Jim Maloway

Infobox_Politician


name = Peter James Maloway
caption =
birth_date = November 10, 1952
birth_place = Sioux Lookout, Ontario
residence = Winnipeg, Manitoba
office = MLA for Elmwood
term_start = 1986
term_end =
predecessor = Russell Doern
successor = incumbent
party = New Democratic Party
religion =
occupation = insurance broker

Peter James (Jim) Maloway (born November 10, 1952) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 1986, representing the division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party.

Early life and career

Maloway was born in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Manitoba (1975). [Maloway served in student government at the University of Manitoba. See Ron Campbell, "Midland in '71 backed ICEC in all four wards", "Winnipeg Free Press", 15 October 1975, P52.] He later worked for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission as a liquor inspector, [Paul Wiecek, "More than alcohol in some bottles", "Winnipeg Free Press', 24 April 1997, A4.] and was executive assistant to the Minister of Colleges and Universities and Tourism. He has owned the Maloway & Eliason Insurance & Travel Centre since 1978, operating it for many years with the late Magnus Eliason. [Sabitri Ghosh, "MAGNUS ELIASON, POLITICIAL ORGANIZER: 1911-200", "Winnipeg Free Press", 2 December 2005, S9.]

He was the Returning Officer for the division of Wolseley in the 1973 provincial election. Official results on election night showed a tie between Manitoba Liberal Party leader Izzy Asper and New Democratic Party candidate Murdoch MacKay. Maloway initially cast a tiebreaking vote for MacKay, but a subsequent recount showed Asper elected by four votes. [Glen MacKenzie, "Ace helped form RCAF", "Winnipeg Free Press", 16 May 1995.]

Maloway joined the New Democratic Party in 1971. He was a candidate for the Winnipeg City Council in 1974 and 1983, and unsuccessfully sought the federal NDP nomination for Winnipeg North Centre in 1984.

Member of the Legislative Assembly

Maloway was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1986 provincial election over incumbent Russell Doern, a former New Democrat who had left the party two years earlier. The NDP won a narrow majority government under Howard Pawley, and Maloway served as a government backbencher.

The Pawley government was unexpectedly defeated in the legislature in early 1988, when disgruntled backbencher Jim Walding voted with the opposition on a motion of non-confidence. Pawley resigned as party leader, but remained premier in a caretaker administration until a new provincial election could be held. Maloway supported Maureen Hemphill's bid to succeed Pawley in the leadership contest that followed; she finished fourth against Gary Doer. ["Winnipeg Free Press", 26 March 1988.]

The NDP entered the 1988 provincial election very low in public opinion polls, and some insiders privately worried that the party could lose all of its seats. Maloway narrowly retained the Elmwood division against a strong challenge from the Liberal Party. The Progressive Conservatives under Gary Filmon won a minority government, while the NDP fell to third-party status. In opposition, Maloway served as his party's critic for Consumer and Corporate Affairs, and deputy critic for Finance. ["Manitoba gas rate rise sparks call for probe", "Globe and Mail", 5 January 1990, B3. See also "NDP calls for probe of firm claiming to employ disabled", "Globe and Mail", 26 April 1990, A6; Stevens Wild, "Province says deficit on target", "Winnipeg Free Press", 6 October 1993; Tony Davis, "Unshackle us, dealers demand", "Winnipeg Free Press", 17 June 1995, A17.]

Maloway was an opponent of the Meech Lake Accord, an unsuccessful attempt at constitutional reform that would have delegated powers from the federal government to the provinces and recognized Quebec as a distinct society within Canada. The accord required approval from all ten of Canada's provincial legislatures to be passed into law; Maloway supported the decision of fellow NDP MLA Elijah Harper to block the accord's passage via procedural tactics, and indicated that he considered taking a similar approach himself. [Susan Delacourt and Geoffrey York, "Ottawa aiming to sell Manitobans on Meech Lake", "Globe and Mail", 29 April 1988, A5; Geoffrey York, "Native MLA blocks debate on Meech", "Globe and Mail", 13 June 1990, A1.]

