Jon Gerrard (born October 13, 1947) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state in the government of Jean Chrétien. He was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1998 until 2013, and the member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for River Heights since 1999. Early life and private career Gerrard was born in Birmingham, England, and grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Saskatchewan (1967), a Doctor of Medicine degree from McGill University (1971), a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota (1976), and a Certificate in Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics (1976). He worked at several prominent American institutions in the 1970s, and returned to Canada in 1980 to accept a position as pediatrician at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital. Gerrard served as head of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at this hospital from 1985 to 1992, and taught at the University of Manitoba from 1980 to 1993. He has authored or co-authored over 200 scientific publications, and became known during the 1980s as an expert on the research and treatment of children's cancer. Gerrard has also been interested in bald eagles since his teenaged years, and co-authored a book entitled The Bald Eagle: Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch in 1988. He has been studying eagles at Besnard Lake in Saskatchewan for 50 years. Gerrard became active with the Liberal Party of Canada while working on his undergraduate degree, impressed with Prime Minister Lester Pearson's positions on social and international issues. He was a delegate to the Liberal Party's 1968 leadership convention, supporting John Turner. He later volunteered for the "Non" side in the 1980 Quebec referendum, and became Liberal riding president for Lisgar in 1984. In 1990, he was Manitoba co-chair of Jean Chrétien's successful bid for the Liberal Party leadership. Government minister Gerrard was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1993 federal election, defeating two-term Progressive Conservative incumbent Felix Holtmann in the riding of Portage—Interlake. On November 4, 1993, he was appointed as Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development. This was not a full cabinet portfolio, but was instead affiliated with Industry Canada. Gerrard worked closely with Industry Minister John Manley, and oversaw the development of such programs as Technology