Bill Blaikie, a longtime Manitoba New Democrat whose political career spans more than three decades and includes terms in both the House of Commons and the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, has died. He was 71 years old.
Blaikie died Saturday in Winnipeg, following a battle with metastatic kidney cancer, according to a Facebook post from his son, Daniel Blaikie.
Blaikie was first elected in 1979 as the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg-Birds Hill. After that riding was dissolved in 1987, Blaikie won four elections in the new riding of Winnipeg-Transcona, and two more after it was renamed Elmwood-Transcona in 2004. He did not seek re-election in 2008.
The following year he entered provincial politics, winning the seat of Elmwood for the then-ruling NDP in a 2009 by-election. He was appointed to Premier Greg Selinger’s cabinet, serving as Minister of Conservationist and Government House Leader until 2011, when he retired from politics.
While in Ottawa, Blaikie sought the leadership of the federal NDP, losing to Jack Layton in 2003.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2020 for his lifelong contributions to parliamentary service and for his unwavering commitment to progressive change and social activism.
“His legacy stands on its own – it’s a living legacy,” said Lloyd Axworthy, a longtime Liberal cabinet minister and later president of the University of Winnipeg.
WATCH | Bill Blaikie, longtime Manitoba politician, dead at 71:
Bill Blaikie, a longtime Manitoba New Democrat whose political career spans more than three decades and includes federal and provincial mandates, has died.
Axworthy was first elected MP on the same day as Blaikie in 1979, and the two got to know each other well during their time in Parliament, even though they sat on different sides politically, he said.
“He was a strong believer in social democracy, he was an advocate of the social gospel, but he was also a really good guy to get along with and a good person…just to hide behind the curtains and just discuss [with]”said Axworthy, who spoke to CBC on Friday, after Blaikie shared a statement that he was entering hospice care.
Their paths crossed again when Blaikie started as an adjunct professor of theology and politics at the University of Winnipeg, where Axworthy served as president from 2004 to 2014.
“For students… with [a] great appetite for knowing, ‘How do things work?'” Blaikie could bring his hands-on experience into the classroom, Axworthy said.
“He understood politics and he could accept this world of pragmatism and practical accommodation, but always said, ‘But it has to be driven and guided by a set of beliefs.
Blaikie was “someone who clearly did his whole life, every step he took, made a difference,” Axworthy said.
James Christie, former dean of theology and professor at the University of Winnipeg, said Blaikie “had tremendous political and religious insight.”
In an interview with CBC on Friday, Christie said Blaikie’s ability to stand out while in college came from her engaging personality.
“Bill could tell a story that would lead to another story and another story, and we could sit down and just talk, and in my case, just listen most of the time,” Christie said. “And he captivated his students in the same way.”
Christie, who worked with Blaikie at the University of Winnipeg for years, also highlighted his work as a politician, United Church minister and religious leader, musician and author. Blaikie wrote a 2011 memoir titled The Blaikie Report: An Insider’s Look at Faith and Politics.
“I looked at Bill partly because he was much taller than me…but he was also a man of great intelligence and a big heart, big dreams, great generosity,” said Christie said.
“Just one of those people who was larger than life literally and figuratively.”
“Internet evangelist. Extreme communicator. Subtly charming alcohol aficionado. Typical tv geek.”