Stuart Murray
Encyclopedia
Stuart Murray is a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
and leader of the opposition
in the Manitoba legislature
from 2000 to 2006.
, Saskatchewan
, and raised in Punnichy
in the same province. His mother, Jean Murray, was a town councillor. He studied Science at the University of Manitoba
, and transferred to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute to further his studies in Architectural Science. He later worked as road manager for the rock band Blood, Sweat and Tears, and in 1982 became media director for the Canadian Opera Company
.
Murray began working for Canadian
Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
in 1985. He moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1989 after being named vice-president of the family-owned Domo Gasoline Corporation, and became its CEO and president four years later. Murray was also an organizer for the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party in the 1990
, 1995
and 1999
elections, and supported Kim Campbell
's successful bid to succeed Mulroney as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
in 1993.
Murray was appointed to the board of Canadian National Railways in 1991, and served for one term. He was a founding member of the Manitoba Entertainment Complex Group (MEC) in 1994, and chaired the successful World Hockey Junior Championship in 1999.
's New Democratic Party
in the 1999 election. Gary Filmon
, the party's leader since 1983, stepped down in 2000.
Murray soon emerged as the party establishment's preferred choice to succeed Filmon as leader. Darren Praznik
considered running against him, but withdrew several months before the convention because of fundraising difficulties. Murray was acclaimed as party leader in November 2000, and won a by-election
in Kirkfield Park shortly thereafter. On December 5, he was sworn in as leader of the opposition. He criticized the New Democratic Party
's 2001 budget for increased government spending, and called for significant tax cuts. He also argued the NDP was too close to provincial labour unions. Murray held progressive views on some social issues, and supported the principle of gay
adoption rights late 2001.
Murray was criticized for hiring Taras Sokolyk
as an advisor in 2002 without informing his caucus. Sokolyk had previously been implicated in a vote-manipulation scheme involving the Independent Native Voice
party, and was largely discredited as a political figure. Murray later spoke at a Winnipeg rally held in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
.
Murray led the Progressive Conservatives in the 2003 provincial election
. His health strategy called for the government to purchase more surgeries and diagnostic services at private clinics, with the intent of reducing waiting times. He also promised to reintroduce workfare
laws and to cancel the planned University College of the North, using the savings for tax cuts. Murray argued that provincial laws were skewed in favour of labour unions, and considered introducing right-to-work legislation. His most radical proposal was to eliminate the taxation powers of local school boards.
Gary Doer's NDP government was re-elected, and Murray's Conservatives slipped to 36.31% of the popular vote and 20 seats in the 57-member legislature. This was the party's worst showing since 1953
. The NDP made historic inroads in south-end Winnipeg, while the Progressive Conservative Party's support was largely concentrated in the rural south of the province. A post-election editorial in the Winnipeg Free Press
described Murray as "pleasant and even-tempered" but noted that he "did not make a deep impression on the public either by his work in the legislature or in the election campaign".
Murray continued as party leader after the election. He recommended adopting Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
(GAAP) for determining Manitoba's budget, and called for provincial whistleblower protection legislation. He endorsed the new Conservative Party of Canada
in 2004, and campaigned on behalf of Steven Fletcher
in the 2004 federal election
. Despite concerns about Murray's leadership, the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives voted overwhelmingly against a leadership review in November 2004.
In early 2004-05, Manitoba's labour-managed Crocus Investment Fund
stopped trading and was forced into receivership after reports that it had misled shareholders and overstated the values of its assets. Doer's government was accused of improper oversight of the fund due to its ties to labour interests, and the resulting scandal initially threatened to damage the NDP's credibility. Instead, it grew to encompass the Progressive Conservatives as well. Murray acknowledged that the Progressive Conservatives had received reports of irregularities at Crocus as early as 2002, but refrained from criticism after assurances from party advisers that the fund was in proper order. These admissions may have prevented Murray from exploiting the scandal to his party's advantage; the NDP's popularity increased over the PCs increased in the summer of 2005.
