Walter Smishek

Walter Edmund Smishek (July 21, 1925 – December 22, 2014) was a Polish-born Canadian trade unionist and former political figure in Saskatchewan. He represented Regina East from 1964 to 1967 as a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member and Regina North East from 1967 to 1982 as a New Democratic Party (NDP) member in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

Walter Smishek
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Regina North East
In office
1967–1982
Preceded bynew district
Succeeded byRussell Sutor
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Regina East
In office
1964–1967
Preceded bynew district
Succeeded bydistrict abolished
Personal details
Born
Walter Edmund Smishek

July 21, 1925
Sokal, Lwów Voivodeship, Poland
DiedDecember 22, 2014 (aged 89)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political partyNew Democratic Party

Early life

Smishek was born in 1925 in Sokal, Eastern Galicia,[1] the son of Andrew Joseph Smishek and Mary Homeniuk, and came to Saskatchewan with his parents in 1930, settling on a farm near Hafford.

Career

Smishek worked for a grocery wholesale firm for five years, then became a representative for the Saskatchewan Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Workers' Union. From 1964 to 1971, he was executive secretary for the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour.[1] He also served as a member of the University of Saskatchewan's Academic Senate representing labour. Smishek served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Health, as Minister of Finance and as Minister of Urban Affairs. He was also a member of Saskatchewan's Treasury Board, serving as its chair from 1975 to 1979.[2] He was defeated by Russell Sutor when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1982.[1] After leaving politics, Smishek worked for the Canadian federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in Regina.[2]

Personal life

As of 2009, he was retired but continued to live in Regina.[1] He died in Regina at the age of 89 on December 22, 2014.[3][4]

References
  1. "Walter E. Smishek fonds". Saskatchewan Archival Information Network. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  2. "Smishek, Walter Edmund (1925–)". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  3. "Veteran NDP politician Walter Smishek dies at 89". Regina Leader-Post. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. "Walter Smishek Obituary (2014) - Leader-Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
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