Edward James Connery (born July 13, 1933 in St. Vital,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

(now

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Manitoba), died June 14, 2019) is a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...

from 1986 to 1992, and a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

in the Progressive Conservative government of

Gary Filmon Gary Albert Filmon (born August 24, 1942) is Canadian politician from Manitoba. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999. Political care ...

from 1988 to 1991. Connery was educated at Glenlawn Collegiate in St. Vital, Manitoba, and later worked as a

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or s ...

er. He was chair of the ''Root Crop Marketing Board'' from 1972 to 1981, and vice-president of the ''Manitoba Producers Board'' from 1982 to 1984, as well as having been a director of the ''Vegetable Growers Association of Manitoba''. He married Beverley Sager. Connery was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1986 provincial election, in the safe Tory seat of

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. The Tories were defeated by the

New Democrats New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...

under

Howard Pawley Howard Russell Pawley (November 21, 1934 – December 30, 2015) was a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. Prior to his premiership, Pawley served in various ministerial positions after his t ...

in this cycle, and Connery became a member of the official opposition. Connery was re-elected in the 1988 election against a reasonably strong challenge from

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Darlene Hamm (he still won by over 1000 votes). The Tories under

formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

after this election, and Connery was appointed

Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

and

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

and

Workplace Safety and Health Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...

on May 9, 1988. He was also responsible for the Workers Compensation Act (except as regards Worker Advisers), the Civil Service Act, the Civil Service Superannuation Act, and the Public Servants Insurance Act. Following a

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

shuffle on April 21, 1989, he was named Minister of Cooperative, Consumer and Corporate Affairs. Connery was re-elected in the 1990 election. He was not re-appointed to cabinet in a shuffle on February 5, 1991, and resigned from the legislature on June 23, 1992. In leaving, he complained openly about Filmon's government being controlled by backroom operators. In 2003, Connery called for greater efforts to combat crime in the Portage la Prairie region. He was an industry leader in mechanizing the harvesting of carrots, onions and rutabagas, as well as their bulk storage, utilizing air circulation and humidification. He is a strong supporter of agricultural research to solve industry production, storage and marketing problems. His assistance contributed to solving problems related to: surface browning of carrots, neck rot in onions, surface cracking of rutabagas and quality maintenance in broccoli. On July 19, 2007 Connery was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connery, Edward 1933 births Living people Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba Politicians from Winnipeg Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs