Gary Doer is stepping down as Manitoba's premier, ending his reign as the longest-serving of Canada's current premiers.
The 61-year-old, who has held the province's top job since 1999, leading an NDP government, is making his announcement at a news conference Thursday.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/08/27/mb-doer-resign-manito...
Before the inevitable attacks start, let me just say thank you.
I hope that Ontario one day is lucky enough to have as fine a Premier as Gary Doer.
It's no secret on here that I intensely dislike Doer. Good riddance.
And Ontario did once have a premier like that: Bob Rae.
I want combat pay. ;)
This is quite the fall surprise. Obviously one of the most popular recent NDP Premiers and going out on top.
So, who's up for the Premiership?
Good question. But I hope Gary realizes that his Senate or G-G opportunities hinge on Iggy winning power... He should have a chat with his predecessor (Ed Schreyer).
Oh, and Michelle: Request denied, unless you can show proof of combat-related disability. You've never fallen in action yet.
What's Bill Blaikie up to these days?
I never looked into why environmentalists and social justice advocates would have such a strong dislike for Doer. Looks like I'll find out in this thread.
How about Pat Martin?
What's Bill Blaikie up to these days?
I never looked into why environmentalists and social justice advocates would have such a strong dislike for Doer. Looks like I'll find out in this thread.
Why do you tempt me such, o babble?
How about Pat Martin?
Please tell me you're joking.
How about Pat Martin?
Please tell me you're joking.
No he is serious and as a green partisan this makes perfect sense.
___________________________________________
Soothsayers had a better record of prediction than economists
Bill Blaikie?
What's Bill Blaikie up to these days?
NDP MLA MN
http://www.ndpcaucus.mb.ca/newCaucus/?q=mla&constituency=Elmwood
I think that Jennifer Howard should take a run at it. If Blaikie runs, I think he'd get it (and that he'd easily win the 2011, but I doubt that he'd serve for very long). Howard could establish herself as a credible heir apparent. If he doesn't run, I think that the race would be wide open and she would have as much a chance of winning as anyone else.
Think it would be an amazing life time acomplishment for Blaikie, and I also agree about Howard, Scott.
I'm in a bit of shock right now, mostly because this was so unexpected. Gary has been leader of the party since I was eight (!) and was leader the whole time I was active in the party. It's hard to imagine someone else as leader.
Was he perfect as premier? No. Could he have been more aggressive in pursuing certain policies? Yes. But on the whole, he ran an effective, competent, progressive government that has a record of achievement NDPers can be proud of. There will be naysayers, of course, mostly single-issue activist types who want everything on their wish list handed to them on a silver platter, but if you look at the reactions on most mainstream sites people believe that Doer did a good job.
Moving on to the leadership speculation, here's my two cents:
Likely frontrunners: Bill Blaikie, Greg Selinger, Teresa Oswald
Will run, but won't win: Steve Ashton
Possible dark horses: Nancy Allan, Andrew Swan, Judy Wasylicia-Leis
Much as I like Pat Martin personally, I agree with genstrike - he just does not have the temperment to be leader. If anyone from the existing federal caucus makes a bid, it will be Judy WL.
Hats off to Gary and the Manitoba NDP. Just wish we had someone like Gary and his team running the show here in have-not Liberal Ontariariario. Come mr tallyman tally me banana...
Just wish we had someone like Gary and his team running the show here in have-not Liberal Ontariariario.
You do.
ahahaha ha ha.
unionist: good one! 
There will be naysayers, of course, mostly single-issue activist types who want everything on their wish list handed to them on a silver platter,
Yeah, those single issue activist types are a bunch of jerks and naysayers, and we shouldn't listen to them. Damn activists. Like this guy. But he's just another naysayer who doesn't deserve any awards.
I wonder how serious a contender Bill Blaikie would be. I believe he is the same age or older than Doer and while he now has a seat in the Manitoba legislature - he has only been there six months and hasn't even been given a cabinet portfolio yet. All his experience is as an extremely effective opposition critic in the federal parliament. He has never actually run anything. Now its true that the same could be said for Darrell Dexter or Jack Layton or Andrea Horwath or Carol James - but none of these people were chosen as leaders of parties that had been in office for many years where there is a wealth of people with cabinet experience to choose from!
Imagine if Judy W-L ran for the leadership and won and Gary Doer decided to run federally in her seat - just for the fun of it. Forget about any talk of Doer ever being federal leader - he speaks no French and that disqualifies him - no ifs, ands or buts!
At age 61, Doer is 2 years old than Jack Layton, so I don't see him contemplating a switch to federal politics, short of an overwhelming up-surge in NDP support nationally.
