Jay Cowan

Jay Marine Cowan (July 31, 1946 – January 23, 2022) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1990, and a cabinet minister in the government of Howard Pawley from 1981 to 1988.

Born in Chicago, Cowan left the United States of America during the Vietnam War to avoid that nation's military draft. In Canada, he worked as a miner and organizer for the social democratic New Democratic Party. He was a member of the United Steelworkers of America during this period.

In 1977, Cowan was sent by Manitoba NDP leader Edward Schreyer to the northern riding of Churchill to scout for suitable candidates. Perhaps contrary to Schreyer's expectations, he secured the nomination for himself (despite the fact that he was not yet a Canadian citizen) and was duly returned in the general election that followed, with responsibility for Environmental Management, the Clean Environment Act, the Workers Compensation Act, the Workplace Safety and Health Act, and the Communities Economic Development Fund Act.