Anita Neville
The Honourable Anita Neville, PC, MP, BA (born July 22, 1942 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal in the general election of 2000, and was re-elected in 2004.
Neville holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Manitoba. Before entering political life, Neville worked as an Economic Development Consultant for the province of Manitoba. She was a director of Workforce 2000 and the Winnipeg Core Area Initiative and Employment Training Program, and has also been involved in the Law Society of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Jewish Child and Family organization. During the 1990s, she was a member of the Canadian delegation which monitored elections in post-war Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Neville was for several years a school trustee on the Winnipeg School Board, representing Ward One in the Winnipeg School Division from 1986 to 2000. Neville regularly topped the poll in her three-member constituency. She served as Chair of the Board for five years (1987-1989; 1996-1998), and also chaired its finance committee for a period of time.
In the 1995 provincial election in Manitoba, Neville was a Liberal candidate in the upscale west-Winnipeg riding of River Heights. This riding is usually considered as one of the few safe seats for the provincial Liberals, and was previously led by party leader Sharon Carstairs prior to her appointment to the Canadian Senate in 1994. Nevertheless, Neville was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Mike Radcliffe, 5429 votes to 4435.
Later in 1995, Neville was re-elected as a Winnipeg school trustee, finishing in first place in Ward One with 13,828 votes. In the 1999 election, she chaired the successful campaign of provincial Liberal leader Jon Gerrard in River Heights.
In the 2000 federal election, Neville was the Liberal Party of Canada nominee for the Winnipeg South Centre, previously held by the retiring Lloyd Axworthy. She was elected with 15,231 votes, against 10,675 for her nearest competitor, Progressive Conservative David Newman. This contest was notable for a controversy involving Canadian Alliance candidate Betty Granger, who made comments about Asian students that many interpreted as racist.
In the 2004 election, Neville was re-elected with 18,133 votes against 10,516 for Conservative candidate Raj Joshi.
Neville is currently the Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus, and is past chair of the Manitoba Liberal Caucus. She currently serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for the Status of Women with special emphasis on Status of Women.
Neville is a prominent supporter of Israel within the Liberal Party caucus, but is not aligned with American neo-conservatives on foreign-policy matters. She spoke out against war with Iraq in early 2003, and is currently a leading opponent of the proposed American Missile Defense Shield. She has also supported numerous initiatives in the aboriginal community, and supported the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005.