Liberal Party candidates, 2007 Manitoba provincial election

The Manitoba Liberal Party fielded a full slate of 57 candidates in the 2007 provincial election, and won two seats to remain as the third-largest party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Some of the party's candidates have their own biography pages; information about others may be found here.

Fred Curry (Arthur-Virden)

Curry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Mathematics, a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy, and a Masters of City Planning degree, all from the University of Manitoba. He was a teaching assistant at the University of Manitoba during the 2007 election, and was involved with several inner-city resident associations in Winnipeg. He is also a practising Catholic, and a liturgical musician. ["Fred Curry", Manitoba Liberal Party campaign biography from the 2007 election, accessed 8 May 2007.] During the 1990s, he called on the City of Winnipeg to take action against escort services and massage parlours operating in the city. [Nick Martin, "City wants its share from escort services ", "Winnipeg Free Press", 21 June 1995, B2.]

Curry ran in the north Winnipeg division of River East in the 2003 provincial election. In 2007, he ran in the rural, southwestern Manitoba division of Arthur-Virden. He defended his choice to run in an area where he did not reside by citing family connections to the region, and by indicating that he wanted to give residents the option of voting for a Liberal candidate. [Mia Rabson, "No-chance candidates risk getting what they (don't really) wish for ", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 May 2007, A6.]

Martha Jo "M.J." Willard (Brandon West)

Willard was raised in Lebanon,Missouri, America. Her biography indicates that she received a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Missouri in 1970, and then received a Master's Degree in Education in Virginia. She was accepted to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1978, where she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, defended a Master's thesis in Physiology and Pharmacology, and earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. After receiving her degree, she became an Emergency Veterinarian in Winnipeg. She subsequently started her own veterinary practice in 1986.

Willard applied and was accepted to the University of Manitoba, where she attended Medical School, completing her Medical Degree in 1997. She sold her veterinary practice in 2001. She completed a five year residency in Pathology in 2002, and moved to Brandon. ["M.J. Willard", Liberal Party campaign biography from the 2007 election, accessed 8 May 2007.] She is known as an expert on turtles, and has argued against selling them as pets. [Bruce Owen, "Turtle lady to the rescue", "Winnipeg Free Press", 18 October 1994; Al Besson, "Cute turtle pets need a major commitment", "Winnipeg Free Press", 27 November 2001, A5.] She was hired as a pathologist for the Sunrise Health Region in Saskatchewan in early 2007. [ [http://www.sunrisehealthregion.sk.ca/default.aspx?page=77&articleID=421 "Local health professionals, local health issues"] , Sunrise Health Region, 2007, accessed 6 October 2007.]

She received 398 votes (4.04%) in 2007, finishing third against Progressive Conservative candidate Rick Borotsik.

Bernd Hohne (Burrows)

Hohne was a machinist with EPT Manufacturing at the time of the election, and had previously worked as an entrepreneur, manager and salesperson. He is active with the Cubs and Scouts, and has held leading volunteer positions with these organizations. [ [http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/election/burrows/index.html "Burrows"] , 2007 election page, Winnipeg Free Press Online, accessed 1 November 2007; "Bernd Hohne", Manitoba Liberal party campaign ] He received 562 votes (10.49%), finishing third against New Democratic Party incumbent Doug Martindale.

Leslie Worthington (Concordia)

Worthington was born in Winnipeg, and works as a legal secretary. ["Leslie Worthington", Liberal Party campaign biography from the 2007 election, accessed 21 May 2007.] In 2004, she drew attention to the situation of her father's death in a Winnipeg hospital after receiving unsatisfactory medical treatment. [Mia Rabson, "ER tracking on way?", "Winnipeg Free Press", 2 March 2004, B1; "Winnipegger alleges shoddy hospital care, no answers 9 months after dad died", "Canadian Press", 2 November 2004, 18:32.] (Her father, a World War II veteran, was given only one bath during his three months in hospital and suffered several infections due to a lack of cleanliness. ["Vet, 80, suffered in final months", "Toronto Star", 11 November 2005, A6.] The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority later criticized his doctor's actions, although the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba determined that the doctor had acted appropriately.) Worthington subsequently emerged as a prominent advocate for patient safety, and said that doctors should be monitored by independent observers. [David Kuxhaus, "College dismisses conflict allegations", "Winnipeg Free Press", 2 March 2006, B2.] [On a separate matter, Worthington later criticized a crystal meth treatment program started by provincial Health Minister Theresa Oswald, saying that it would not to reach all addicts. See Leslie Worthington, Letter to the Editor, 14 November 2005, A10.]

