Bonnie Bester Mitchelson

Nurse, MLA (1986-1988), MLA (1988-1990), MLA (1990-1995), MLA (1995-1999), MLA (1999-2003), MLA (2003-2007), MLA (2007-2011), MLA (2011-2016).

Born at Manitoba on 28 November 1947, daughter of Millie Christine Leslie (1911-1988) and Henry Alfred “Hank” Bester (1908-1993), she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba at the 1986 general election and was subsequently re-elected in 1988, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011. During her tenure, she held ministerial portfolios of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship (1988-1993), Multiculturalism (1991-1993), and Family Services (1993-1999). For a short period in 2000, following the resignation of Gary Albert Filmon, she was leader of the Conservative Party of Manitoba. She was not a candidate in the 2016 general election. In recognition of her community service, she received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022).

Sources:

Obituary [Henry Alfred Bester], Winnipeg Free Press, 20 July 1993, page 39.

MLA Biographies - Living, The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 14 December 2024