Even if he is, which Winnipeg seat would he run in?
Is there another winnable seat in Winnipeg for the NDP, besides the 3 they already have?
Kildonan-ST. Paul?
What about [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Schreyer][color=blue]High Commissioner to Australia[/color][/url]?
You people have no sense of tradition.
Good luck to him. As long as he's not replaced by one of the many feverish and fanatical Zionists in the Manitoba NDP, of which there are far too many, I'm sure a good replacement will be found. Doer has done his party a favor by bowing out while on top. Let's hope, however, that his successor is more to the left. If she or he was any more to the right, they'd have to be recruited from a different party.
Sorry, it was impossible to resist.
Not just on abortion rights, as genstrike has pointed out, but on a number of other issues such as anti-scab legislation, (Quebec and at least one other province "somehow" managed to pass this) Doer's pro-war public statements, and so on, the Premier could have taken a much better line on a number of issues. He was unwilling to take such a risk, despite his enormous lead in popularity, and one wonders what it would take for an NDP Premier to take any such risks such as, say, the introduction of universal medical coverage as one NDP type Premier in the Prairies once did I understand ...
There were a lot more women elected in the most recent election, especially for the NDP, and one might hope that at least one of them makes a strong showing in the upcoming leadership race.
...as if the views on Israel/Palestine of the premier of one of Canada's prairie provinces are of any relevance to anyone?? Are you planning on grilling anyone running for city council in Brandon over their views on a settlement freeze on the West bank??
Good. Maybe you can answer why the Manitoba Premier kept addressing foreign policy matters, by his endless and nauseating "support of the troops" mantra?
Scrape that off your high black leather boots, big boy.
Yeah, if Pat Martin didn't keep drooling over the troops and Israel and anti-BQ loyalty oaths to Her "Majesty", there would be less reason to feel a faint tinge of disgust whenever his name is mentioned. But of course, when you agree with such positions (as Stockholm does), you say the sorts of things that Stockholm says.
I think that Jennifer Howard should take a run at it. If Blaikie runs, I think he'd get it (and that he'd easily win the 2011, but I doubt that he'd serve for very long). Howard could establish herself as a credible heir apparent. If he doesn't run, I think that the race would be wide open and she would have as much a chance of winning as anyone else.
Interesting. No doubt she'd be a fine candidate; highly intelligent, yet likeable and down to earth. She's a relative newcomer, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I wonder if she's interested?
Godddamit, where's Jeff House when we need him? Now that guy could fight dirty.
Geez, Stock, is there anything that provincial or federal NDP'ers could do or say that would make you question your commitment to that party?
Canada has had a severe lack of female premiers. In fact we have only had one who has served for any real length of time - Catherine Callbeck of PEI. It would be nice to to get a woman as Premier of MB!!
With Elizabeth as head of state and Michaelle as her proxy, I think we're doing well. What we could use as premier of Manitoba is someone with a little less integrity. You know, like Gary Doer promising the Chamber of Commerce that he would ignore all the anti-scab resolutions by labour and by his own convention - and then [b]keeping his promise[/b]. We need someone that is not so true to his word.
Well, with respect, I think the whole issue of NDP leaders, or Premiers, with the same kind of courage as the late Tommy Douglas is a good one. Here we have an NDP Premier, generally lauded for his remarkable successes ... at being elected Premier 3 times over ... and the substantial policy victories, and struggles, are somehow missing. Maybe it's too soon. Or maybe, just maybe, the struggles were abandoned a little too soon.
What would Tommy say? Now there's a question.
What I mean is, and I'm just re-iterating what I typed above, what it would take for an NDP Premier to take any such risks such as, say, the introduction of universal medical coverage? Where, such courage? And if not when a Premier has a huge lead over the divided, and demoralized opposition, then when?
There will be naysayers, of course, mostly single-issue activist types who want everything on their wish list handed to them on a silver platter, but if you look at the reactions on most mainstream sites people believe that Doer did a good job.
This type of right-wing attack (one that could easily have been written by the editorial board of the Winnipeg Free Press or Brandon Sun) is really offensive. People who are passionate about their cause, especially when it threatens the status quo, are always marginalised among the "mainstream." It's the same type of criticism that greeted such battles as allowing women to vote, allowing women equal pay for equal value, jobs providing people a decent living, restrictions on pollution, and ending chlid labour to name a few. The real single issue types are those in the business community who always want taxes to be lower. Doer has been bending over backwards to accomodate people, and funny enough, the business community still doesn't support the NDP.
I also have to challenge the myth of his popularity. The media likes to gush about what a wonderful guy that is, but the fact is the average voter turnout in Manitoba has declined to historic lows under his watch. Gee, if he was that popular, maybe more people would be voting for him? It's always a concern when voter turnout declines, funny how the press will gloss over it in this case.
Doer can't be held accountable for a trend that is beyond his ability to address. This trend is true at the Federal level as well. But his accomplishments, or his failure to accomplish X, Y, or Z, is a fair subject for scrutiny and evaluation.
In any case, I think ghoris was anticipating some criticism, maybe from people like me, and tried to address it in advance. Notice how he moved directly to the issue of a successor and skipped over, entirely, the matter of specific accomplisments and a legacy. To be perfectly brutal about it, Tommy Douglas introduced medicare. What did Gary Doer introduce?
What did Gary Doer introduce?
A billion dollars in tax cuts which benefit primarily corporations and the rich?
Oh, I guess that was probably a rhetorical question
Betlov, it's true that voter turnout is declining across the board. One of the reasons is that political parties are converging in policy areas to attract voters. The actual differences become fewer in significance, or in terms common people use, they're "all the same." What real choice do people have? Doer has played into this by basically continuing the taxation policies of the previous Filmon government, so why bother voting when you get the same policies regardless of who's in office?
Jesus, is his record THAT bad? They have a water ministry now, don't they? What else?
ETA: Doer stood up for Manitoba in the fight with North Dakota over foreign biota from Devil's Lake in the Red River. Even NDP MPs like "loose cannon" Pat Martin got in the way (in Martin's case with inappropriate incendiary rhetoric) when Doer was dealing with Toews and other Conservative yahoos undermining the building of public support for his (Doer's) position.
Well, OK, they're all responsible. So Doer gets ... a goose-egg in that regard. If there was something on the good side of the political ledger sheet, then ...
In any case, I think ghoris was anticipating some criticism, maybe from people like me, and tried to address it in advance. Notice how he moved directly to the issue of a successor and skipped over, entirely, the matter of specific accomplisments and a legacy. To be perfectly brutal about it, Tommy Douglas introduced medicare. What did Gary Doer introduce?
Yes, because we all know this is exactly the same Northern Puerto Rico it was when Tommy Douglas ruled Saskatchewan. Nothing has changed during all those good years of Liberal Party dictatorship. Nothing whatsoever. It was a perfectly good country until Doer's NDP came along. And now Manitobans are stuck with the lowest cost of living and some of the lowest U rates in the country after a string of CCF style balanced budgets. There never was a top-down from Ottawa neoliberalorama in this country. It never happened. An' it's all the NDP's fault. An' then the wheels fell off.
Cost of living. OK. What was it BEFORE Doer became Premier, relatively speaking?
Cheer up fellas. Manitoba could go Conservative. That would fix things there.
Doer's government largely eliminated logging in provincial parks. For a long time, logging had been allowed in Nopiming, Whiteshell, Clearwater, Grass River, and Duck Mountain parks (owing to preexisting logging rights from before the parks were created). All of these except Duck Mountain have now been bought out, and replaced with other areas of Crown land. Result - the parks are now free of logging, without negatively impacting logging jobs. That's quite an accomplishment, I think.
And what would the cost of living be after Tories pawned off the next most profitable public utility to their rich friends with Man-Hydro? They were on a roll with the telephone company privatisation under Philmon's crooks.
I'm paying an arm and a leg for car insurance, grocery bills, light bills, student loan payments etc here in Liberal Ontariariario, which is now a have-not province experiencing a net-outmigration of young people and bleeding jobs like there's no tomorrow. To hell with the two old line parties. They couldnt run a lemonade stand without effin it up.
I think it has always been fairly low in Winnipeg because have been a low-growth city for decades. Really, it has about as much to do with Doer as Alberta's oil wealth has to do with Ralph Klein. I don't know the stats, but housing prices have increased significantly over the past few years, so I can imagine it would have probably increased since 1999.
I'm paying an arm and a leg for car insurance...
Now if only you elected an NDP premier like Bob Rae, you would public auto insurance
student loan payments...
Again, electing an NDP premier like Bob Rae can fix that for you by increasing tuition by 57% (I think, it's 57, I know it's either high 50s or 60s)
Whatever you do, dont blame the Liberals for shit-canning Canada's national housing strategy.
Whatever you do, dont blame the Liberals' NAFTA or the top-down neoliberalorama since Mulroney and Chretien. We wont stand for it
Cheer up fellas. Manitoba could go Conservative. That would fix things there.
It was Conservative. They privatized the Manitoba Telephone System. But Gary Doer fixed that, I think.
