Peter Olfert

Who is Peter Olfert?

Peter Olfert is a labour leader in Manitoba, Canada. He has been president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union since 1986. He has also served as a vice-president of the National Union of Public and General Employees.

Olfert was raised in a Mennonite family in Steinbach, and later moved to Winnipeg. He completed his Grade 12, was a maintenance worker and embalmer in the 1970s, and served as a postal clerk in the Department of Government Services before being chosen as MGEU president. He attended Labour College in Ottawa in 1985.

Olfert has represented his union in negotiations with three different provincial governments. He was often critical of the austerity measures pursued by Premier Gary Filmon's administration in the 1990s, and at one stage accused Filmon of intimidating the union into silence. He was also a frequent opponent of Labour Minister Vic Toews, and led home-care workers and casino workers in protracted battles against the government in 1996.

In 1997, Olfert endorsed a provincial deal to end the Filmon government's policy of wage freezes and unpaid days off. In the same period, he worked in a successful battle to extend employee benefits to same-sex couples.