Jon Gerrard leadership profile

Jon Gerrard

Riding: River Heights

Party: Liberal Party of Manitoba

Age: 63

Profession: Pediatrician

Family: Jon Gerrard and his wife, Naomi Oberholtzer, have three children.

Background: The leader of the Liberal Party of Manitoba, Jon Gerrard was born Oct. 13, 1947, in Birmingham, England.

He grew up in Saskatoon, Sask. and studied at the University of Saskatchewan where he received his bachelor of arts in economics, 1967. He then went toMcGill University and obtained a doctor of medicine degree in1971. He acquired his PhD from theUniversity of Minnesota in 1976 anda certificate in pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1976.

He worked in the United States in the 1970s before returning to Canada in 1980 to accept a pediatric position at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital.

Between 1985 and 1992, Gerrard was director of pediatric oncology and hematology the Childrens Hospital andalso taught medicine at the University of Manitoba between 1980 and 1993.

In 1993, Gerrard made his foray in to politics and waselected as Liberal MP for the former riding of Portage-Interlake. He was named secretary of state for science, research and development in the government of Jean Chretien.

Riding redistribution before the 1997 election changed theboundaries and Gerrard ran in the new riding of Selkirk-Interlake butlostby 66 votes.

In 1998, he ran successfully for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Manitoba and in 1999,was elected as MLA for River Heights a seat hehas heldever since.