MaryAnn Mihychuk (born February 27, 1955) Mihychuk resigned to run for Mayor of Winnipeg in 2004, but was defeated by Sam Katz.

Life and career

Mihychuk was born in Vita, Manitoba,

Mihychuk was first elected as a Winnipeg School Division Trustee first in 1989 and was re-elected in 1992.

Provincial politics

She was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1995, defeating Liberal leader Paul Edwards by 3,109 votes to 2,853 in the Winnipeg constituency of St. James. The 1995 election was won by Gary Filmon's Progressive Conservatives. Mihychuk and 22 other New Democrats formed the Official Opposition.

The NDP won the following general election in 1999. This time Mihychuk was elected in the constituency of Minto, defeating Progressive Conservative Harry Lehotsky

Mihychuk was re-elected to the provincial legislature in 2003, winning almost 70% of the votes cast in her constituency. with responsibility for International Relations Coordination.

Post-provincial politics

Mihychuk resigned from cabinet and the legislature on May 21, 2004, to seek election as Mayor of Winnipeg. The 2004 election was held to determine the successor to former mayor Glen Murray. Murray had resigned to seek election to the House of Commons of Canada. Mihychuk's campaign platform focussed on increasing Winnipeg's population. Mihychuk lost this election, winning ten percent of the municipal electorate's vote.

In 2005 Mihychuk relocated to Toronto, Ontario to work for the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) as Director of Regulatory Affairs.

Mihychuk supported Lorne Nystrom's campaigns to lead the federal New Democratic Party in 1995 and 2003.

Federal politics

In 2014, Mihychuk was chosen as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Kildonan—St. Paul for the 2015 federal election, defeating the previous Liberal candidate, Victor Andres. Mihychuk said that her views on the economy and social views were closer to those of the federal Liberals. She was subsequently elected to the seat. She was the Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour from November 4, 2015, until a cabinet shuffle in January 2017.

She was accused of being abusive and causing confusion by the Canadian Red Cross after visiting a shelter for evacuees from forest fires affecting Garden Hill First Nation in 2018, a formal complaint was filed against her to the federal government. She was accused of adding to the chaos and suggesting to evacuees that they should go to Selkirk, Manitoba, and on her advice 40–50 evacuees waited in the cold with their belongings for transportation to Selkirk that never arrived.

References

  • Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada