Kelvin Goertzen
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Goertzen is a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature. He was first elected in the 2003 provincial election
, and was re-elected in the 2007
and 2011
elections.
, Manitoba
but was raised in Steinbach, Manitoba
. He attended public school in Steinbach and graduated high school from the Steinbach Regional Secondary School in June 1987. Goertzen's father, Henry, died when Goertzen was only 11 years old and his mother, Anne, raised him and his sister Connie alone for a number of years before marrying Peter Wiens, originally of Grunthal, Manitoba
. Wiens, like Goertzen's father, was a long distance truck driver with Penner International Trucking of Steinbach.
Despite coming from a relatively poor financial background, Goertzen obtained a Bachelor of Arts
,majoring in Economics, a Bachelor of Commerce
and a Bachelor of Law each from the University of Manitoba
. While attending Robson Hall law school at the University of Manitoba, Goertzen was awarded more than a dozen academic prizes and was the schools top student during his second year of law studies.
In June 2007, Goertzen was awarded the "HOPE" medal by the Lions Club Foundation of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario for his community service work helping those less fortunate in Manitoba.
. In 1995, Goertzen was hired as an Intern
at the Manitoba Legislature serving with the Progressive Conservative Caucus. Following the internship, he served in the Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship and subsequently worked as an Executive Assistant to MLAs Jim Penner
and Albert Driedger
. Following the 2000 federal election, Goertzen also worked as an advisor to Provencher Member of Parliament Vic Toews
and was a key local organizer for Toews in the 2000, 2004 and 2005 federal elections. Like Toews, Goertzen was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage
. In 2003, he participated in a public protest against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada
.
Prior to seeking elected office himself, Goertzen also served as the President of the Steinbach Progressive Conservative Association, as a Regional Director on the Board of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party and as a member of the Management Committee of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party.
and would not be seeking re-election. After the election was called a short nomination process occurred. Some critics suggested Goertzen's service as local association President gave him an advantage in the short nomination time frame. The sudden events had no impact on the election result, however. Steinbach is an extremely safe seat for the Progressive Conservatives, and Goertzen was elected with over 74% of its popular vote, despite the poor showing of PC candidates elsewhere in the province. Goertzen became the youngest MLA ever elected in the Steinbach Constituency (age 33) as well as the first Manitoba Legislative Intern to be elected to the Manitoba Legislature.
After his election to the Manitoba Legislature, Goertzen was appointed his Party's Chief Justice Critic and in 2005 was also appointed Deputy House Leader. Goertzen quickly became one of the most vocal and effective representatives in the Legislature and is seen as a likely appointment for Cabinet when the Manitoba Progressive Conservative's again win government.
As Justice Critic, Goertzen has called for increased police resources, stronger laws against organized crime, electronic monitoring of sex offenders and a drug treatment court to assist individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol. In 2005-2006, Goertzen held a series of informational meetings across Manitoba about Crystal Meth and lobbied for new legislation to allow parents of drug addicted teenagers to place their children in drug treatment. The NDP government accepted that suggestion and legislation was passed June 13, 2006.
Goertzen was a strong supporter of Manitoba P.C. Leader Stuart Murray
and refused to participate in internal Caucus dissent that ultimately led to the end of Murray's leadership in November 2005.
Goertzen was among the first MLA's to endorse the provincial P.C. leadership campaign of Hugh McFadyen
who eventually won the leadership. McFadyen reappointed Goertzen as Justice Critic after his leadership election and also appointed him the Progressive Conservative House Leader
. Goertzen was again nominated the provincial P.C. candidate for Steinbach on September 8, 2006. On May 22, 2007 Goertzen was re-elected in the Steinbach Constituency with 83% of the vote, the largest Progressive Conservative victory in the history of the riding.
In February 2010, Goertzen was named Deputy Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba. On October 4, 2011, Goertzen was re-elected in the Steinbach constitunecy by another larger majority, although the PC's once again lost the election to the NDP. With the resignation of McFayden as party leader after the election, there has been some speculation in the local media that Goertzen may be a candidate for the position.
Goertzen has published several articles related to law and politics including in the Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law (Volume 3- 2003) and Underneath the Golden Boy (Volume 3-2004). In November 2006, he published a book on the life of Jim Penner, his predecessor in the Legislature, entitled A Life Well Lived: The Story of Jim Penner and Penner Foods (National Library of Canada ISBN 0-9781405-0-8).
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature. He was first elected in the 2003 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
, and was re-elected in the 2007
Manitoba general election, 2007
The Manitoba general election held on May 22, 2007 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 36 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with nineteen seats. The Liberal...
and 2011
Manitoba general election, 2011
The 40th general election of Manitoba was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. It took place on October 4, 2011, due to the new fixed-date election laws...
elections.
Early life and education
Kelvin Goertzen was born in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
but was raised in Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
. He attended public school in Steinbach and graduated high school from the Steinbach Regional Secondary School in June 1987. Goertzen's father, Henry, died when Goertzen was only 11 years old and his mother, Anne, raised him and his sister Connie alone for a number of years before marrying Peter Wiens, originally of Grunthal, Manitoba
Grunthal, Manitoba
Grunthal is a small town in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, Manitoba located about 20 minutes west of Steinbach, and about 40 minutes south of Winnipeg. It had a population of 1000 in 2006. Tourist attractions include Grunthal's Annual Fairdays which are held on the second weekend in August and...
. Wiens, like Goertzen's father, was a long distance truck driver with Penner International Trucking of Steinbach.
Despite coming from a relatively poor financial background, Goertzen obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
,majoring in Economics, a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
and a Bachelor of Law each from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. While attending Robson Hall law school at the University of Manitoba, Goertzen was awarded more than a dozen academic prizes and was the schools top student during his second year of law studies.
Community involvement
Goertzen served for two years as the Vice-President of the Steinbach Arts Council and served as Vice-President of the Southeast Helping Hands Food Bank in Steinbach for seven years. He has been involved as a participant and fundraiser in a number of community related causes including the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum and the Steinbach Association for Community Living. He is currently a member of the South East Rotary Club.In June 2007, Goertzen was awarded the "HOPE" medal by the Lions Club Foundation of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario for his community service work helping those less fortunate in Manitoba.
Political involvement
Goertzen became involved in political activities while attending high school, originally serving as an early organizer for the Reform Party of CanadaReform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
. In 1995, Goertzen was hired as an Intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
at the Manitoba Legislature serving with the Progressive Conservative Caucus. Following the internship, he served in the Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship and subsequently worked as an Executive Assistant to MLAs Jim Penner
Jim Penner
Jim Penner was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Manitoba legislature from 1999 to 2003.Penner was born in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. He served as President and C.E.O...
and Albert Driedger
Albert Driedger
Albert Driedger was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1999, and a cabinet minister in the government of Gary Filmon from 1988 to 1997....
. Following the 2000 federal election, Goertzen also worked as an advisor to Provencher Member of Parliament Vic Toews
Vic Toews
Victor "Vic" Toews, PC QC MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented Provencher in the Canadian House of Commons since 2000, and currently serves in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Public Safety. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from...
and was a key local organizer for Toews in the 2000, 2004 and 2005 federal elections. Like Toews, Goertzen was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. In 2003, he participated in a public protest against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada
Same-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
.
Prior to seeking elected office himself, Goertzen also served as the President of the Steinbach Progressive Conservative Association, as a Regional Director on the Board of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party and as a member of the Management Committee of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party.
Elected office
One week prior to the 2003 provincial election, Steinbach MLA Jim Penner announced he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
and would not be seeking re-election. After the election was called a short nomination process occurred. Some critics suggested Goertzen's service as local association President gave him an advantage in the short nomination time frame. The sudden events had no impact on the election result, however. Steinbach is an extremely safe seat for the Progressive Conservatives, and Goertzen was elected with over 74% of its popular vote, despite the poor showing of PC candidates elsewhere in the province. Goertzen became the youngest MLA ever elected in the Steinbach Constituency (age 33) as well as the first Manitoba Legislative Intern to be elected to the Manitoba Legislature.
After his election to the Manitoba Legislature, Goertzen was appointed his Party's Chief Justice Critic and in 2005 was also appointed Deputy House Leader. Goertzen quickly became one of the most vocal and effective representatives in the Legislature and is seen as a likely appointment for Cabinet when the Manitoba Progressive Conservative's again win government.
As Justice Critic, Goertzen has called for increased police resources, stronger laws against organized crime, electronic monitoring of sex offenders and a drug treatment court to assist individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol. In 2005-2006, Goertzen held a series of informational meetings across Manitoba about Crystal Meth and lobbied for new legislation to allow parents of drug addicted teenagers to place their children in drug treatment. The NDP government accepted that suggestion and legislation was passed June 13, 2006.
Goertzen was a strong supporter of Manitoba P.C. Leader Stuart Murray
Stuart Murray
Stuart Murray is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and leader of the opposition in the Manitoba legislature from 2000 to 2006.-Early life and career:...
and refused to participate in internal Caucus dissent that ultimately led to the end of Murray's leadership in November 2005.
Goertzen was among the first MLA's to endorse the provincial P.C. leadership campaign of Hugh McFadyen
Hugh McFadyen
Hugh Daniel McFadyen is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Since 2006, he has been leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and Leader of the Opposition in the Manitoba legislature. Following his party's loss in the 2011 election he announced that he would resign as...
who eventually won the leadership. McFadyen reappointed Goertzen as Justice Critic after his leadership election and also appointed him the Progressive Conservative House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
. Goertzen was again nominated the provincial P.C. candidate for Steinbach on September 8, 2006. On May 22, 2007 Goertzen was re-elected in the Steinbach Constituency with 83% of the vote, the largest Progressive Conservative victory in the history of the riding.
In February 2010, Goertzen was named Deputy Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba. On October 4, 2011, Goertzen was re-elected in the Steinbach constitunecy by another larger majority, although the PC's once again lost the election to the NDP. With the resignation of McFayden as party leader after the election, there has been some speculation in the local media that Goertzen may be a candidate for the position.
Personal
Goertzen married his wife Kimberley (Hiebert) in 1997. They live in Steinbach with their son, Malachi, who was born September 30, 2006, and are members of Southland Community Church, which has one of Western Canada's largest congregations.Goertzen has published several articles related to law and politics including in the Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law (Volume 3- 2003) and Underneath the Golden Boy (Volume 3-2004). In November 2006, he published a book on the life of Jim Penner, his predecessor in the Legislature, entitled A Life Well Lived: The Story of Jim Penner and Penner Foods (National Library of Canada ISBN 0-9781405-0-8).