He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1986 to 1992, and a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Gary Filmon from 1988 to 1991.
[1] The Tories were defeated by the New Democrats under Howard Pawley in this cycle, and Connery became a member of the official opposition.
Connery was re-elected in the 1988 election[1] against a reasonably strong challenge from Liberal Darlene Hamm (he still won by over 1000 votes).
In 2003, Connery called for greater efforts to combat crime in the Portage la Prairie region.
He was an industry leader in mechanizing the harvesting of carrots, onions and rutabagas, as well as their bulk storage, utilizing air circulation and humidification.