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Peter Bjornson
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Elected in the June 2003 general election, Peter Bjornson was appointed Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth by Premier Gary Doer on November 4th, 2003. Peter served as Education Minister until November 3rd, 2009, when Premier Greg Selinger appointed him Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade. Always politically active, Peter was Senior Stick of the Faculty of Education, 1989-90, President of the Evergreen Teachers Association in 1995-96, and served a term as councilor for the Town of Gimli from 1998 to 2002.
As a lifelong resident of the Gimli area, Peter ran a successful business for 15 years which he began at age 14, taught for thirteen years at his alma mater in Gimli High School, and was actively involved in a number of volunteer community organizations including the Kinsmen Club of Gimli, the Gimli and District Restitution and Reconciliation Youth justice Committee, the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, and the Gimli Youth Advisory Board.
As an educator Peter’s innovative teaching methods, curiosity, and desire for excellence had been recognized through numerous awards such as the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History (2000 and 2003), and the Prime Minister’s Award in 2001.
During his tenure as Minister of Education, Peter was privileged to bring in important legislation including; the Appropriate Education Act, the School Closure Moratorium the Safe Schools Act, as well as improvements to the Teacher Pension Act. Also during his tenure the government moved forward on several important education initiatives including; the Aboriginal Academic Action Plan, Education for Sustainable Development, Citizenship Education initiatives, and compulsory Phys Ed for grades 11 and 12.
Peter and his wife Joanne reside north of Gimli and have three school aged children.
