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George Hickes is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is currently the Speaker of the Manitoba legislature, a position he has held since 1999.
Hickes was born to an Inuit family in the Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), and was raised in Churchill, Manitoba. His early family life was a combination of the traditional Inuit lifestyle and that of modern Canadian society. He worked as a labourer in northern Manitoba and Alberta from 1968 to 1975, and subsequently became a trainer/co-ordinator in the Recreation Worker Program for New Careers in Winnipeg. Hickes was the Executive Director of Training at the Limestone Training and Employment Agency in Thompson, Manitoba from 1986 to 1989, and has also worked in adult education.
In 1990, Hickes was elected to the Manitoba legislature for the north Winnipeg riding of Point Douglas (which had a 33% aboriginal population, as of 2003). A New Democrat, Hickes received 2278 votes against 1550 for Liberal Errol Lewis. He was re-elected by wider margins in 1995, 1999 and 2003, receiving almost 75% of the riding's popular vote on the latter occasion.
During the NDP's time in opposition, Hickes served as Party Whip and Deputy House Leader. When the party formed government in 1999, Hickes was elected as speaker of the legislature (he was the first speaker to be chosen in this fashion; all previous speakers had been appointed).
Hickes is the nephew of Hunter Tootoo, a prominent politician in Nunavut.
He supported Lorne Nystrom's bid to lead the federal New Democratic Party in 1995.
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