He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988, and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley from 1982 to 1988.
[2] In the Canadian federal election of 1972, he ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Lisgar, but finished a distant third against incumbent Progressive Conservative Jack Murta, and former Lieutenant-Governor and Liberal candidate Richard Spink Bowles.
[3] Bucklaschuk first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1973, losing to Progressive Conservative Earl McKellar in the rural, southeastern riding of Souris-Killarney.
Following a cabinet shuffle on November 4, 1983, he was named Minister of Housing, while retaining the MPICA responsibility.
Following another cabinet shuffle on September 21, 1987, he was named Minister of Highways and was relieved of his responsibility for the MPICA.