Wilson Parasiuk
Encyclopedia
Wilson Parasiuk is an entrepreneur with experience in the private and public sectors. As founder and CEO of the Vancouver
–area based Paralink Group of Companies, Parasiuk organizes private sector/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada’s health care, education and governmental expertise. Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters within Canada and internationally. In his early career as a politician, he was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
, Canada
from 1977 to 1988, and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley
from 1981 to 1988.
. He subsequently became a Rhodes Scholar (Manitoba 1966) studying at Oxford University (also playing for the University's ice hockey
team in 1967 and 1968) obtaining a Master of Arts at St.John’s College.
, Ontario
.
In 1970, Parasiuk returned to Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, and began work with the Provincial Government of Manitoba. Appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for the Cabinet Planning Secretariat by then Premier Edward Schreyer
, Parasiuk held several positions over the following years, including Cabinet Sub-Committee on Economic and Resource Development, Chairman of the Lake Winnipeg Management Board, Chairman of Northern Manpower Corporation, Deputy Minister to the Premier and Deputy Minister to the Cabinet Planning Secretariat.
From 1971 to 1977, Parasiuk was Chairman of the Leaf Rapids Development Corporation, Chairman of the Communities Economic Development Fund and Ex-Officio Member of the Boards of Crown Corporations of the Government of Manitoba. Parasiuk led the development of the community of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
, which won former Governor General Vincent Massey’s Award for Excellence in the Urban Environment in 1975, awarded by the Vincent Massey Foundation, the Canada Council and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Parasiuk first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1973
, losing to Progressive Conservative
candidate Donald Craik
by about 2,000 votes in the suburban Winnipeg
riding of Riel. In the 1977 election, he was elected in his home riding, the traditional New Democratic Party
stronghold of Transcona in east Winnipeg
, even as the NDP government of Edward Schreyer
was defeated by the Progressive Conservatives under Sterling Lyon
.
In 1979 Parasiuk went to China
on a fact-finding tour led by prominent New Democrat, Tommy Douglas
. This led to a lifelong interest and activities in an emerging China and the impact of this emergence on the rest of the world. Parasiuk remained neutral in the Manitoba NDP leadership race which ultimately elected Howard Pawley as party leader. Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1981 election, as Pawley's NDP won a majority government. Parasiuk had acted as the Co-Chairman of the election campaign with Eugene Kostyra
.
On November 30, 1981, Parasiuk was named Minister of Energy and Mines with responsibility for Manitoba Hydro
, the Development Corporation Act, Manitoba Data Services and Manfor Resources Ltd. On January 20, 1982, he was also named Minister for Crown Investments. He was relieved of the DCA and MDS responsibilities on May 19, 1982, and the Crown Investments portfolio and the Manfor responsibility on November 4, 1983.
As Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro
, Parasiuk was instrumental in organizing an electricity export sales agreement with Northern States Power in Minnesota which led to the development of the Limestone hydro-electric dam and generating station in northern Manitoba. The dam development and its economic spin-offs had influence in the re-election of the Pawley government March 18, 1986.
Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1986 provincial election. He resigned his portfolios on May 20, 1986 amid a conflict-of-interest allegation, but was reinstated on August 29, 1986 after his name was cleared by the Honourable Samuel Freedman, the retired Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal. On September 21, 1987, he was appointed Minister of Health, with responsibility for Sport, the Boxing and Wrestling Commission Act and the Fitness and Amateur Sports Act.
Parasiuk had not intended to run again in the next election, expected sometime in 1990. However, the 1988 election
, brought on by the unexpected defeat of the government in the legislature, left Parasiuk no option but to run in his Transcona riding. During this election, Pawley resigned as leader and Parasiuk supported Gary Doer
as Pawley’s replacement. The NDP lost power in 1988 and Parasiuk himself was upset by Richard Kozak in the 1988 election, and has not sought a return to political life since then.
in 1989, accepting the position of founding President of Vancity Enterprises, a real estate investment and development subsidiary of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union. Under his leadership, Vancity Enterprises went through an innovative and successful start-up with award winning developments such as private residences providing assisted care at Queens Park Hospital, subsidized housing located over a Vancity Community branch and the Vancouver City Savings Credit Union Headquarters, constructed on previously unusable land due to the Skytrain rapid transit unit, which now passes through the building.
In 1992, Parasiuk was hired by the government of then British Columbia Premier Michael Harcourt
to work as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation until he left in 1995. Parasiuk was an advocate of developing Vancouver
as the gateway to Asia
and focused on expanding trade and investment to and from Asia
, especially China
and India
. He also pursued the expansion of the film industry in B.C.
Parasiuk was the Director of Quorum Growth Inc., then a publicly traded venture capital company, from 1993 to 1997, Director of Quorum Growth International Ltd. from 1994 to 2000 and was named President of Quorum Funding International in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Parasiuk was Chairman of the British Columbia
International Power Group Inc.
During his entire career, Parasiuk has been a board member for several private, non-profit and public organizations outside of his primary work activities. From 1989 to 1991, Parasiuk was a Director of the Canada West Foundation and in 1992 acted as Moderator for the B.C. Premier’s Summit on Trade and Economic Opportunity. He was a member of the World Economic Forum
from 1992–1995, as well as a member, from 1992 to 1998, of the Prime Minister
’s Advisory Committee on Government Restructuring (now the Advisory Committee on the Public Service) and Director of the Public Policy Forum during that time.
Parasiuk has remained active in health-care policy research in Canada
, having been a Director of Interhealth Canada Ltd. from 1994 to 2002 and Chairman of Interhealth Canada (China) Inc. from 1995 to 2003 and Chairman of the Beijing Toronto International Hospital Co-operative Joint Venture from 1996 to 2001, the first-ever private healthcare facility in Beijing
, China
. This project has not been completed due in large part to funding problems brought on by the East Asian financial crisis
of the mid to late 1990s.
In 1999, Parasiuk became the Managing Director of Interhealth Canada Limited Abu Dhabi, overseeing the start-up of the then Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center, a 335 bed, 1500 staff, accredited Western standard international hospital, now known as the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Pavilion, a central piece in the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. When Parasiuk left Interhealth Canada Limited in 2002, he held the positions of Vice-Chairman of the Board, President and CEO.
Since 1995, Parasiuk and his company, Paralink Management Ltd., have been involved in organizing private/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada’s expertise with emphasis on Canada’s healthcare, education and civics expertise. Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters. The Paralink group of companies are also involved in the recruitment and placement of foreign workers in Canada.
Parasiuk has not remained active in partisan politics, although in 2003 he publicly supported Bill Blaikie
's campaign to lead the federal New Democratic Party
.
Married since 1967 to Wilma Dorothy Parasiuk (née Hewitson), also of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he has two children and resides in the Vancouver area.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
–area based Paralink Group of Companies, Parasiuk organizes private sector/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada’s health care, education and governmental expertise. Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters within Canada and internationally. In his early career as a politician, he was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
, 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...
from 1977 to 1988, and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley
Howard Pawley
Howard Russell Pawley, PC, OC, OM is a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th Premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988.-Personal life:...
from 1981 to 1988.
Early life and education
Born into a farming family, Parasiuk obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts, Political Science and International Relations at the University of ManitobaUniversity 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...
. He subsequently became a Rhodes Scholar (Manitoba 1966) studying at Oxford University (also playing for the University's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team in 1967 and 1968) obtaining a Master of Arts at St.John’s College.
Early public career (1968-1988)
Parasiuk returned to Canada in 1968 and worked for the Canadian federal government’s Department of Regional Economic Expansion as an Economic Development Planner in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
In 1970, Parasiuk returned to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
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...
, and began work with the Provincial Government of Manitoba. Appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for the Cabinet Planning Secretariat by then Premier Edward Schreyer
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer , commonly known as Ed Schreyer, is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation....
, Parasiuk held several positions over the following years, including Cabinet Sub-Committee on Economic and Resource Development, Chairman of the Lake Winnipeg Management Board, Chairman of Northern Manpower Corporation, Deputy Minister to the Premier and Deputy Minister to the Cabinet Planning Secretariat.
From 1971 to 1977, Parasiuk was Chairman of the Leaf Rapids Development Corporation, Chairman of the Communities Economic Development Fund and Ex-Officio Member of the Boards of Crown Corporations of the Government of Manitoba. Parasiuk led the development of the community of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
Leaf Rapids is a town in north west Manitoba, Canada. The town was developed as an experimental model; a model that other northern communities could replicate as they strove for modern convenience and luxury in a northern environment...
, which won former Governor General Vincent Massey’s Award for Excellence in the Urban Environment in 1975, awarded by the Vincent Massey Foundation, the Canada Council and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Parasiuk first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1973
Manitoba general election, 1973
The Manitoba General Election of June 28, 1973 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the social-democratic New Democratic Party, which took 31 of 57 seats...
, losing to Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
candidate Donald Craik
Donald Craik
Donald Craik was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1966 to 1981, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon.Born in Baldur, Manitoba, Craik was educated at the...
by about 2,000 votes in the suburban Winnipeg
Winnipeg
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...
riding of Riel. In the 1977 election, he was elected in his home riding, the traditional New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
stronghold of Transcona in east Winnipeg
Winnipeg
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...
, even as the NDP government of Edward Schreyer
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer , commonly known as Ed Schreyer, is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation....
was defeated by the Progressive Conservatives under Sterling Lyon
Sterling Lyon
Sterling Rufus Lyon, PC, OC was a lawyer, cabinet minister, and the 17th Premier of Manitoba, Canada from 1977 to 1981. His government introduced several fiscally-conservative measures, and was sometimes seen as a local version of the government of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom...
.
In 1979 Parasiuk went to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
on a fact-finding tour led by prominent New Democrat, Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
. This led to a lifelong interest and activities in an emerging China and the impact of this emergence on the rest of the world. Parasiuk remained neutral in the Manitoba NDP leadership race which ultimately elected Howard Pawley as party leader. Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1981 election, as Pawley's NDP won a majority government. Parasiuk had acted as the Co-Chairman of the election campaign with Eugene Kostyra
Eugene Kostyra
Eugene Michael Kostyra is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988, and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley for all of this period.Kostyra dropped out of St...
