Since the end of his term as envoy to Washington, Doer has taken up a position as senior business advisor with the global law firm Dentons and was retained by the government of Alberta to lobby the Trump administration on the softwood lumber dispute.

He graduated from St. Paul's High School and went on to study political science and sociology at the University of Manitoba for one year where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity,[4] but left to become a corrections officer at the Vaughan Street Detention Centre.

[18] The Pawley government was sustained by a narrow legislative majority after the 1986 election, and was defeated on 8 March 1988, when disgruntled backbencher Jim Walding voted with the opposition on a budget non-confidence motion.

He was supported by cabinet ministers Vic Schroeder, Myrna Phillips, Muriel Smith, Leonard Evans, Jerry Storie and Wilson Parasiuk, and by federal Members of Parliament Rod Murphy and David Orlikow.

[31] The dominant political issue in Manitoba between 1988 and 1990 was the Meech Lake Accord, which recognized Quebec as a "distinct society" in Canada and devolved some powers from the federal government to the provinces.

[35] The accord nonetheless failed to pass in the Manitoba legislature because of a procedural motion from Elijah Harper, a Cree member of the NDP caucus who argued that it did not give fair representation to Indigenous Canadians.

Doer released an election platform in November 1994, highlighted by a ten-point preventive health-care program for children and a six-point Manitoba Works plan to reduce unemployment.

[49] On economic issues, Doer promised a balanced budget with no personal or sales tax increases over four years and indicated that he would cut nearly $119 million from government programs to fund health, education, and job creation.

Doer called for an inquiry, which the Filmon government granted; the presiding officer determined that at least one of the candidates had been illegally induced to run to by local agents of the Progressive Conservative Party.

[77] Doer also criticized the Filmon government's handling of a contract with Urban Shared Services Corp., which attempted to save the province money by reheating food for hospitals and seniors' homes at a centralized location.

He brought forward a five point re-election plan highlighted by promises to reduce property and income taxes, hire more nurses and doctors and make reductions in medical waiting lists, take a cautious approach to managing the economy, and improve the province's education and law enforcement systems.

Prominent members of Doer's first cabinet included Greg Selinger in Finance, Gord Mackintosh in Justice, David Chomiak in Health and Rosann Wowchuk in Agriculture.

[96] The government was able introduce a more expansive budget in 2005 after an infusion of federal revenues, reducing personal and property taxes, increasing spending by 3.5%, and putting $314 million into a "rainy day" fund.

He argued that the province was still recovering from the Filmon government's spending cuts during the economic downtown of the 1990s, and that his policies would allow Manitoba to emerge from the recession in a strong, competitive position.

[103] In 2004, provincial Auditor General Jon Singleton argued that Manitoba was actually running a deficit due to costs associated with crown corporations, utilities and arm's-length agencies that were not officially counted in the budget.

[135] Shortly after being sworn in as premier, Doer led an all-party delegation to Ottawa to seek a $1.3 billion financial bailout for western farmers to help mitigate an economic downturn in the sector.

[138] Shortly after his re-election in 2003, Doer criticized the federal government for failing to respond to an agriculture crisis caused by the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a Canadian cow and the subsequent closure of the American border to beef products produced in Canada.

[149] Doer called for the federal government to strengthen its laws against child pornography in 2002, after the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that John Robin Sharpe's fictional writings involving children met the legal definition of "artistic merit".

[152] Also in 2002, Doer argued that persons who kill police officers should spend the rest of their natural lives in jail, without access to Canada's so-called "Faint Hope Clause" for early release.

[162] In February 2004, his government signed an agreement with the Chicago Climate Exchange pledging Manitoba to create a trust fund to pay for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

[171] In late January 2008, he agreed to a blueprint proposal with the premiers of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec for a market-based trading system to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The local aboriginal community is divided on the issue, with some leaders supporting the government's conservation approach and others arguing that east side construction would help combat poverty in the area.

[199] The Doer government introduced a number of labour reforms early in its first mandate, making it easier for unions to obtain certification and giving employees increased powers to move disputes to binding arbitration.

[211] Doer took part in discussions in 2007-08 with media mogul David Asper and officials from other levels of government, regarding the location of a new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team.

[218] Doer announced in February 2009 that his government would spend $1 million on special training for northern Manitoba workers, following a global economic downtown that adversely affected the province's forestry and mining sectors.

[225] Doer supported the Chrétien government's Clarity Act legislation, which required that any future negotiations on provincial secession be preceded by a referendum with a clearly defined question.

[232] According to journalist Chantal Hébert, Doer played a vital role in convincing other provincial leaders to accept Quebec Premier Jean Charest's plan to create the Council of the Federation in 2003.

[247] Doer signed an agreement with the American state of Georgia in 2004, for increased co-operation between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the National Virology Lab in Winnipeg.

[248] In the same year, he signed a memorandum of understanding with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to create a "biomedical corridor" for the promotion of research, capital investment and technology development.

[292] Doer published a ten-point proposal for the future of the federal NDP in June 2002, calling for a focus on health and education as well as fiscal balance, community safety and election finance reform.