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 ...
in
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
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He was a municipal councillor in
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, ...
from 1973 to 1986 and 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 gen ...
from 1986 to 1997. From 1988 to 1997, Ernst was a Cabinet minister in the government of Premier
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 ...
.
The son of Frank Luther Ernst and Stella Sarah Bryson, he was born in
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, ...
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.amalgamated City of Winnipeg in 1973, and served as the city's deputy mayor from 1981 to 1986. During his time in municipal politics, Ernst was associated with the Independent Citizens' Election Committee, an unofficial alliance of right-wing business interests in the city.
In 1967, he married Dorothy Lynn Blom.
Ernst left municipal politics to run for the provincial legislature in the
1986 Manitoba general election
The 1986 Manitoba general election was held on March 18, 1986 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which took 30 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative ...
. He was elected in the southwest Winnipeg riding of Charleswood as a Progressive Conservative, defeating his closest opponent by almost 4,000 votes. The seat had been vacated by former premier
Sterling Lyon
Sterling Rufus Lyon (January 30, 1927 – December 16, 2010) was a Canadian lawyer, cabinet minister, and the 17th premier of Manitoba from 1977 to 1981. His government introduced several fiscally-conservative measures, and was sometimes seen a ...
's retirement from electoral politics. The governing New Democratic Party (NDP) was narrowly re-elected, and Ernst joined 25 other Conservatives in opposition.
In March 1988, disgruntled NDP backbencher
Jim Walding
Derek James Walding (May 9, 1937 – April 23, 2007) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1971 to 1988 and served as speaker of the assembly from 1982 to 1986. Walding was a member of ...
brought down the government. The resulting election took place at a time when the
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral du Manitoba) is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870.
Origins and early development (to 1883)
Origina ...
was making inroads into both PC and NDP areas of support; Ernst was only narrowly re-elected, defeating Liberal candidate Shari Nelson by fewer than 1,000 votes.
The Conservatives, led by Gary Filmon, formed a minority government following this election. On May 9, 1988, Ernst was appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, with responsibility for
Development Corporation
Development corporations or development firms are organizations established by governments in several countries for the purpose of urban development. They often are responsible for the development of new suburban areas or the redevelopment of exi ...
Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
The Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs was a Government of Canada cabinet position held between 1967 and 1995. The minister was responsible for consumer and corporate issues relating to legislation at the federal level.
The minister was al ...
and Government
House Leader
{{Politics of Canada
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament (MP) and an expert in parliamentary procedure. The same representation is found in the pr ...
, once again receiving responsibility for Sport, the Fitness and Amateur Sport Act, the Boxing and Wrestling Commission and (until May 9, 1995) the Manitoba Lotteries Foundation Act.
Ernst and the Conservative government were convincingly re-elected in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
. He was removed from cabinet following a shuffle on January 6, 1997, and resigned from the legislature that October 28.
After leaving politics, Ernst was appointed Vice-President of Optx 2000, a research and development firm. He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Team Canada Volleyball Centre, and presided over the elimination of that organization's debt in 2002.