collected by Charlotte Magee
Brandon University


Mr. Curtis Brown, Editorial Page Editor, Brandon Sun

Curtis Brown started off delivering the Brandon Sun to readers in his childhood hometown of Glenboro, and now he's become the newspaper's editorial page editor. Born and raised in Western Manitoba, Mr. Brown graduated from the University of Regina, School of Journalism in 2002.

He has written for the Prince Albert Daily Herald and the Winnipeg Free Press, which recently began publishing his columns on politics on its View From The West page. He owns a home in downtown Brandon.



The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Mr. Dion graduated from Université Laval with a B.A. in 1977 and an M.A. in 1979, both in political science. In 1986 he received his doctorate in sociology from the Institut d'études politiques in Paris.

Before entering politics, Mr. Dion taught public administration and political science at the Université de Montréal from 1984 to 1996 and authored numerous books and scientific articles. He lectured at the Université de Moncton in 1984, was a visiting professor at the Brookings Institution in Washington, at the Laboratoire d'économie politique in Paris and at the Canadian Centre for Management Development in Ottawa. In 1999, McGill Queen's University Press published Straight Talk: Speeches and Writings on Canadian Unity, which was short-listed for the Donner Prize that year. In 2002 he received an honourary doctorate from the Carlos III University of Madrid.

Mr. Dion was born on September 28, 1955 in Quebec City. He is married to Janine Krieber, and has one daughter, Jeanne.



The Honourable Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba

Gary Doer is Manitoba's 20th Premier. His government was first sworn into office on October 5, 1999. In June, 2003, he was re-elected as Manitoba Premier with an increased government majority.

Mr. Doer was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1986 as the representative for Concordia. He joined the government, serving as Minister of Urban Affairs and additional portfolios. In 1988 he was elected leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party.

Mr. Doer's government has delivered a balanced budget every year since his election as Premier in 1999. The relative size of Manitoba's debt has declined by almost 20 per cent, and taxes have been reduced in four areas, including the first cut in corporate income taxes since the Second World War. Recognizing this prudent approach to managing the province's economy, Moody's Investor Services and the Dominion Bond Rating Service have upgraded the province's credit rating.

Under Premier Doer's leadership, Manitoba's growth rate has routinely been above the national average, unemployment and youth unemployment rates have been among the lowest in the country, job growth has almost doubled, and private investment growth has consistently increased.

Strong economic growth continues as Manitoba becomes a world leader in developing and exporting clean renewable energy such as hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, ethanol, and biodiesel. In 2005 Premier Doer was chosen as one of Business Week magazines Top 20 world leaders on climate change and clean energy development.

Gary Doer remains committed to strengthening his community. He has served as vice-president of the Manitoba Special Olympics; board member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club; Prairie Theatre Exchange; the Niagara Institute; the United Way of Winnipeg and, the Board of Governors of the University of Manitoba.

Premier Doer is married to Ginny Devine. They have two children.



The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Canadian Minister of Finance

James M. Flaherty is a first-time Member of Parliament and was elected to the House of Commons in 2006.

Mr. Flaherty served as a Member of Ontario's provincial legislature for the constituency of Whitby-Ajax from 1995 to 2005. During this period, he held a number of posts. Under Premier Eves, he served as the Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation. Under Premier Harris, Mr.Flaherty was the Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Attorney General, Minister responsible for Native Affairs, Minister of Labour and Solicitor General, and Minister of Correctional Services. Most recently, as a member of the provincial opposition, he was Critic for Public Infrastructure Renewal.

Mr. Flaherty graduated from Princeton University and has a law degree from Osgoode Law School. He was called to the Bar in 1975 and practised law for more than 20 years before entering politics. He is the past president of the Head Injury Association of the Durham region.

Mr. Flaherty is married to Christine and they have triplet sons.



The Honourable Jon Gerrard, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

Highlights from http://mlp.manitobaliberals.ca



Mr. Brian Mayes, School Trustee, Brandon School Division

Brian Mayes was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He received his Bachelor of Public Administration (University Medal winner) from Carleton University in 1984, and his Master of Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto in 1988. He worked as an economist and negotiator for business, labour and the provincial government. In 1998 he returned to the University of Toronto and received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 2001.

Mayes has served on the Boards of Brandon University, Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, Serve Canada, and WATCH (a Brandon-based palliative care group), among others. In 2006 he was elected to the Brandon School Division Board of Trustees.

Mayes is a lawyer in private practicein Brandon. He is married to Dr. Alison Marshall, a professor at Brandon University and they have two pre-school age sons. He is on a 20-year break from campaigning in the USA and running marathons.



The Honourable Hugh McFadyen, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

Hugh McFadyen was elected MLA for Fort Whyte in December, 2005.

In April of 2006, Hugh was elected Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and became Leader of the Official Opposition in the Manitoba Legislature. He brings with him 22 years of experience in public policy and law, as well as volunteer activities.

Hugh was born in Selkirk, Manitoba on May 31, 1967, and he and his brothers were raised in sunny St. James. After graduating from Silver Heights Collegiate, Hugh attended the University of Manitoba where he studied law, graduated in 1993 and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1994.


Hugh has strong ties to rural Manitoba, with his mother's family coming from Cartwright and his father's from Eriksdale, the Interlake region of Manitoba.

Curling has also played a major role in Hugh's life. In 1986, he skipped his Manitoba curling team to a Canadian Junior Championship. He was voted all-star skip by his fellow curlers for his leadership on the ice. The team's win qualified them for the 1987 World Junior Curling Championships where they won the silver medal

Hugh and his wife Jennifer have a four year-old daughter Rachael and a two-year old son, James.



The Honourable Raymond Simard, Member of Parliament

Raymond Simard was first elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface in a May 2002 by-election. He was re-elected in 2004 and on January 23, 2006.

The Honourable Stéphane Dion the new leader of the opposition recently appointed Mr. Simard to be the Treasury Board Critic in his new shadow. Mr. Simard is to be the Treasury Board Critic in his new shadow cabinet.

In February 2006, Mr. Simard was named Deputy Whip of the official opposition and associate critic to the Western Economic Diversification / Pacific Gateway portfolio.

He has served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister responsible for Internal Trade, Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister responsible for Official Languages. To perform these duties he was sworn in as a member of the Queen`s Privy Council. He has chaired the Manitoba Federal Liberal Caucus from March 2003 and was Chair of the Northern and Western Caucus from February 2004 to October 2004. He created and continues to chair the Liberal Caucus for Official Languages Minority Communities. Mr. Simard has been a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, the Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, the Foreign Affairs and the International Trade Committee and the Transport Committee.

Mr. Simard has served as President of two family businesses, and in 1999, became the founding President and CEO of the Riel Economic Development Corporation.

He helped establish Canada's first Bilingual Services Centre, a single-window service centre providing federal, provincial and municipal information to the public in bothe official languages. He also oversaw the creation of the Riel Tourism Bureau.

Mr. Simard has served as President of the Caisse populaire de Saint-Boniface, Vice-President of the Fédération des caisses populaires du Manitoba, President of CLÉ (Entreprise Saint-Boniface) and President of Place Eugénie.

He has been a member of the UNEVOC Canada National Advisory Committee and the National and Regional Small Business Advisory Committees for the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.

Mr. Simard was born in Sainte Anne, Manitoba. He lives with his spouse, Marguerite Desrosiers, in Saint Boniface. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Manitoba.



The Honourable Scott Smith, Manitoba Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade

Scott was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the general election of September 1999 and was re-elected in the general election of June 2003. His responsibilities have included:

Scott Smith was born and raised in Brandon where he worked as a firefighter and emergency medical technician for 20 years. He and his wife, Val, are the parents of two daughters.

Prior to Scott's successful election in September 1999 as the MLA for Brandon West, he was a member of the Brandon city council where he held a number of positions including chair of the grants review committee, chair of the task force on impoverishment, and chair of the taxi review committee. Scott was also a member of the Recreation Centre Review Committee, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the Brandon Economic Development Board, the Downtown Business Improvement Area, the board of the Brandon Family YMCA. He also served as treasurer on the board of directors of the Brandon Keystone Centre.



Jerry Storie, Dean of Education, Brandon University

Jerry Storie is currently an Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Brandon University. He graduated from Baldur Collegiate in southwestern Manitoba in 1968. After completing his B.A. at Brandon University, he obtained an M.A. and a Professional Teaching Certificate from the University of Manitoba in 1975. He has worked as a policy analyst with the Manitoba Department of Education, a school counsellor, a teacher, a school superintendent, a provincial NDP member of the legislature (Flin Flon 1981-1994), and held several cabinet portfolios in the Howard Pawley government (1981-1988), including time as the Minister of Education.

Storie has been a member of numerous organizations and governing bodies including; Chair, Council of Education Ministers of Canada, Deputy Head, Canadian Delegation, Commonwealth Ministers of Education Conference, the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents (MASS), Chair, Manitoba Education Research and Learning Information Network (MERLIN) Advisory Board, Interim Governing Council of the University College of the North, the Greenstone Community Futures Development Corporation Board, (BUNTEP) Community Advisory Committee, the Cranberry Portage Child and Family Resource Centre, Winnipeg Central Speech and Hearing Clinic and the International Peace Garden.

From 1994-2004 he served as a school superintendent in northern and southwestern Manitoba. He has been actively engaged in educational leaderships, research, and program development. He founded an early-years parent-child support program in Aboriginal and Metis communities, which included regular home visits, established the Frontier Collegiate Art Institute for aboriginal student artists, expanded adult education opportunities in remote and rural communities, and introduced the province's first division-wide K-12 student-led conferencing model. In 2005, Storie co-authored a research report for the Killarney and Boissevain Community Development Corporations and local school division on the economic and social benefits of local community access to adult and continuing education.



Mr. Mike Waddell, Nominated Candidate, Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party

Mike Waddell is the nominated candidate for the PC Party of Manitoba. Mike and his wife Naomi have been married for almost 17 years. Together they parent four children; Tara-thirteen, Micah-ten, Dawson-eight and Emily-five. In 1993 Mike and Naomi chose Brandon as their home community after looking at several options including Minnesota, BC and Washington State.

Mike has dedicated his life to serving and works a Chaplain Coordinator with Hockey Ministries International. As part of this work Mike is the Chaplain to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Mike was born in Winnipeg on April 1st, 1970 and spent most of the next twenty-one years on a farm near Neepawa, MB. Growing up farming fostered a deep appreciation for sustainability, hard work and honesty. Mike's family was engaged in community activities with a strong bent towards political involvement. This rubbed off on Mike and has been a significant factor in bringing him to where he is today as a candidate in a provincial election.

Mike's educational background includes grades one to nine in the five-classroom Arden School, grades nine through twelve at Neepawa and Area Collegiate. When confronted by some significant life issues in grade twelve Mike stepped aside from school and later attained his GED to complete his high school. In 1993 Mike completed a two year diploma in Youth Work from CFNI in Surrey, BC. As an avid reader Mike continues to foster a mindset that facilitates learning as a way of life.


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