On November 5, 2005, a leadership review motion at the Progressive Conservative Party's annual general meeting received 55% support from delegates. Murray acknowledged the vote as disappointing, and called for a leadership convention to be held in light of the close result. He announced on November 14 that he would not be a candidate to succeed himself, and that he would return to the private sector after a new leader was selected.
Murray continued to lead the Progressive Conservatives in the legislature until the new leader was chosen. In late November 2005, he said that he would be willing to accept private MRI clinics in the province. He did not attend the Progressive Conservative leadership convention in April 2006, which chose Hugh McFadyen
as his successor.
Research Foundation in Winnipeg. He held this position until 2009, and during this time, he hosted a weekly radio program on CJOB called "The Health Report."
In late summer of 2009, Murray was named the inaugural Director and Chief Executive Officer of the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
and leader of the opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Manitoba)
A list of parliamentary opposition leaders in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada, from 1870 to the present.William Alexander Macdonald was the first officially recognized Leader of the Opposition in Manitoba although Rodmond Roblin is considered to have been the de facto opposition leader...
in the Manitoba legislature
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
from 2000 to 2006.
Early life and career
Murray was born in LestockLestock, Saskatchewan
-Footnotes:-External links:*******...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and raised in Punnichy
Punnichy, Saskatchewan
- Notable people :Nolan Yonkman, a defenceman for the Florida Panthers, was born in Punnichy.- See also :* List of communities in Saskatchewan* Villages of Saskatchewan-External links:*******...
in the same province. His mother, Jean Murray, was a town councillor. He studied Science at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, and transferred to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute to further his studies in Architectural Science. He later worked as road manager for the rock band Blood, Sweat and Tears, and in 1982 became media director for the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
.
Murray began working for Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
in 1985. He moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1989 after being named vice-president of the family-owned Domo Gasoline Corporation, and became its CEO and president four years later. Murray was also an organizer for the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party in the 1990
Manitoba general election, 1990
The Manitoba general election of September 11, 1990 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 30 out of 57 seats...
, 1995
Manitoba general election, 1995
The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...
and 1999
Manitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
elections, and supported Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
's successful bid to succeed Mulroney as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
in 1993.
Murray was appointed to the board of Canadian National Railways in 1991, and served for one term. He was a founding member of the Manitoba Entertainment Complex Group (MEC) in 1994, and chaired the successful World Hockey Junior Championship in 1999.
Provincial politician
After eleven years in power, the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives were defeated by Gary DoerGary Doer
Gary Albert Doer, OM is a Canadian diplomat and politician from Manitoba, Canada. Since October 19, 2009, he has served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States...
's New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
in the 1999 election. Gary Filmon
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...
, the party's leader since 1983, stepped down in 2000.
Murray soon emerged as the party establishment's preferred choice to succeed Filmon as leader. Darren Praznik
Darren Praznik
Darren Thomas Praznik is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a prominent cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Gary Filmon, and considered running for the party's leadership in 2000....
considered running against him, but withdrew several months before the convention because of fundraising difficulties. Murray was acclaimed as party leader in November 2000, and won a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Kirkfield Park shortly thereafter. On December 5, he was sworn in as leader of the opposition. He criticized the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
's 2001 budget for increased government spending, and called for significant tax cuts. He also argued the NDP was too close to provincial labour unions. Murray held progressive views on some social issues, and supported the principle of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
adoption rights late 2001.
Murray was criticized for hiring Taras Sokolyk
Taras Sokolyk
Taras Sokolyk is a former political organizer and currently the Chief Executive Officer of CanadInns in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played a prominent role in the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba's 1995 election campaign, in which the party won a majority government.Once a political organizer...
as an advisor in 2002 without informing his caucus. Sokolyk had previously been implicated in a vote-manipulation scheme involving the Independent Native Voice
Independent Native Voice
Independent Native Voice, also known as Native Voice, was a short-lived political party in Manitoba, Canada. It was created in 1995 to address aboriginal issues, and ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election. Native Voice was not registered with Elections Manitoba, and its candidates...
