was not formally declared vacant, but he stopped attending sessions of the legislature after this period. He then served as head of the Manitoba Health Organization until 1990. Ironically, just as Desjardins had helped bring the NDP into government in 1969, his decision to leave the legislature in 1988 played a major role in the party's unexpected fall from power. In his absence, the legislature was almost evenly divided between government and opposition members; as such, NDP backbencher Jim Walding's decision to vote against his government's budget was enough to defeat the Pawley ministry in the House. The NDP lost the subsequent 1988 Manitoba general election, and did not return to power until 1999. During his time in the legislature, Desjardins was known as a personable figure; fellow New Democratic cabinet minister Russell Doern once called him a "Rabelasian character". He was regarded as cautious and pragmatic, and was often more supportive of small-business interests than others in the New Democratic Party. Desjardins was a member of the federal Liberal Party for most, if not all of time in the provincial NDP. This practice is no longer possible; the federal NDP is now integrated with its provincial and territorial branches. He openly supported former Liberal MLA Lloyd Axworthy's successful bid to enter the House of Commons of Canada in 1979. During the 1990s, Desjardins led a policy review group which studied Manitoba's lotteries system, and argued against the expansion of Manitoba's casino economy. In 2002, he wrote an open letter on health-care reform, arguing that money alone would not resolve the problems within the system. In March 2003, he participated in a discussion on health-care funding at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, in which he argued that Canada's provinces should be permitted to enact user fees and expand the role of the private sector in health-care provision. He served as first president of the Western Canada Lottery Foundation. Desjardins died at the Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg following a fall; he was 88 years old. References 1923 births 2012 deaths Canadian military personnel from Manitoba Franco-Manitoban people Canadian funeral directors Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Sportspeople from Winnipeg Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Manitoba municipal councillors Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Accidental deaths from falls