.
On November 30, 1981, Parasiuk was named Minister of Energy and Mines with responsibility for Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
, the Development Corporation Act, Manitoba Data Services and Manfor Resources Ltd. On January 20, 1982, he was also named Minister for Crown Investments. He was relieved of the DCA and MDS responsibilities on May 19, 1982, and the Crown Investments portfolio and the Manfor responsibility on November 4, 1983.
As Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
, Parasiuk was instrumental in organizing an electricity export sales agreement with Northern States Power in Minnesota which led to the development of the Limestone hydro-electric dam and generating station in northern Manitoba. The dam development and its economic spin-offs had influence in the re-election of the Pawley government March 18, 1986.
Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1986 provincial election. He resigned his portfolios on May 20, 1986 amid a conflict-of-interest allegation, but was reinstated on August 29, 1986 after his name was cleared by the Honourable Samuel Freedman, the retired Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal. On September 21, 1987, he was appointed Minister of Health, with responsibility for Sport, the Boxing and Wrestling Commission Act and the Fitness and Amateur Sports Act.
Parasiuk had not intended to run again in the next election, expected sometime in 1990. However, the 1988 election
Manitoba general election, 1988
The Manitoba general election of April 26, 1988 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government...
, brought on by the unexpected defeat of the government in the legislature, left Parasiuk no option but to run in his Transcona riding. During this election, Pawley resigned as leader and Parasiuk supported Gary Doer
Gary Doer
Gary Albert Doer, OM is a Canadian diplomat and politician from Manitoba, Canada. Since October 19, 2009, he has served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States...
as Pawley’s replacement. The NDP lost power in 1988 and Parasiuk himself was upset by Richard Kozak in the 1988 election, and has not sought a return to political life since then.
Private and public sector career and activities (1989-present)
Parasiuk moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the Lower Mainland of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in 1989, accepting the position of founding President of Vancity Enterprises, a real estate investment and development subsidiary of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union. Under his leadership, Vancity Enterprises went through an innovative and successful start-up with award winning developments such as private residences providing assisted care at Queens Park Hospital, subsidized housing located over a Vancity Community branch and the Vancouver City Savings Credit Union Headquarters, constructed on previously unusable land due to the Skytrain rapid transit unit, which now passes through the building.
In 1992, Parasiuk was hired by the government of then British Columbia Premier Michael Harcourt
Michael Harcourt
Michael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986....
to work as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation until he left in 1995. Parasiuk was an advocate of developing Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
as the gateway to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and focused on expanding trade and investment to and from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, especially China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He also pursued the expansion of the film industry in B.C.
Parasiuk was the Director of Quorum Growth Inc., then a publicly traded venture capital company, from 1993 to 1997, Director of Quorum Growth International Ltd. from 1994 to 2000 and was named President of Quorum Funding International in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Parasiuk was Chairman of the British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
International Power Group Inc.
During his entire career, Parasiuk has been a board member for several private, non-profit and public organizations outside of his primary work activities. From 1989 to 1991, Parasiuk was a Director of the Canada West Foundation and in 1992 acted as Moderator for the B.C. Premier’s Summit on Trade and Economic Opportunity. He was a member of the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
from 1992–1995, as well as a member, from 1992 to 1998, of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
’s Advisory Committee on Government Restructuring (now the Advisory Committee on the Public Service) and Director of the Public Policy Forum during that time.
Parasiuk has remained active in health-care policy research in 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...
, having been a Director of Interhealth Canada Ltd. from 1994 to 2002 and Chairman of Interhealth Canada (China) Inc. from 1995 to 2003 and Chairman of the Beijing Toronto International Hospital Co-operative Joint Venture from 1996 to 2001, the first-ever private healthcare facility in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. This project has not been completed due in large part to funding problems brought on by the East Asian financial crisis
East Asian financial crisis
The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of Asia beginning in July 1997, and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion....
of the mid to late 1990s.
In 1999, Parasiuk became the Managing Director of Interhealth Canada Limited Abu Dhabi, overseeing the start-up of the then Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center, a 335 bed, 1500 staff, accredited Western standard international hospital, now known as the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Pavilion, a central piece in the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. When Parasiuk left Interhealth Canada Limited in 2002, he held the positions of Vice-Chairman of the Board, President and CEO.
Since 1995, Parasiuk and his company, Paralink Management Ltd., have been involved in organizing private/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada’s expertise with emphasis on Canada’s healthcare, education and civics expertise. Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters. The Paralink group of companies are also involved in the recruitment and placement of foreign workers in Canada.
Parasiuk has not remained active in partisan politics, although in 2003 he publicly supported Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
's campaign to lead the federal New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
.
Married since 1967 to Wilma Dorothy Parasiuk (née Hewitson), also of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he has two children and resides in the Vancouver area.