party, and was largely discredited as a political figure. Murray later spoke at a Winnipeg rally held in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
Murray led the Progressive Conservatives in the 2003 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
. His health strategy called for the government to purchase more surgeries and diagnostic services at private clinics, with the intent of reducing waiting times. He also promised to reintroduce workfare
Workfare
Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. The term was first introduced by civil rights leader James Charles Evers in 1968; however, it was popularized by Richard Nixon in a televised speech August 1969...
laws and to cancel the planned University College of the North, using the savings for tax cuts. Murray argued that provincial laws were skewed in favour of labour unions, and considered introducing right-to-work legislation. His most radical proposal was to eliminate the taxation powers of local school boards.
Gary Doer's NDP government was re-elected, and Murray's Conservatives slipped to 36.31% of the popular vote and 20 seats in the 57-member legislature. This was the party's worst showing since 1953
Manitoba general election, 1953
Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...
. The NDP made historic inroads in south-end Winnipeg, while the Progressive Conservative Party's support was largely concentrated in the rural south of the province. A post-election editorial in the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
described Murray as "pleasant and even-tempered" but noted that he "did not make a deep impression on the public either by his work in the legislature or in the election campaign".
Murray continued as party leader after the election. He recommended adopting Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction; generally known as accounting standards...
(GAAP) for determining Manitoba's budget, and called for provincial whistleblower protection legislation. He endorsed the new Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in 2004, and campaigned on behalf of Steven Fletcher
Steven Fletcher
Steven John Fletcher, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004, representing the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia as a member of the Conservative Party. He is the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Commons, as well as in Cabinet...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
. Despite concerns about Murray's leadership, the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives voted overwhelmingly against a leadership review in November 2004.
In early 2004-05, Manitoba's labour-managed Crocus Investment Fund
Crocus Investment Fund
The Crocus Investment Fund was a Labour Sponsored Venture Capital Corporation in Manitoba, Canada.In 2004-05, the company stopped trading and was forced into receivership following allegations that it misled shareholders and overvalued its assets...
stopped trading and was forced into receivership after reports that it had misled shareholders and overstated the values of its assets. Doer's government was accused of improper oversight of the fund due to its ties to labour interests, and the resulting scandal initially threatened to damage the NDP's credibility. Instead, it grew to encompass the Progressive Conservatives as well. Murray acknowledged that the Progressive Conservatives had received reports of irregularities at Crocus as early as 2002, but refrained from criticism after assurances from party advisers that the fund was in proper order. These admissions may have prevented Murray from exploiting the scandal to his party's advantage; the NDP's popularity increased over the PCs increased in the summer of 2005.
On November 5, 2005, a leadership review motion at the Progressive Conservative Party's annual general meeting received 55% support from delegates. Murray acknowledged the vote as disappointing, and called for a leadership convention to be held in light of the close result. He announced on November 14 that he would not be a candidate to succeed himself, and that he would return to the private sector after a new leader was selected.
Murray continued to lead the Progressive Conservatives in the legislature until the new leader was chosen. In late November 2005, he said that he would be willing to accept private MRI clinics in the province. He did not attend the Progressive Conservative leadership convention in April 2006, which chose Hugh McFadyen
Hugh McFadyen
Hugh Daniel McFadyen is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Since 2006, he has been leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and Leader of the Opposition in the Manitoba legislature. Following his party's loss in the 2011 election he announced that he would resign as...
as his successor.
After politics
Murray resigned as MLA for Kirkfield Park on September 7, 2006. One day later, he was introduced as the new President and Chief Executive Officer for the St. Boniface HospitalSt. Boniface General Hospital (Winnipeg)
St. Boniface General Hospital is Manitoba's second-largest hospital, located in the St. Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg. It was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Montreal in 1871, and was the first hospital in Western Canada...
Research Foundation in Winnipeg. He held this position until 2009, and during this time, he hosted a weekly radio program on CJOB called "The Health Report."
In late summer of 2009, Murray was named the inaugural Director and Chief Executive Officer of the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a national museum currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet...
in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Electoral record
All electoral information is taken from Elections ManitobaElections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses.