Heather Stefanson

Heather Dorothy Stefanson (born May 11, 1970) is a Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Manitoba from 2021 to 2023; the first woman in the province's history to hold that role.

She is the outgoing leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and serves as Leader of the Opposition of Manitoba.

She sits as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electoral district of Tuxedo.

Stefanson was born on May 11, 1970, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

She was raised in Winnipeg, where she attended St. John's-Ravenscourt School.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Western Ontario.

After receiving her degree, Stefanson worked as a special assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister under Brian Mulroney before returning to Manitoba in 1993 as an assistant to federal Agriculture Minister Charlie Mayer.

From 1995 to 2000, Stefanson was a member of the University of Manitoba's Young Associates organization.

From 1998 to 2000, Stenson volunteered on Premier Gary Filmon's Executive in Tuxedo.

In 1999, Stefanson was suspended for seven months by the Manitoba District Council of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada for failing to meet educational requirements.

Stefanson was found to have made 34 inappropriate trades while she was working as an investment adviser at Wellington West Capital.

Stefanson was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a 2000 by-election, replacing former Progressive Conservative Premier Gary Filmon in the south Winnipeg riding of Tuxedo.

Stefanson was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a 2000 by-election, replacing former Progressive Conservative Premier Gary Filmon in the south Winnipeg riding of Tuxedo.

Stefanson defeated Liberal Rochelle Zimberg by 2692 votes to 1586; Iona Starr, representing the governing New Democratic Party (NDP), finished third.

As MLA for Tuxedo, Stefanson has been an advocate for Special Olympics Manitoba, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through sport.

In 2002, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of her community service.

In 2003, Wellington West Capital was fined $13,000 for failing to supervise the activities of Stefanson.

She had been suspended from acting in the capacity of a registered representative but had issued statements to clients indicating her employment as a registered representative during this suspension.

Stefanson was easily re-elected in the 2003 election, with the NDP improving to a second-place status, followed by her re-election in the 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2019 elections.

In 2013, she introduced The Special Olympics Awareness Week Act in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, designating the second week of June each year as Special Olympics Awareness Week in Manitoba.

The Act received unanimous support from the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.

Stefanson also continues to serve as an honorary board member for Special Olympics Manitoba.

Stefanson has announced several investments in the Assiniboine Park located in her Tuxedo constituency.

In 2016, Premier Brian Pallister named Stefanson deputy premier and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

In 2016, she condemned rising anti-Semitism and praised the Tuxedo Jewish community.

Stefanson was sworn in as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in 2016, becoming only the second woman to hold that position since 1871.

She was also appointed Deputy Premier and Keeper of the Great Seal of the province of Manitoba.

In response to a 2016 report by the Macdonald–Laurier Institute that ranked Manitoba's criminal justice system as the worst in the country, Stefanson committed to a full review of the criminal justice system.

The review showed that Manitoba had the highest adult incarceration rate among provinces, along with high violent crime and recidivism rates.

The review also found significant delay in criminal matters moving through Manitoba's court system.

In 2017, when Stefanson was serving as Deputy Premier, she announced $15-million for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy's new Diversity Gardens project, the final phase of the Conservancy's 10-year, $200 million development plan.

As Premier in 2022, Stefanson announced $2 million to support a $15-million capital campaign to build the new Toba Centre for Children & Youth at 710 Assiniboine Park Drive.

The Toba Centre provides support to child abuse victims, including forensic interviews.

Stefanson has maintained strong ties with the Jewish community throughout her time as MLA.

In 2018, she became the Minister of Families in addition to her role as deputy premier.

In 2021, she took over the health portfolio; health minister Kelvin Goertzen became deputy premier.

On 2 November 2021, Stefanson became the first female Premier of Manitoba following a majority vote of the Progressive Conservative caucus.

To respond to the review, Stefanson released Manitoba's Criminal Justice System Modernization Strategy in March 2018.

The plan included four essential components, including crime prevention; focusing resources on the most serious criminal cases; more effectively using restorative justice; and responsibly reintegrating offenders back into society.

In 2019, she joined Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman in requesting that the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg disinvite controversial American activist Linda Sarsour from speaking at an event, citing the speaker's alleged anti-Semitic comments.