Manitoba’s agriculture minister and deputy premier Rosann Wowchuk will spend at least a month as the province’s interim finance minister during the race to replace Premier Gary Doer.
Doer, who announced in late August he will step down as premier and as leader of Manitoba’s New Democrats to become Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., on Monday appointed Wowchuk as interim minister for finance, Crown corporations, French language services, the Civil Service Commission and Manitoba Hydro.
In the finance portfolio, Wowchuk replaces St. Boniface MLA Greg Selinger, one of three provincial cabinet ministers who have stepped down from their posts to run for the party leadership, a prize which includes the premier’s job through to October 2011.
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The party meets in Winnipeg next month, Oct. 16-17, to choose its new leader.
Wowchuk, who’s also the MLA for Swan River and hails from a family farm at nearby Cowan, is “familiar with the issues” in the finance job as a member of the provincial Treasury Board, Doer said in a release Monday.
La Verendrye MLA Ron Lemieux, the province’s infrastructure and transportation minister, will take over the intergovernmental affairs portfolio from Thompson MLA and leadership contender Steve Ashton. Ashton’s role also includes responsibility for the provincial Emergency Measures Organization.
St. Vital MLA Nancy Allan, the province’s labour and immigration minister, will also take on added responsibility for the competitiveness, training and trade portfolio, including responsibility for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation.
In that portfolio she replaces leadership contestant Andrew Swan, MLA for Minto in Winnipeg’s West End.
