Laurier Club Spotlight: Jon Gerrard

April 28, 2013

The Liberal Party of Canada is proud to count the Honourable Dr. Jon Gerrard among our most committed Laurier Club donors. Dr. Gerrard grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and a medical degree from McGill. He was a Member of Parliament under Jean Chrétien from 1993 to 1997 and has been Leader of Liberal Party of Manitoba since 1998 and MLA for River Heights since 1999. He has been a dedicated liberal since he first got involved in Saskatchewan during his undergrad in the mid-1960s and has been a Laurier Club donor for over 20 years.

Can you tell us how your values have helped shape your career and your achievements?

I have been involved in the Liberal Party in many provinces. In Saskatchewan where I grew up, in Quebec during my medical degree at McGill, as a Member of Parliament and now in Manitoba – I just feel that Liberals have a sense of entrepreneurial initiative, balanced with a feeling of justice and fairness for people across the country.

One of the things which has really drawn me to the Liberal party was Laurier’s vision of what it means to be a Liberal. He talked about there always being abuses to be reformed and improvements to be made and new directions to be opened up. It’s that vision I’m drawn to — of an incredible future where there are challenges and opportunities and the need to be constantly at the very forefront of what’s going on.  Canada, when we have done well, has really been at the forefront of leading, not only in our country but in the world, and that’s one of the big reasons I’m a Liberal.

Is there a particular achievement in the history of the Liberal Party of Canada that you are most proud to have been a part of?

When I was elected in the fall of 1993, I had an opportunity to be chosen as Secretary of State for Science Research and Development. As a physician and a researcher, and knowledgeable about the Internet, this was a very exciting time. It seemed to me that the internet was something that offered tremendous potential to level the playing field for many people, giving them access to greater opportunities, particularly people from rural areas.

In January of 1994, Jean Chrétien took to cabinet his draft throne speech. As we all sat around, he showed us the throne speech and instructed us to take a careful look at it, but that it was basically what we had said in the Red Book. He informed us that if we wanted to add things then other things would have to go – that was typical Jean Chrétien, he was a good politician. I spoke up about the Information Highway, because the Internet had not been in the Red Book and I felt strongly that Canada needed to implement a strategy and it was added. We did lose something else but we got a direction that was important in the budget that followed and in creating the Information Highway Advisory Council and in moving Canada forward. It was a really exciting opportunity to contribute and I was just lucky to have been there and been able to help push the Information Highway in Canada a little bit faster than it would have otherwise happened.

In your opinion, how can the Liberal Party of Canada best serve Canadians in the coming years?

I think that we shouldn’t be afraid of being courageous, bold, and we need to recognize the changes that are happening all around us. Liberals made, in my view, a very important step in opening up the leadership selection process to supporters and not just members. I think we need to recognize the kind of world that we’re in and the way social media and telecommunications create greater opportunities for all Canadians.

For someone who has demonstrated consistent leadership and commitment to the Laurier Club and Liberal Party of Canada, what would you say to someone who is thinking of taking the next step and joining the Laurier Club?

I think that the involvement in the Laurier Club has given me a lot more than I ever expected when I started. It has allowed me to be in contact with people across Canada. I think that it is not only a very important way of contributing to the Party and to the democratic process but its also an important way personally of growing and networking and staying in touch with what’s happening at the moment, not only politically but in a wide variety of other areas.

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