My partner Naomi and I have three children and three grandchildren. Naomi is a registered nurse involved in palliative care. She is also a talented artist. Naomi and I both enjoy being physically active - playing tennis, swimming, running, cross-country and downhill skiing and canoeing. We live in River Heights, and enjoy the treed streets, the friendly and caring community, and the quick access to the many cultural, artistic and sporting events in Winnipeg.
My partner Naomi and I have three children and three grandchildren. Naomi is a registered nurse involved in palliative care. She is also a talented artist. Naomi and I both enjoy being physically active - playing tennis, swimming, running, cross-country and downhill skiing and canoeing. We live in River Heights, and enjoy the treed streets, the friendly and caring community, and the quick access to the many cultural, artistic and sporting events in Winnipeg.
Age: 71
Profession: I am a physician who specialized in looking after children with blood conditions and cancer, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist. I was involved in caring for children, in teaching and in research during my years in training and on staff at the University of Minnesota (1971-1980) and on the staff at the University of Manitoba becoming the Head of the Section of Pediatric Hematology in 1985 and a full professor in 1987. In 1993, I was elected the Member of Parliament for Portage-Interlake, and served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jean Chretien as the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development (1993-1997) and the Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification (1996-7). In these roles, I was involved in promoting science and research in Canada, in helping to promote access to the internet for all Canadians and in helping to build the economic base in western Canada. In 1998 I became leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, serving until 2013. In 1999 I was elected the MLA in River Height, and I have served in this role since then, running for re-election in this 2019 election.
Education:
I attended Victoria School in Saskatoon, then Nutana Collegiate. In 1967, I obtained a B.A in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1971 I graduated with a degree in Medicine from McGill University. This was followed by an internship, residency and Ph.D. in Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, the latter in 1978. To maintain my license as a physician I continue to the present to be involved in continuing medical education.
About You
What is the biggest issue facing your community, and how would you address it?
Health care is the number one issue people are raising with me during the election. This includes concerns over the long wait times in our emergency rooms, concerns over access to needed care, concerns over the present situation where too many nurses are overworked and having to do extra, sometimes mandatory, overtime because of staff shortages. This includes concerns over access to mental health care and the need to better address the methamphetamine crisis which is resulting in increased property crime in River Heights. Manitoba Liberals will reverse the emergency room cuts, will fill the needed nursing positions on an urgent basis and will move to a more sustainable health care model in which we phase out the regional health authorities and devolve more control to local hospitals and communities. The latter will be accompanied by a change in the funding model from global budgets to patient-based funding, to focus efforts on patients and enable improved management to reduce wait times and improve care. We will maintain within Manitoba Health critical province-wide functions like procurement, provincial standards, information and specialist networks. We will create a specialist network for Brain, Mental Health and Addictions modeled on CancerCare Manitoba and reporting to Manitoba Health as CancerCare Manitoba does. We will treat the methamphetamine crisis as a public health emergency and move quickly to put in place adequate facilities for stabilization, detoxification, treatment and supportive housing, together with a vigorous approach to prevention. Associated with these changes we will put in place a greater and more effective focus on prevention and more attention to mental health. To achieve the latter, we will bring the successful Improved Access to Psychological Therapy program developed in England to Manitoba - training 250 new psychological therapists who will operate in about 50 centres all over Manitoba to enable improved therapy for conditions like depression and anxiety and to better address the impact of trauma.
Why did you decide to run for office?
I decided to run for office originally because of concerns about the direction of health care in Manitoba. I watched the problems develop in the 1980s and 1900s, and then continue to build under the 17 years of NDP government from 1999 to 2016. The difficulties in health care have worsened under the Conservative government led by Brian Pallister. Working as a team with Dougald Lamont as Liberal leader we have built the Liberal position to achieve official party status and have developed our new Liberal way to address health care and many other issues. I decided to run for re-election because we have the team and the opportunity to get enough Liberals elected to make a large impact on the political scene in Manitoba and to achieve better health care, a better economy and a better environment for our province. I also feel that I can continue to contribute by helping individual people in River Heights with their issues.
Manitoba is marking its 150th anniversary next year. Suggest one way we can make it a memorable occasion.
With health care being so important to Manitobans, I believe establishing a specialist network for Brain, Mental Health and Addictions, similar to CancerCare Manitoba, on our 150th Anniversary would be a fitting and lasting contribution to health care in our province. It would send an important signal to Manitobans that we will have an organization which can address the needs of all those who suffer from brain, mental health and addictions and at the same time can provide leadership in the effort to optimize brain health for all Manitobans.
Tell us something about yourself that voters might find surprising.
In 1967, by chance, I had an opportunity to join with Doug Whitfield to band a number of young Bald Eagles in northern Saskatchewan. In 1968, with the concern over the precipitous decline in Bald Eagles in many parts of North America, we received funding to extend our efforts in an aerial survey of Bald Eagle nests in northern Saskatchewan and parts of northern Manitoba. In 1968 and 1969, in this region where the authoritative book on The Birds of Canada said Bald Eagles were nothing more than a rare and picturesque species, we found about 250 Bald Eagle nests and banded many young. Naomi joined our team in 1970, and in the more than 50 years since Naomi, our children and many others have continued to this study of Bald Eagles and have contributed much to our knowledge of this species in what is now the longest running study of a stable raptor population anywhere in the world.
Find out more about Jon Gerrard, Liberal, River Heights:
http://www.jongerrard.ca
@DrJonGerrard
https://www.facebook.com/jon.gerrard
Read Less
