View source for Mike Radcliffe

{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

'''Michael Frederick Carrington Radcliffe''' (born December 16, 1944)<ref name=living/> is a lawyer and former [[politician]] in [[Manitoba]], Canada. He served as a member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]] from 1995 to 1999,<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/manitobavotes2007/riding/034 River Heights Riding Profile]</ref> and was a [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet minister]] in the government of [[Premier]] [[Gary Filmon]] from 1997 to 1999.<ref name=living>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_bio_living.html#r |title=MLA Biographies - Living |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Manitoba}}</ref>

The son of Leslie Radcliffe and Edith Bole, he was born in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], and earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree and an [[LL.B.]] from the [[University of Manitoba]]. From 1970 to 1996, he was a partner in the firm of ''Baker, Radcliffe, Murray, Kovnats''. Radcliffe was involved in [[Freemasonry]] but is now the Grand Knight for the St. Ignatius Church council (#5808) of the [[Knights of Columbus]]. In 1974, he married Linda Anne Leach.<ref name=ohandley>{{cite book |title=Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1998-1999 |last=O'Handley |first=Kathryn |ISBN=0-7876-3558-8}}</ref>

In 1912, Radcliffe's father was planning to travel on what turned out to be the only voyage of the RMS ''[[Titanic]]'' with his uncle Charles Sedgwick and aunt Adelaide, who were on their way to [[Mexico City]]. In the end, because of concerns about safety related to the [[Mexican Revolution]], Charles made the voyage alone; his body was never found.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/tied-to-the-titanic-116055804.html |title=Tied to the Titanic |date=February 12, 2011}}</ref>

In the [[1993 Canadian federal election|Canadian general election of 1993]], Radcliffe ran as a candidate of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative Party]] in the riding of [[Winnipeg South Centre]]. The riding was represented by [[Lloyd Axworthy]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|MP]] at the time, and was considered [[Safe seat|safe]] for the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]]; Radcliffe came in third with only 3,878 votes, against Axworthy's 25,667.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/FederalRidingsHistory/hfer.asp?Include=Y&Language=E&rid=978&Search=Det |title=Winnipeg South Centre, Manitoba (1987 - 2003) |work=History of Federal Ridings since 1867 |publisher=Parliament of Canada}}</ref>

In the [[1995 Manitoba general election|provincial election of 1995]], Radcliffe ran as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Progressive Conservative]] in the upscale west-end Winnipeg riding of [[River Heights (electoral district)|River Heights]], which contained much of the territory represented federally by Winnipeg South Centre. He was successful on this occasion, defeating [[Manitoba Liberal Party|Liberal]] [[Anita Neville]] (later the MP for Winnipeg South Centre from 2000 to 2011) by 994 votes.<ref name=votes/> He flipped the seat from Liberal to PC, as the former Liberal leader [[Sharon Carstairs]] had resigned to accept an appointment to the [[Senate of Canada]].

On January 6, 1997, [[Gary Filmon]], the [[premier of Manitoba]], appointed Radcliffe to the [[Executive Council of Manitoba]], as [[Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Manitoba)|Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs]] with responsibility for the Gaming Control Act. On February 5, 1999, he became the province's [[Minister of Labour and Immigration (Manitoba)|Minister of Labour]], with responsibility for the [[Minister responsible for the Civil Service (Manitoba)|Civil Service Act]], the Civil Service Superannuation Act, the Civil Service Special Supplementary Severance Benefits Act (1983), the Public Servants Insurance Act and the [[Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba|Workers Compensation Act]].<ref name=living/>

Filmon's Progressive Conservatives lost government to the [[New Democratic Party of Manitoba|New Democratic Party]] under [[Gary Doer]] in the [[1999 Manitoba general election|provincial election of 1999]]. The NDP did not have a strong base in River Heights, and Radcliffe would probably have been re-elected under normal circumstances. However, provincial Liberal leader [[Jon Gerrard]] decided to contest the riding. Although the Liberals as a whole ran a poor provincial campaign and lost 10% from their 1995 support level, Gerrard was personally popular enough that he defeated Radcliffe by 465 votes.<ref name=votes/>

Radcliffe attempted to defeat Gerrard in a rematch in the [[2003 Manitoba general election|2003 provincial election]] but lost by almost 2,000 votes.<ref name=votes>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/river-heights-1.1061092 |title=River Heights |work=Manitoba |publisher=CBC News}}</ref>

In 2004, Radcliffe was the official campaign agent for Raj Joshi, [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] candidate in Winnipeg South Centre.

==Electoral history==
{{1993 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg South Centre}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radcliffe, Mike}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Manitoba candidates for Member of Parliament]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba]]
[[Category:Politicians from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]]