Jon Reyes
Jon Reyes is a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, currently serving as Manitoba’s Special Envoy for Military Affairs (SEMA). A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, he was first elected in the 2016 provincial election as MLA for St. Norbert,[1] and was re-elected in 2019 as MLA for Waverley.[2] Reyes is the first Canadian born candidate of Filipino descent elected to the legislature in Manitoba.
Jon Reyes | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba | |
| Assumed office September 10, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | first member |
| Constituency | Waverley |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba | |
| In office April 19, 2016 – August 12, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Gaudreau |
| Succeeded by | riding dissolved |
| Constituency | St. Norbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Early life and education
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Reyes served 10 years in the Canadian Forces in both the Communication Reserves and the regular force with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).[3] As a reservist, he was awarded the Special Service Medal (NATO) while serving at CFB Lahr in Germany.[3] Reyes served with the RCN until 2000 as a Naval Combat Information Operator and then as an instructor at Canadian Forces Fleet School Pacific, located at CFB Esquimalt on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
After his military career, Reyes went on to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. After a brief career as a civil servant in the federal government, Reyes used the education he gained by going into business. Along with his wife Cynthia, they owned and operated 2 small businesses for 16 years.
Reyes is an active member of his community, having founded and served as the first President of the Manitoba Filipino Business Council (MFBC), established in 2010. During his five year tenure as President of MFBC, he brought together the Filipino business community across Manitoba and helped develop stronger trade ties between Canada and the Philippines.[3]
Reyes was a director of the Kidney Foundation of Canada - Manitoba Branch from 2013 until 2016, where he initiated the Filipino Kidney Health Initiative because of the high rates of kidney disease in the Filipino community. He was also named to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commanding Officer's Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee in 2015.
Political career
Reyes defeated incumbent NDP MLA Dave Gaudreau in the 2016 election and was subsequently appointed the Special Envoy for Military Affairs by Premier Brian Pallister.
In his role as SEMA, Reyes, a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, has been instrumental in gathering feedback from CAF personnel stationed in Manitoba on how to improve provincial government services offered to CAF personnel on their relocation to Manitoba.
On May 10, 2017, Reyes was named to the Fiscal Responsibility Committee of Cabinet, a committee tasked to examine priority matters of the Government of Manitoba related to fiscal and budgetary responsibility, which included strategic transformation priorities, providing oversight for key transformation projects identified in the Fiscal Performance Review and assuming responsibility for other strategic initiatives as directed by Treasury Board or Cabinet.
Reyes was appointed President of the Manitoba Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) in March 2018 and met with provincial and territorial representatives to address the state of Francophone affairs in the Province of Manitoba, at the 34th Session of the APF Regional Assembly in Quebec City on July 10, 2018.
He has also represented the Province of Manitoba at the inaugural Seamless Canada Meeting at the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto held on June 27, 2018 and the second Seamless Canada Meeting in Ottawa on December 5, 2018, where he met with other provincial/territorial representatives to share a compilation of initiatives and services already in place for Manitoba's military community.
On, December 6, 2018, Reyes was named to the Economic Growth Committee of Cabinet, a committee which oversees a whole-of-government approach to growing the provincial economy.
The St. Norbert constituency was abolished for the 2019 provincial election, and Reyes sought election in the newly formed constituency of Waverley. He won with approximately 50 percent of the vote.[2]
Personal life
Reyes is married to his wife Cynthia and has 2 children: Reyna, a daughter and Miguel, a son]].[3]
Reyes has been a member of the Manitoba Football Officials Association (MFOA) since 2005, where he performs as an on-field official and support staff member for University of Manitoba Bisons football and Canadian Football League (CFL) games.[3]
He has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 2013.
References
- "Manitoba election results". Global News. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- "MLA Biographies - Living". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- "Jon Reyes biography". PC Party of Manitoba. 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.