Anita Neville named next lieutenant-governor of Manitoba

Anita Neville will be Manitoba’s next lieutenant-governor, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday.

“Ms. Neville has long been a champion for the people of her community, her province, and our country,” Trudeau said in a news release announcing the appointment.

“As lieutenant-governor of Manitoba, I know she will continue to make a difference for Manitobans and Canadians.”

Neville, a former Liberal member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, will be the first Jewish lieutenant-governor of Manitoba and the third woman to hold the position.

Neville was the MP for Winnipeg South Centre from 2000 until 2011, when she lost the riding to Conservative Joyce Bateman. She was an opposition critic for Indigenous Affairs and the Status of Women.

During her time on Parliament Hill, Neville was part of several federal committees, including those on national defence and citizenship and immigration. She was also chair of the committee for status of women and vice-chair of the Canada Israel inter-parliamentary group.

She spent more than a decade working in education, including as a member and chair of the Winnipeg School Division Board of Trustees.

Neville also has fought for equality for women in politics.

She currently sits on a board of directors for the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council.

Janice Filmon, the current lieutenant-governor, suggested last fall that she would be stepping down from the position.

The lieutenant-governor is the Queen’s representative in the province. Neville will be responsible for opening legislative sessions with the speech from the throne, swearing in members of the executive council and giving all legislation royal assent before it becomes law in Manitoba.