George Hickes (Manitoba politician) facts for kids

George Hickes was born on June 26, 1946. He is a politician from Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for many years. He served from 1990 until 2011.

Mr. Hickes also held an important job as the Speaker of the Assembly. He was the Speaker from November 1999 to October 2011. He is a member of the New Democratic Party, often called the NDP.

George Hickes is also known for his family. He is the father of George Hickes Jr., who is also a politician in Nunavut. He is also the uncle of Hunter Tootoo, another politician from Nunavut, and Jordin Tootoo, a famous hockey player.

Early Life and Career Journey

George Hickes was born into an Inuit family. His birthplace was near Ports Point in the Northwest Territories, which is now part of Nunavut. He grew up in Churchill, Manitoba. His early life involved both traditional Inuit ways and modern Canadian society.

When he was young, he helped catch beluga whales. This was a long-standing tradition in Inuit culture. He was even nicknamed "coldwater cowboy" because he worked without nets. Some whales caught by his family can still be seen in aquariums today.

In the early 1970s, Mr. Hickes worked as a heavy equipment operator. This was at the Tar Sands Project in Fort McMurray, Alberta. He also had many different jobs in Churchill during that time.

In 1976, he joined Manitoba's New Careers program. This program helped people get job training. He later said this decision helped him avoid a difficult life. After finishing the program in 1978, Hickes became a trainer for New Careers in Winnipeg. He worked there until 1984. Later, he helped design an education program for the Yukon.

Serving in Provincial Politics

Becoming an Opposition Member

Before the 1990 provincial election, George Hickes wanted to run for the NDP. He planned to challenge another politician, Elijah Harper. However, he decided not to when Harper became very well-known.

Instead, Hickes was elected to represent Point Douglas. This area is in north-end Winnipeg and has a large Indigenous community. He won every election after that. In the 2003 election, he received almost 75% of the votes.

From 1990 to 1999, the NDP was the Official Opposition in Manitoba. This means they were the main party not in power. Hickes served as the party's whip during this time. A whip helps make sure party members vote together.

He helped make November 8 a special day to honor Indigenous veterans in Manitoba. He also pushed for a law about cooking liquids. This law made sure that cooking liquids sold in stores had less alcohol. This was to help keep people safe.

In 1994, he spoke against creating a political party just for Indigenous people. He believed such a party could not represent everyone. He said his own area, Point Douglas, had people from many backgrounds. This included Ukrainians, Filipinos, and Chinese. He wondered what would happen to them if a party only represented one group.

In 1999, the areas for elections in Manitoba were changed. Hickes had to compete for the NDP nomination in Point Douglas. He won against another politician, Conrad Santos.

Serving as Speaker of the Assembly

The NDP won the 1999 election and formed a majority government. This meant they had more than half the seats. George Hickes was chosen to be the new Speaker of the Assembly. He won a vote against other candidates.

He was the first Speaker to be chosen this way. Before him, the premier usually picked the Speaker. He was re-elected as Speaker in 2003.

Mr. Hickes was elected again to the Manitoba legislature in the 2007 provincial election. Soon after, he was re-elected as Speaker without anyone running against him. Leaders from other parties said that Hickes was fair and balanced in his role.

On February 10, 2011, George Hickes announced he would not run for re-election. This meant he would leave politics after the next provincial election.