Ronald Reinhold Schuler is a Canadian politician. He is currently a member of the
Manitoba Legislature
The Legislature of Manitoba is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the King of Canada in Right of Manitoba, represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, and the unicameral ...
and a representative of the Progressive Conservative Party (PCs). He was first elected in the 1999 provincial election. and was re-elected in the 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2019 elections.
After the PCs won control of the Manitoba government in the 2016 election,
Premier of Manitoba
The premier of Manitoba (french: premier ministre du Manitoba) is the first minister (i.e., head of government or chief executive) for the Canadian province of Manitoba—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Counci ...
Brian Pallister
Brian William Pallister (born July 6, 1954) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Manitoba from 2016 until 2021. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 2012 to 2021. He was previously a ca ...
appointed Schuler Minister of Crown Services. On August 17, 2017 he was named Minister of Infrastructure. On December 30, 2021 Schuler was removed from cabinet.
Personal life and education
Schuler 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 ...
, Manitoba. He attended John M. King Elementary School, before moving to Benton Harbor,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, where he attended Millburg Elementary School in Berrien County. In 1976, he moved back to Winnipeg, where he attended Elmwood Junior High and graduated from Elmwood High School in 1981. He is the youngest son of Wanda and Reinhold Schuler, with four sisters and one brother.
Schuler obtained 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 yea ...
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.T. Eaton Company from 1979 to 1984. Schuler went on to become a small business owner, co-owning Christmas Traditions, Espresso Junction Inc., and Gingerbread World Inc. He also served as Chair of the Manitoba Intercultural Council from 1991 to 1993.
School board service
On October 25, 1995, Schuler began his political career when he was elected as a school trustee for Ward Three in the River East School Division.
1995 River East School Division Ward Three school trustee results
In his first term on the River East School Board, Schuler served as Chairman of the Education and Policy Committee. He advocated a zero violence tolerance policy on issues affecting the safety of students and staff. Schuler strongly supported increased technology funding and division-wide upgrades to classroom computers and also strongly supported heritage language programs offered in the divisions.
He was re-elected on October 28 as a school trustee for the River East School Division, Ward Three in the 1998 election. Schuler’s re-election led him to being appointed to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees in November 1998. He resigned from his position as school trustee on September 23, 1999 to pursue his career in provincial politics with the
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Manitoba) is a centre-right political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is currently the governing party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, after winnin ...
.
1998 River East School Division Ward Three school trustee results
Legislative service
Schuler was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du 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 ...
New Democrat
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as cultural ...
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...
(MLA),
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon (born August 24, 1942) is Canadian politician from Manitoba. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999.
Political c ...
, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, appointed Schuler as the PC Caucus Labour & Immigration Critic.
The voters of Springfield re-elected Schuler as their MLA on June 3, 2003 by a much greater margin, though the PCs incurred a net loss of four seats across Manitoba. Stuart Murray appointed Schuler as the PC Caucus Critic for Energy, Science and Technology, and the Chief Critic for the
Kyoto Accord
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...
, the Civil Service Commission, and Lotteries and Gaming.
2003 Manitoba provincial election: Springfield
On February 24, 2006, Schuler announced that he would seek the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba. Hugh McFadyen won the leadership election on April 29, 2006.
2006 Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba leadership election
For a third consecutive term, Schuler was re-elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Springfield on May 22, 2007.
In September 2007, Schuler was appointed Critic for Education, Citizenship and Youth, as well as Caucus Whip by Leader Hugh McFadyen. As of February 4, 2010, Schuler is the Critic for Housing and Community Development and Sports.
Schuler held several critic portfolios during his time in Opposition, including Labour and Immigration, Energy, Science and Technology, Kyoto Accord, the Civil Service Commission, Lotteries and Gaming, Education, Citizenship & Youth, Community Economic Development Fund, Housing and Community Development and Sports, as well as Caucus Whip.
Schuler was re-nominated to represent the Progressive Conservative Party in the 2011 Manitoba provincial election, held on October 4, in the newly created constituency of St. Paul and won re-election.