Robert Ashley Steen, (August 12, 1933 in

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 ...

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 ...

– May 10, 1979) was a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

in Manitoba,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He was a Progressive Conservative 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 ...

from 1966 to 1969, and later served as the 38th

Mayor of Winnipeg The mayor of Winnipeg is a member of Winnipeg City Council, but does not represent a ward. The position of mayor was created in 1873 following the incorporation of Winnipeg. Since 1998, the term of office has been for four years. The 44th and ...

from 1977 to 1979. Steen was educated at 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 ...

and the Manitoba Law School, was called to the Manitoba bar in 1959 and worked as a barrister and solicitor. In March 1979, he was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

for his exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession. His brother

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

also served on Winnipeg city council and in the provincial assembly. Steen was an adviser to the federal Minister of Veterans Affairs in 1961, and to the provincial

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1965. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1966 provincial election, winning a relatively easy victory in the Winnipeg riding of St. Matthews. For the next three years, he served as a backbench supporter of the governments of

Dufferin Roblin Dufferin "Duff" Roblin (June 17, 1917 – May 30, 2010) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He served as the 14th premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre ...

and

Walter Weir Walter Cox-Smith Weir (June 7, 1929 – April 17, 1985) was a Canadians, Canadian politician. Weir served as the 15th premier of Manitoba from 1967 to 1969. Personal life The son of James Dixon Weir, Walter Weir was born in Rural Municipa ...

. The Progressive Conservatives were defeated by 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 ...

in the 1969 provincial election, and Steen lost his seat to NDP candidate Wally Johannson by almost 800 votes. He tried to return to the legislature in the 1973 provincial election, but finished third against

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

leader

Izzy Asper Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper (August 11, 1932 – October 7, 2003) was a Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate. He was the founder and owner of the now-defunct TV and media company CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CE ...

in the riding of Wolseley. He had much greater success in municipal politics. Steen was elected to the Winnipeg City Council in the elections of 1971 and 1974. Originally aligned with the right-wing Independent Citizens' Election Committee, Steen later broke away from this group and emerged as an independent centrist. In 1977, Winnipeg mayor

Stephen Juba Stephen Juba (July 1, 1914 – May 2, 1993) was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1953 to 1959, and served as the 37th Mayor of Winnipeg from 1957 to 1977. He was the first Ukrainian Cana ...

announced his retirement after twenty years in office. He made this announcement in the most dramatic manner possible, waiting until almost the last moment before declaring that he would not file nomination papers (many believe he did this to prevent Bernie Wolfe from organizing a campaign to succeed him). Steen, who had entered the race as a long-shot candidate, suddenly found himself supported by Juba's north-end support base. Although not a left-wing candidate, he was seen by many on the left as more palatable than

Bill Norrie William Norrie (January 21, 1929 – July 6, 2012) was the 39th Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was a onetime Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. Norrie was also involved in various charities, and once chaired the United Way of Winnipeg's ...

, the candidate of the ICEC. The results were extremely close, with Steen defeating Norrie by 69,818 votes to 67,999. Steen had developed a reputation as a master deal maker during his time in council but died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

on May 10, 1979 soon after taking office. Bill Norrie easily won the by-election that followed. He served as chairman of the board for the Misericordia Hospital in Winnipeg, the hospital where he was born and later died. In 1980, the National Film Board of Canada issued a documentary film entitled
The New Mayor
, covering Steen's rise to power. The Robert A. Steen Day Hospital part of Riverview Health Centreand th
Robert A. Steen Community Centre
are named in his honour. Additionally, the annual winner of th
Manitoba Marathon
is awarded th
Mayor Robert Steen Memorial Trophy
Finally, Th
Mayor Robert Steen Memorial Trophy
is awarded annually to the top pins over average bowler at the Manitoba Master Bantam Junior 5 Pin Bowling Tournament.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steen, Robert 1933 births 1979 deaths Deaths from liver cancer in Canada Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs Mayors of Winnipeg 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba 20th-century mayors of places in Manitoba