Anita Neville
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Anita Ruth Neville (born July 22, 1942) is a Canadian politician, who has served as the 26th lieutenant governor of Manitoba since 2022. She was elected to the
House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...
as a
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 ...
in the general election of 2000. She was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008 before finally being defeated in 2011. Neville is the first Jew and the third woman to be lieutenant governor of Manitoba.


Early life and career

Neville 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 749,6 ...
, Manitoba. She holds a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from 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.Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. Neville was for several years a
school trustee A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...
on the
Winnipeg School Board The Winnipeg School Division is a school division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With 78 schools, it is the largest of six public school divisions in Winnipeg, as well as the largest and oldest school division in Manitoba. Its schools collectively te ...
, representing Ward One in the ''Winnipeg School Division'' from 1986 to 2000. Neville regularly topped the poll in her three-member constituency. She served as Chair of the Board for five years (1987–1989; 1996–1998), and also chaired its finance committee for a period of time.


Federal politics

In the 1995 provincial election in Manitoba, Neville was a
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 ...
candidate in the upscale west-Winnipeg riding of River Heights. This riding is usually considered as one of the few safe seats for the provincial Liberals, and was previously held by party leader
Sharon Carstairs Sharon Carstairs (born April 26, 1942) is a Canadian politician and former Senator. Early life Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier and federal Senator Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian. She ...
prior to her appointment to the
Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...
in 1994. Nevertheless, Neville was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate
Mike Radcliffe Michael Frederick Carrington Radcliffe (born December 16, 1944) is a lawyer and former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1995 to 1999, and was a cabinet minister in the government ...
, 5429 votes to 4435. Later in 1995, Neville was re-elected as a Winnipeg school trustee, finishing in first place in Ward One with 13,828 votes. In the 1999 election, she chaired the successful campaign of provincial Liberal leader
Jon Gerrard Jon Gerrard (born October 13, 1947) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state#Canada, secretary of state in the government of Jean Chr ...
in River Heights. In the 2000 federal election, Neville was the
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 ...
nominee for the
Winnipeg South Centre Winnipeg South Centre (french: Winnipeg-Centre-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988. Geography The district includes the neighbou ...
, previously held by the retiring
Lloyd Axworthy Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...
. She was elected with 15,231 votes, against 10,675 for her nearest competitor, Progressive Conservative David Newman. This contest was notable for a controversy involving
Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...
candidate
Betty Granger Betty Granger is a former school trustee in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada who provoked controversy during the 2000 federal election with her comments about Asian immigration to Canada, initiating a national political debate. She later became a campaig ...
, who made comments about Asian students that many interpreted as racist. In the 2004 election, Neville was re-elected with 18,133 votes against 10,516 for
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
candidate Raj Joshi. In 2008, Neville was re-elected with 16,438 votes (42.3%) against 14,103 (36.3%) for Conservative Party candidate Trevor Kennerd, 5,490 (14.1%) for NDP candidate Rachel Heinrichs, and 2,860 (7.4%) for Green Party candidate Vere Scott. Under the government of
Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...
, Neville served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Canadian Heritage The minister of Canadian heritage (french: ministre du patrimoine canadien) is the minister of the Crown who heads Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for culture, media, sports, and the arts. History The ...
. She has also served as the Official Opposition Critic for Indigenous Affairs. In the 2011 election, Neville lost to Conservative Joyce Bateman by 696 votes.Elections Canada


Political interests

Neville was the Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women, and was a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. Neville is known for being a prominent supporter of
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
within the Liberal Party caucus and is co-chairperson of the ''Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel'' with Senator David Smith. She was a vocal opponent of the war with Iraq in early 2003 and was a leading opponent of the proposed American Missile Defense Shield. She has also supported numerous initiatives in the Indigenous community and supported the legalization of
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
in 2005.


Electoral history


References


External links


Anita Neville
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neville, Anita 1942 births Living people Jewish Canadian politicians Lieutenant Governors of Manitoba Liberal Party of Canada MPs Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Politicians from Winnipeg University of Manitoba alumni Women in Manitoba politics 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Jewish women politicians Canadian women viceroys Members of the Order of Manitoba Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada