The Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism (; formerly Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport) is the cabinet position in Manitoba that oversees the Department of Sport, Culture and Heritage. Since November 2024, the Minister has been Nellie Kennedy.
Manitoba Sport, Culture and HeritageâÂÂthrough developing, supporting, promoting, and celebrating the identity and well-being of the province and its communitiesâÂÂmanages those government programs and services that support the sport, art, culture, and heritage of Manitoba.
The Minister and the Department are responsible for generating sustainable economic growth based on Manitoba's unique qualities and identity; increasing community capacity to improve well-being; enhancing public access to knowledge and information; encouraging, sharing, and making use of the provinceâÂÂs cultural and heritage resources; building ManitobaâÂÂs identity and reputation as a hub for artistic opportunity; and supporting ManitobaâÂÂs investments in amateur sport and encourage the hosting of regional, national, and international sport events.
Statutes that are the responsibility of the Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage, include:
The precise ministerial designations related to sport, culture, and/or heritage in Manitoba have changed several times.
The ministerial position can be traced back to 1966, when Attorney-General Sterling Lyon was named as Minister of Tourism and Recreation. The newly-elected government of Edward Schreyer added a separate ministry of Cultural Affairs in 1969, but united the two ministries in 1971. In 1978, a minister in Sterling Lyon's government was given responsibility for Sport.
Responsibility for Tourism was transferred to the Economic Development portfolio in 1979, and was not reunited with Culture until 1999. Culture Ministers were also responsible for Citizenship from 1991 until 1999, when the responsibility was given to the Minister of Labour and Immigration.