Manitoba Premier Gary Doer is stepping down




WINNIPEG - Manitoba Premier Gary Doer is stepping down after 10 years on the job.


Looking upbeat and relaxed, Doer made the announcement Thursday at the provincial legislature with his wife Ginny at his side.


"Being premier is the pinnacle of public service and you never say never, but my plans are to move on," Doer said.


"You're going to ask me the exact date of when I'm leaving, and I'm going to do that in consultation with the party. You're going to ask me who do you think is going to replace me, and I'm not going to answer that question. And you're going to ask me what am I going to do next. Well, I'm not going to watch soaps."


"I had planned to step down in and around this 10-year period. I hadn't planned on telling any of you ahead of time."


Doer, 62, is Canada's longest-serving current premier.


He was first elected in 1986 and joined the NDP cabinet.


He became party leader two years later following the defeat of then NDP premier Howard Pawley and Doer led the party from the opposition benches for 11 years.


In 1999, he won the first of three consecutive majority governments.


While in office Doer made it his mission to push Manitoba's renewable energy sources, including the province's wealth of hydroelectric power.


Affable and easy-going, his personal popularity has regularly scored higher in opinion polls than that of his party.


One of his biggest political assets was his ability to connect with people both at the ballpark and in the boardroom. Before politics, Doer was a guard at a youth jail in Winnipeg.


It was Doer's face, not those of local candidates, that adorned most NDP lawn signs in the last provincial election campaign.


PREMIER DOER TO PASS BATON AFTER 10 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP


Premier Gary Doer today announced he will resign this fall after a replacement is chosen. Following 10 years at the helm of the provincial government, Doer said the time is right for renewal.

“I look back with pride at all the hard work this team has done on behalf of all Manitobans, but there is still more work to be done to ensure this province is everything it can be,” Doer said. “As we mark the 10-year anniversary of our government, this is the appropriate time to pass the baton to a new leader who can carry on that important work.”

Doer was first elected to the legislative assembly in 1986 on behalf of the people of the constituency of Concordia. As a member of Howard Pawley’s government, he served as minister of urban affairs.

Doer became leader of the New Democratic Party in the middle of the 1988 provincial election. Following the 1990 election, he became leader of the official opposition. In 1999, he led his party to government and became the premier. In total, he led his party to three consecutive majorities.

“I am grateful to the people of Manitoba for giving me the chance to serve them,” Doer said. “No one should doubt that it is a great honour to sit in the legislature and work on behalf of the citizens of this province.”

Doer led a government with a mandate to invest in health care, education, justice and the economy.

“There are new hospitals, more doctors and nurses, one of the healthiest economies in Canada, a strong justice system and an education system that meets the needs of more students than ever before,” said Doer. “These are accomplishments of the entire government, not any one person. Any government must renew itself to maintain the ability to work on behalf of the people who elected it. I look forward to working with our team as a new leader is chosen in the coming months.”