Sidney Joel Spivak, (May 23, 1928 – July 8, 2002) was a Manitoba politician. He was a Cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin, Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon, and was himself leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PCs) from 1971 to 1975. and became vice-president of Golden Age Beverages Limited and Mathers Investments Limited as well. In 1955, Spivak married Mira Steele; they had three children together. He was named Queen's Counsel in 1966.
Political career
Spivak was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 1966 provincial election, in the riding of River Heights, which was then in far southwest Winnipeg. A Progressive Conservative, Spivak was appointed Minister of Industry and Commerce in Dufferin Roblin's government. He continued to hold this position after Walter Weir became premier in 1967. This interpretation has never been verified, however, and has been rejected by some prominent Jewish figures in Manitoba.)
In 1975, former minister Sterling Lyon, who had not held office since 1969 at that point, challenged Spivak for the Progressive Conservative leadership. This challenge was extremely divisive, pitting Spivak's left-leaning ideology against Lyon's conservatism and dividing the PC membership accordingly. There have also been suggestions that some of Lyon's supporters conducted an antisemitic "whispering campaign" against Spivak, suggesting that the party would be unable to form government under a Jewish leader.
Post-politics
After his defeat in the 1979 federal election, Spivak did not seek further elected office and returned to business full-time. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he served as chair of the Canada-Israel Committee;