Gregory Dewar, (born January 9, 1956) is a politician in

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 ...

, Canada. He is a former member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

. Dewar was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, the grandson of former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Ben Massey. He was educated at the

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

, and worked as a steelworker and as a small businessman prior to entering political life. Dewar served as treasurer of the Selkirk local of the Manitoba Metis Federation, and was a founding director of the Maurepas Village Housing Cooperative. He was also involved in the Selkirk Restitution and Reconciliation Committee, a program which assists young offenders. Dewar was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1990, running as a

New Democrat New Democrats may refer to: * New Democratic Party, a social democratic party in Canada * New Democrats (United States), the ideological centrist faction of the Democratic Party ** New Democrat Coalition, the related caucus in the United States H ...

in the riding of Selkirk. He received 3735 votes, against 3467 for Progressive Conservative Russ Farrell (incumbent Liberal

Gwen Charles Gwen Charles (born July 19, 1949, in Lindsay, Ontario) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1990, representing the riding of Selkirk for the Manitoba Liberal Party. The da ...

was third with 3009). Dewar was re-elected by a wider margin in the 1995 election, and by a comfortable margin in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. The NDP formed government following the 1999 election, and Dewar was appointed

Government Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline (that members of the party vote according to the party platform rather than their constituents, individual conscience or donors) in a legislature. Whips a ...

. Dewar supported

Lorne Nystrom Lorne Edmund Nystrom (born April 26, 1946) is a Canadian politician and was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 2004. He is a member of the New Democratic Party. Parliamentary career Nystrom was ...

's bid to become leader of the federal

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

in 1995. In 2003, he supported

Bill Blaikie William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie (June 19, 1951 – September 24, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2008, representing Elmwood—Transcona and its antecedent ridings in the House of Commons ...

. Dewar was easily re-elected in the provincial election of 2003, receiving more than 60% of the vote in his riding. He was re-elected in the 2007 provincial election and in the 2011 provincial election. Dewar was the legislative assistant to the Minister of Finance. He resumed the role of Government Whip following the 2011 election and held that position until 2014. On November 3, 2014, Dewar was appointed as Minister of Finance after then-Minister Jennifer Howard, along with four other ministers, resigned from cabinet over concerns about Premier Selinger's leadership.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, Gregory 1956 births Living people New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Selkirk, Manitoba Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba Ministers of finance of Manitoba Métis politicians Manitoba Métis Federation people 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba