MLA: Theresa Oswald - Seine River

Father we are grateful for the many years of service MLA Theresa Oswald has committed to our province. We pray that You would direct her steps as she prepares to step down from politics. May You give her peace and direction in the next phase of her career, and help her to continue to serve with honour and integrity as she fulfills her mandate as MLA of Seine River. We pray that You would give her the strength to carryout the many tasks before her. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

• First appointed to cabinet in 2004
• First elected in 2003

Theresa Oswald was elected to represent Seine River in the 2003 general election, and served one year as the Premier’s Legislative Assistant. In October 2004 Premier Doer appointed Theresa as the Minister of Healthy Living, with responsibility for Seniors and Healthy Child Manitoba. In September 2006 Premier Doer appointed her as the new Minister of Health. Theresa was re-elected in 2007 and 2011 to represent the people of Seine River.

After serving as Health Minister for seven years, longer than any other Health Minister in Canada, Premier Greg Selinger appointed Theresa the Minister of Jobs and the Economy on October 18, 2013.

Theresa had the privilege in 2005 of serving as the chair for the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force, which had a mandate to seek input from Manitobans concerning physical activity, nutrition and injury prevention for children. In June of 2005 the task force released a report containing 47 recommendations on which the government is enthusiastically making progress.

Before launching her political career, Theresa spent eleven years teaching English at Glenlawn Collegiate where she connected with hundreds of students and parents. She earned a reputation as an outstanding teacher with high expectations, and an array of teaching strategies to support all learners in meeting those expectations. Theresa also served as a vice-principal at an exceptional needs school in the Louis Riel School Division. There she had first-hand experience in dealing with children and parents who had significant issues with poverty and unemployment, immigration, illiteracy, and anxieties associated with fleeing war-torn countries.

As English Department Head and Coordinator of the Student Leadership course, Theresa developed expertise in both the theory and practice of strong leadership. As Partnerships Coordinator at Glenlawn, Theresa forged and maintained meaningful connections for the school and community with organizations including the Victoria Hospital, the Royal Bank, the Zoological Society of Manitoba and Take Pride Winnipeg!

Theresa believes that active learning gives life its shape, its force and its beauty. She has been an active member of a competitive senior volleyball league, and is an avid reader and book club member, a theatre-goer, a traveler, a singer, and an activist for environmental, women’s and youth issues.

http://www.yourmanitoba.ca/caucus2010/mla?constituency=Seine%20River