[3] When Gulzar Cheema resigned as an MLA in 1993, Kowalski sought and won the Liberal nomination in the Winnipeg riding of The Maples to succeed him.
Kowalski disapproved of the leadership of Ginny Hasselfield, and left the party to sit as an Independent Liberal on June 5, 1997.
[5] He was joined by former leadership candidate Kevin Lamoureux shortly thereafter, leaving Neil Gaudry as the only official Liberal MLA in the province.
In 1995, Kowalski supported mandatory supervision of sex offenders who had served their sentences, before such individuals were released to the community.
[6] Early in 1999, Kowalski refused to give unanimous consent for the legislature to discuss a motion addressing the farming crisis in southwestern Manitoba.