only Liberal member of the Manitoba legislature between 1999 and 2003.

Jon Gerrard was not personally blamed for the party's loss, and was reaffirmed as party leader in 2000.

Jon Gerrard promised tax cuts for Manitobans under thirty and the elimination of the province's payroll tax, and committed to a "health-care guarantee" wherein the government would fund out-of-province health care if services could not be provided within Manitoba.

Jon Gerrard promised to create an organization that would integrate health services from different fields, and to establish community health centres for seniors.

Jon Gerrard was nevertheless returned without difficulty in River Heights, and former Member of the Legislative Assembly Kevin Lamoureux gave the party a second seat by retaking his old division of Inkster.

Jon Gerrard ran for leader again in 2017, but placed third.

Jon Gerrard said in interview after his defeat that he got "caught in an orange wave" with strategic voting and anger towards the governing Conservatives denying him another term.

Jon Gerrard was the longest-serving incumbent MLA to lose re-election in 2023, and at the time was tied with PC MLA Ron Schuler as the second longest-serving MLA in Manitoba.

Jon Gerrard was involved with health issues throughout his time in the legislature.

Jon Gerrard later called for changes to Manitoba's adult heart surgery program, after figures obtained through a freedom of information request showed an increasing number of fatalities.

Jon Gerrard wrote a Winnipeg Free Press column criticizing the Doer government for health-care delays in 2005, and later argued that personal health information should be made more easily accessible to patients and their families.

Jon Gerrard released a detailed document promoting change in Manitoba's health system in September 2007, highlighted by a call to make regional health authorities more accountable to citizens.

Shortly after the 1999 election, Jon Gerrard took part in an all-party delegation to Ottawa to lobby the federal government for a cash bailout for struggling western farmers.

In early 2004, Jon Gerrard wrote a guest column in the Winnipeg Free Press calling on the federal government to test every beef and dairy cow over thirty months for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Also in 2004, Jon Gerrard accused the Doer government of undermining its water-quality legislation by reducing funds for key programs.

Jon Gerrard pressured the Doer government to legalize adoption rights for same-sex couples in 2001, one year before a comprehensive bill including adoption rights was passed by the legislature.

Jon Gerrard took part in the Winnipeg Harvest Poverty Challenge in late 2002, and attempted to live for a full week on only $20.

In 2003, Jon Gerrard supported calls for a provincial smoking ban in workplaces and enclosed public spaces.

In early 2005, Jon Gerrard wrote that the Doer government had not taken proper steps to regulate the province's burgeoning internet pharmaceutical industry.

Jon Gerrard has called for a public inquiry into the New Democratic Party government's alleged role in failing to prevent the financial collapse of the Crocus Investment Fund.

Jon Gerrard has called for a public review of appointees to the Manitoba Hydro Board, and requested a plebiscite on the location of a power line from northern to southern Manitoba.

Jon Gerrard criticized the Doer government's decision to build a Manitoba Hydro power line on the west side of Lake Winnipeg, and called for the public to be directly consulted on the issue through non-binding referendums.

Jon Gerrard called for a provincial moratorium on taser use in 2007, following increased concerns about its safety.

Jon Gerrard released a history of the Manitoba Liberal Party in 2006, entitled Battling for a Better Manitoba.