About Manitoba's Commissioner of Elections
The Commissioner of Elections is an independent officer who is responsible to ensure
that The Elections Act (EA) and The Elections
Finances Act (EFA) are complied with and enforced.
Generally speaking, the Commissioner's role involves taking corrective action when
the law is infringed.
Amendments to The EA and The EFA that came into effect on December 13,
2006 created the position of Commissioner and transferred investigative and prosecutorial
responsibilities from the Chief Electoral Officer.
The Commissioner is appointed under section 186 of The Elections Act and,
although appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer, the Commissioner's authority
is separate from and independent of the Chief Electoral Officer. The Chief Electoral
Officer makes the appointment after consulting with the leaders of the
political parties represented in the Assembly.
The first Commissioner, Michael T. Green, was appointed in December 2006 for a period
of four years.
The current Commissioner: Michael T. Green
Mr. Green is a practicing
partner in the Winnipeg law firm of Green & Dixon.
He was the lead counsel to the Monnin Inquiry that investigated charges of
illegal vote-splitting during the 1995 provincial election.
From 1999 to 2006 Mr. Green was responsible for conducting investigations for Elections Manitoba
and for providing the Chief Electoral Officer with legal advice regarding laying
of charges.
His appointment as Commissioner of Elections became effective December 14, 2006.