He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 2007, and served in the cabinet of Progressive Conservative Premier Gary Filmon.
[1] The son of Diedrich A. Penner, he was born in Halbstadt, Manitoba, and worked as a farmer both before and after entering politics.
Penner was subsequently returned for the riding of Emerson in the provincial elections of 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2003, each time by a significant margin.
[1] He reportedly considered running for the federal Progressive Conservative Party in 1996, but ultimately declined.
[1] Penner was an active spokesman for farmers affected by the BSE crisis, which kept the United States closed to Canadian beef.