- Abe Kovnats
Abe Kovnats (
March 22 ,1928 in St. Boniface,Manitoba –March 6 ,1996 ) was apolitician inManitoba ,Canada . He was a member of theLegislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1988, serving as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Kovntas was educated at the
University of Manitoba . Before entering political life, he ran a company in the parking business and worked as a referee in theCanadian Football League .Kovnats first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1973, losing to New Democrat
Harry Shafransky in the riding of Radisson by about 600 votes. In the provincial election of 1977, he defeated Shafransky by about 800 votes as the Progressive Conservatives formed a majority government underSterling Lyon . Kovnats was not called to become a member ofcabinet , but was named Deputy Speaker in 1978.In the 1981 provincial election, Kovnats was re-elected over NDP candidate
Lloyd Schreyer by about 700 votes in the redistributed riding of Niakwa. In 1983, he supportedGary Filmon 's bid to become party leader.He was an opponent of the legal retrenchment of French language services in Manitoba in 1984, and was re-elected with an increased majority in the 1986 provincial election.
Kovnats was defeated by Liberal candidate
Herold Driedger in the 1988 provincial election, ironically as the Progressive Conservatives formed aminority government . Had he been re-elected, he probably would have served as a cabinet minister in the government ofGary Filmon . He did not seek a return to political life before his death in 1996.
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