Becky Barrett (born May 1, 1942) is a retired politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party (NDP) government of Gary Doer from 1999 to 2003.
Early life and career
Barrett was born in Florida, USA, and moved to Canada in 1975. She has a Master's degree in social work from the University of Manitoba (1979), and was a social worker before entering political life. Barrett was the Manitoba NDP's director of organization during the 1980s.
Politician
Opposition member (1990-99)
Barrett was elected in the north-end Winnipeg riding of Wellington in the 1990 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Ernie Gilroy by over 1,200 votes. The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba won a majority government in this election, and Barrett was appointed as the New Democratic Party's family services critic in opposition. In June 1991, she criticized Premier Gary Filmon's sudden announcement that Winnipeg's child and family services would be brought under a single agency. Barrett later criticized the Filmon government for cutting several Manitobans from social assistance programs without making investments in education, job creation programs and skills upgrading. She also brought forward a private member's bill that, if passed, would have required the Manitoba Office of the Children's Advocate to report to the legislature rather than the Minister of Family Services.
Barrett also served as her party's justice critic. She called on the Filmon government remove provincial judge Bruce McDonald from office in 1993, after McDonald was reported as telling a female complainant to "work something out" with a man accused of assaulting her. McDonald was later forced to resign from the bench after the Winnipeg Free Press uncovered a pattern of questionable behaviour in his decisions. Barrett also called for Manitoba to ban pellet guns in 1993, when a 14-year-old girl required hospitalization after being shot in the leg.
Barrett led the Manitoba NDP's candidate search committee in the buildup to the 1995 provincial election, and placed an emphasis on recruiting women and minority candidates. She was personally re-elected, defeating her Liberal opponent by almost 2,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives won a second majority government provincially, and Barrett was named as her party's urban affairs critic. In May 1998, she unveiled her party's platform for revitalizing the city of Winnipeg. Highlights of the platform included giving more power to city councillors and residents' associations, providing tax incentives for inner city renewal, guaranteeing stable funding for schools, renewing several aboriginal programs and enacting a new anti-gang policy.
Minister of Labour and Immigration (1999-2003)
The New Democratic Party won a majority government in the 1999 provincial election. Barrett did not run for re-election in Wellington, but instead challenged popular Liberal incumbent Kevin Lamoureux in the neighbouring division of Inkster. She won by 143 votes. Barrett was regarded as a strong ally of incoming premier Gary Doer, and there was little surprise when she was chosen as a member of his first cabinet.
Barrett was sworn in as Minister of Labour on October 5, 1999, with responsibility for administering the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act and the Workers Compensation Act, as well as for the Civil Service and Multiculturalism. On January 17, 2001, her position was renamed as the Minister of Labour and Immigration, and she was relieved of responsibility for the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act and the Civil Service.