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Maureen Lucille Miller Hemphill
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Nurse, MLA (1981-1986), MLA (1986-1988), MLA (1988-1990).
Born at Grand Forks, British Columbia on 26 January 1937, daughter of Jim and Elaine Miller, her childhood was spent at the gold mining town of Bralorne, British Columbia. After completing high school, she moved to Vancouver where she became a registered nurse.
While in Vancouver, she met and married H. David Hemphill had four children. They later moved to Edmonton, Alberta where her husband pursued a doctoral degree. They eventually moved to Winnipeg and settled in the Charleswood area. The couple divorced in 1982.
Elected to the Assiniboine South School Board, she later served as President of the Manitoba Association of School Trustees (1975-1976). She also served on the boards of the United Way of Winnipeg, Children's Aid Society, Social Planning Council, Manitoba Opera, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Defeated in the 1977 general election to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, she was elected at the 1981 election. Re-elected at the 1986 and 1988 elections, she was Minister of Education (1981-1986), Minister of Business Development and Tourism (1986-1987), Minister of Housing (1986-1987), and Minister of Community Services (1987-1988). In 1988, she ran for the leadership of teh New Democratic Party but was defeated by Gary Doer. She did not run in the 1990 general election and was defeated in the 1993 federal general election.
After leaving politics, she worked in consulting for a time before retiring to an acreage on Hazel Creek. She participated in the founding of a non-denominatonal meditation and healing centre called The Sanctuary. She met Myron Wiebe there in 2007 and later married him.
She died at her Winnipeg home on 22 February 2026.
Members of the Legislative Assembly (living), Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
Winnipeg Divorce File Index, 1917-1984, Archives of Manitoba.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 March 2026.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 March 2026
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