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Ginny HasselfieldGinny Hasselfield is a Canadian politician, and was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party between 1996 and 1998. Hasselfield's election as Liberal Party leader was controversial, and resulted in a serious split in the party caucus. Although Hasselfield had never run for provincial office, she was known in Manitoba as a prominent organizer for the Liberal Party. As such, she was supported by the party's establishment against Kevin Lamoureux, a maverick MLA from north-end Winnipeg. Hasselfield and Lamoureux had a very poor personal relationship during this leadership contest. At one stage, Lamoureux suggested that a company operated by Hasselfield had received an untendered federal contract by dubious means, through the intercession of federal Liberal MP Reg Alcock. No criminal wrongdoing was alleged, but the incident was typical of the relationship between the candidates. The 1996 leadership contest was determined by a "weighted" balloting process (ie. every party member could vote in his/her home constituency, and the votes from each constituency were averaged out to provide an equal number of "points" for the total). It was widely believed that Lamoureux received more membership votes, but the concentration of his support in north Winnipeg meant that Hasselfield was able to attain a 21-point victory. Subsequently, Hasselfield would threaten Lamoureux with a lawsuit for publicly questioning her ability to lead the party. After the federal election of 1997, Lamoureux and Gary Kowalski left the Liberal caucus to sit as "Independent Liberals" (this left Neil Gaudry as the only official Liberal MLA in the Manitoba legislature). With the party's internal organization crumbing, Hasselfield was prevailed upon to stand down as party leader in 1998. She never actually stood for election during her time as leader. Hasselfield later moved to British Columbia. She now works as a video producer in the Surrey region, and remains an active supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada. Hasselfield, Ginny
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