Harry Shafransky (September 4, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was 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 ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada. He served as a New Democratic 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 gen ...

from 1969 to 1977. Born in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, he came to Canada while still young and grew up on a farm near

Roblin, Manitoba Roblin is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Roblin, Manitoba, Canada. It is located approximately northwest of Winnipeg. Prior to 1 January 2015, Roblin was designated as a town. In 2010, the Town of Roblin and the former ...

. Shafransky was educated at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and then

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, ...

before entering politics. He ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the federal election of 1965, finishing a relatively strong third in the

riding of St. Boniface. His first venture into provincial politics was not as successful; he challenged

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 ...

leader

Gildas Molgat Gildas Laurent Molgat, CD (January 25, 1927 – February 28, 2001) was a Canadian politician. He served as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1961 to 1969, and was subsequently appointed to the Senate of Canada, where he served as Speak ...

in Ste. Rose in the 1966 election, and finished a distant fourth with only 86 votes. He ran for federal office again in the 1968 election, and placed a more respectable second while still finishing well behind

Joseph-Philippe Guay, the winner. Shafransky was finally elected to office in the 1969 provincial election, scoring a fairly easy victory in the northeast Winnipeg riding of Radisson. He was re-elected over Progressive Conservative challenge Abe Kovnats in the 1973 election. Shafransky did not serve in the cabinet of

Edward Schreyer Edward Richard Schreyer (born December 21, 1935) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation. Schreyer was born and educated in Manitoba, and was first electe ...

. He was defeated by Kovnats in the 1977 election, and did not seek a political comeback thereafter. After leaving politics, he worked in the Manitoba departments of Highways and Transportation, Environment and Natural Resources. Shafransky died in Winnipeg at the age of 56 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafransky, Harry New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs 1930 births 1986 deaths People from Roblin, Manitoba Polish emigrants to Canada