In the 2007 election, Worthington stood beside party leader Jon Gerrard as he called for a province-wide project to study and fix medical mistakes. [Mary Agnes Welch, "Liberals want team to investigate, fix medical mistakes", "Winnipeg Free Press", 6 May 2007, A1.] She received 336 votes (6.01%) on election day, finishing third against New Democratic Party Premier Gary Doer.

Shortly after the election, Worthington was told that the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority had never conducted a promised audit into her father's death. ["Audit that was planned into Winnipeg man's death wasn't done", "Canadian Press", 25 June 2007, 00:29.] The "Winnipeg Free Press" newspaper described her as "justified in her outrage". ["Policy in error" [editorial] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 26 June 2007, A10.]

David Love (Elmwood)

Love worked as a police officer for thirteen years, serving with the River East School Division and walking a beat. He has also been an addications counsellor, and since 2001 has been a marriage commissioner. [ [http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/election/elmwood/index.html "Elmwood: 2007 Candidates"] , Winnipeg Free Press online, accessed 13 September 2007.] He argued against the Payday loan industry before the Manitoba Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development in 2006. [ [http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/hansard/4th-38th/sed_11/sed_11.html Minutes, 8 June 2006] , LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA: THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, accessed 13 September 2007.] He received 1,101 votes (17.48%), finishing third against New Democratic Party incumbent Jim Maloway.

Angelina Olivier-Job (Fort Whyte)

Olivier-Job was born in Trinidad and Tobago. She worked as a telephone operator at Manitoba Telecom Systems for a number of years, before retiring in 2003. [Thomas Walkom, "In moody Manitoba, election is far from mind", "Toronto Star", 17 May 2003, H1.] She started Olivier-Job Personal and Professional Consulting Services in 1996, assisting businesses with issues of cultural and racial sensitivity. [ [http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/proctor/Instructional%20Media%20Tech/Summer%202003%20Class/Webpages/Angelina%20Personal%20Web%20Page.htm Olivier-Job Personal and Professional Consulting Services] , Home Page, accessed 8 August 2007.] Olivier-Job was also a member of the Inkster-Garden Grove advisory committee in the 1990s, and sought to expand community youth facilities in the neighbourhood. [Nick Martin, "Access creates furore", "Winnipeg Free Press", 21 April 1994.] At the time of the 2007 election, she was completing an Education degree from the University of Winnipeg. ["Angelina Olivier-Job", Liberal Party campaign biography from the 2007 election, accessed 21 May 2007.]

She ran for a position on the Winnipeg School Board in 1992, and sought election to the provincial legislature in 2003 and 2007. She has said that she chose to run for provincial office due to her opposition to the education policies pursued by Gary Doer's government. [Walkom, "In moody Manitoba [...] ".] She has also served on the National Women’s Liberal Commission. [ [http://www.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-08-30/Womanwise/wwise2.html Laura Dowrich-Phillips, "Trini gets into Canadian politics"] , "The Trinidad Guardian", 28 August 2005, accessed 8 August 2007.]

Isaiah Oyeleru (Rossmere)

Oyeleru moved from Nigeria to Winnipeg in 1987. He is a college graduate, and owns a women's clothing store in the city. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/winnipegvotes2006/council/3.html Council Races: Elmwood-East Kildonan] , Winnipeg Votes 2006, accessed 30 November 2007.] Oyeleru is a Christian and holds conservative views on social issues, although his views on matters such as poverty and children's programs are more liberal.

He first ran for public office in the 2006 Winnipeg municipal election. His primary issue was the revitalization of the city's community centres, though he also called for the elimination of the city's business tax and for a reduction in children's bus fares. ["It's a low-key race east of Red River", "Winnipeg Free Press", 24 October 2006, B2.] He finished fourth against incumbent councillor Lillian Thomas.

Gerald Basarab (Transcona)

Basarab is a machinist for CN Rail, and has represented the Canadian Auto Workers on the Winnipeg Labour Council. ["Gerald Basarab", "Winnipeg Free Press", 29 September 1995, A11; Bartley Kives, "Gerald Basarab", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 October 2006, B2. The 2006 report lists him as 52 years old.] He is a frequent candidate for public office. He described himself as a political independent in 2006, though he indicated that the provincial Liberals had tried to draft him as a candidate. He also indicated his personal support for Mayor Sam Katz's re-election bid. [Bartley Kives, "Gerald Basarab", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 October 2006, B2.]

In the 2006 municipal election, Basarab highlighted his opposition a proposed OlyWest pork processing plant near the Transcona ward by giving out novelty "gummy pig" candies to residents. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/winnipegvotes2006/council/15.html Council Races: Transcona: Gerald Basarab] , Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 28 September 2007.]

Footnotes