Andy Anstett

Who is Andy Anstett?

Andrue John "Andy" Anstett is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the New Democratic Party government of Premier Howard Pawley, and made an unsuccessful bid for the party's leadership in 1988.

Anstett was born in Groningen in the Netherlands, and moved to Kitchener, Ontario as an infant child. He received an honours political science degree from the University of Waterloo and did post graduate studies in Canadian parliamentary procedure and election administration. He moved to Manitoba in 1973 upon his appointment as Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for the province. He held these positions until resigning in 1979.

Anstett was elected to the provincial legislature in the 1981 provincial election, as a candidate of the New Democratic Party in the rural riding of Springfield. He was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs on November 4, 1983, and also served as Government House Leader. When Howard Pawley introduced a constitutional amendment to address a court decision respecting French language rights in the 1980s, Anstett was a leading supporter of the measure.