Doug Gourlay

Douglas MacLeod Gourlay (born December 1, 1929) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1986, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Sterling Lyon.[1]

Gourlay was born in 1929 in Brandon, Manitoba.[2][1] The son of Andrew Jackson Gourlay and Catherine Macleod Rammage, he was educated at the University of Manitoba (receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952), the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado.[2] He served as with the Federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration from 1952 to 1956,[3] and later worked as an agrologist. In 1952, Gourlay married Audrey May Porter.[2]

Gourlay served as a councillor for the Town of Swan River in mid-northern Manitoba between 1972 and 1975, and was its Mayor from 1975 to 1977.[2] He was also a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists during this period.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1977,[1] narrowly defeating New Democratic Party candidate Leonard Harapiak in Swan River.[4] He was not initially called to serve in Lyon's cabinet, but was named Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister of Northern Affairs,[5][6] with responsibility for the Communities Economic Development Fund on November 15, 1979.[1]

The Tories were defeated in the 1981 provincial election, although Gourlay again defeated Harapiak by a narrow margin. He narrowly lost to Harapiak by 65 votes in their third encounter, in the provincial election of 1986.[7] He has not sought a return to politics since this time.

In 1995, Gourlay became president and CEO of Montex Holding Company.[3]