Gerry Ducharme

Gerald Ducharme (born March 21, 1939) is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1986 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Progressive Conservative Premier Gary Filmon from 1988 to 1995.

Early life and career The son of Jean Louis Ducharme and Mackalena Andreychuk, Ducharme was born in Winnipeg in 1939. and worked as an insurance broker and real estate dealer before entering public life. He was a member of the Winnipeg Real Estate Board and the Manitoba Brokers Association. He began his political career as a school trustee for the St. Vital School Board and was an alderman in Winnipeg from 1980 to 1986. He married Yvonne Normandeau in 1963. Ducharme faced a difficult challenge from Liberal Chris Sigurdson, winning by only 324 votes (the Liberals made strong inroads into both Tory and NDP ridings in this cycle). On May 9, 1988, Ducharme was appointed Manitoba Minister of Urban Affairs and Manitoba Minister of Housing. He stepped down from this position in 2000, shortly after the NDP under Gary Doer were returned to power.