He was re-elected in the 1990 provincial election, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Vic Toews. In 1991, he argued that Manitoba should adopt Quebec's system of no-fault auto insurance. [Lindor Reynolds, "How public plans stack up", "Globe and Mail", 20 August 1991, C5; Don Campbell, "Bad debt no bar to bank board", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 May 1993.] He also argued that the Public Utilities Board should be given the power to regulate gas prices, in order to prevent price-gouging. [Richard Mackie, "May step in to control gas prices, Rae says", "Globe and Mail", 4 October 1990, A1.]

Maloway was re-elected by an increased margin in 1995. He criticized the state of Manitoba's real estate sector later in the same year, arguing that it was being run in a haphazard manner. [Paul Wiecek, "Realty-Checks", "Winnipeg Free Press", 3 December 1995, A3.] He later expressed concern that parts of Manitoba's Autopac system would be sold off to the private sector, [Alice Krueger, "Insurers driving for auto business", "Winnipeg Free Press", 15 October 1996, A1.] and accused the Filmon government of privatizing the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission by stealth. [Doug Nairne, "MLCC uncorks wine sales", "Winnipeg Free Press", 17 July 1998, A1.]

After eleven years in opposition, the New Democratic Party was returned to government in the 1999 provincial election. Maloway was returned in Elmwood without difficulty, and was re-elected again in 2003 and 2007 by significant margins. [Maloway was the first candidate nominated by any party in the 2003 election. See David Kuxhaus, "Re-election machinery put in place", "Winnipeg Free Press", 22 May 2002, A3.] He currently sits as a backbench supporter of Gary Doer's government. A 2007 newspaper report described him as a left-leaning maverick. [Mary Agnes Welch, "Blaikie wannabes lining up in Elmwood", "Winnipeg Free Press", 21 December 2007, A7.]

Maloway criticized Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray's "New Deal for Winnipeg" in the early 2000s, arguing that the city should correct its own finances instead of appealing for aid from other governments. [Mary Agnes Welch, "City's MLAs oddly silent on new deal", "Winnipeg Free Press", 19 November 2004, B1.]

In 2007, Maloway criticized his party's decision to return from a "one member, one vote" method of leadership selection to its prior model of delegated conventions. He argued that the change would take power away from ordinary party members. [Mary Agnes Welch, "Activists' motion splits NDP", "Winnipeg Free Press", 5 February 2007, A5.]

Federal politics

Maloway was among a group of Manitoba MLAs who sought to persuade Edward Schreyer to seek the federal NDP leadership in 1989. [Geoffrey York, "Manitoba MLAS want Schreyer to run for federal NDP leadership", "Winnipeg Free Press", 19 May 1989, A18.] He supported Lorne Nystrom's bid to become NDP leader in 1995, and endorsed Bill Blaikie in 2003. When Blaikie announced his retirement in 2007, Maloway indicated he would likely seek the NDP nomination to succeed him in the federal Elmwood—Transcona riding. [Mary Agnes Welch, "Blaikie wannabes lining up in Elmwood", "Winnipeg Free Press", 21 December 2007, A7.] He won the nomination over NDP activists Lorene Mahoney and Kevin Rebeck on September 7, 2008. [ [http://www.winnipegsun.com/canadavotes/news/2008/09/08/6697946-sun.html "Maloway wins NDP nod in Elmwood-Transcona"] , "Winnipeg Sun", September 8. 2008.]

Electoral record

All provincial electoral information is taken from Elections Manitoba. Municipal results are taken from the "Winnipeg Free Press" newspaper, 24 October 1974 and 27 October 1983. The final official results were not significantly different.

Footnotes

External links

* [http://members.shaw.ca/jmaloway/ Official home page]
* [http://ndpcaucus.mb.ca/oldCaucus/index.php?q=node/5&con=Elmwood Caucus page]