Harry Schellenberg (May 25, 1939 – November 20, 2024) was a Canadian politician in the province of

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 ...

. He was a member of the

Manitoba legislature The Manitoba Legislature is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada) and the unicameral assemb ...

from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2007, representing the north-end

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

riding of Rossmere for the

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 ...

. Born on a farm near

Boissevain, Manitoba Boissevain () is an unincorporated urban community in Manitoba near the North Dakota border that held town status prior to 2015. It is located within the Municipality of Boissevain – Morton. Boissevain is a community of just over 1,500 people a ...

, Schellenberg attended the Mennonite Collegiate Institute and Manitoba Teachers' College.https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/schellenberg_h.shtml He worked as a teacher for more than thirty years before entering political life, including over twenty spent at the

River East Collegiate River East Collegiate is a public high school located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that belongs to the River East Transcona School Division. River East has a school population of approximately 1,250 students. The school colours are blue and white and ...

teaching Canadian history and world issues. He was a founding member of Manitoba Parents for German Education, and has participated in such community organizations as Open Circle, a visitation program for inmates at Stony Mountain Penitentiary. During his time as a teacher, he completed a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

degree from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. A longtime supporter of the NDP, Schellenberg was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a 1993 by-election, defeating Progressive Conservative Ed Martens in the north Winnipeg riding of Rossmere. Two years later, he was defeated by Progressive Conservative

Vic Toews Victor Toews (; born September 10, 1952) is a Canadian politician and jurist. Toews is a justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba. He represented Provencher in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 until his resignation on July 9, ...

(later a federal MP in the

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 2000 to 2003. The Canadian Alliance was the new name of the ...

and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

parties) by 117 votes. Schellenberg was elected President of the Manitoba NDP in 1996, and officially served in the position from 1997 to 1999. He returned to the legislature following the 1999 general election, in which he defeated Toews by 5097 votes to 4803. In 2003, he was re-elected by a more comfortable margin. He served as Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House between 1999 and 2007. Schellenberg 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 ...

's campaign to lead the federal

in 2003. Schellenberg did not seek re-election in 2007. He died on November 20, 2024 in Winnipeg, at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schellenberg, Harry New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs Canadian Mennonites 1939 births 2024 deaths Politicians from Winnipeg Canadian educators 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba