Rosemary Vodrey is a Canadian former politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 1999, and was a senior cabinet minister of the government of Gary Filmon. Early life and career Vodrey was born Rosemary Webster, the daughter of senior Toronto police officer Jack Webster. She studied Psychology at the University of Toronto before moving to Winnipeg with her partner. Vodrey later became a school psychologist, and lectured in Home Economics at the University of Manitoba. She became politically active after befriending Gary and Janice Filmon, and sought election to the Manitoba legislature in the 1988 provincial election in the central Winnipeg division of Osborne. She finished third, behind Liberal candidate Reg Alcock and incumbent New Democrat Muriel Smith. Member of the Legislative Assembly Vodrey ran for the legislature a second time in the 1990 provincial election, and defeated incumbent Liberal Laurie Evans in the Fort Garry division in south-central Winnipeg. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government, and Vodrey entered the legislature as a government backbencher. She faced a credible challenge from Liberal Jim Woodman in the 1995 provincial election, but was re-elected as the Filmon government won a second majority across the province. Cabinet minister Minister of Education and Training Vodrey was appointed to Gary Filmon's cabinet on January 14, 1992, replacing Len Derkach as Minister of Education and Training. Some criticized Filmon's choice, arguing that Vodrey's decision to send her own children to private school made her an inappropriate choice to oversee the public system. Court decisions There were two important court decisions relating to education during Vodrey's tenure as Education Minister. In August 1992, a provincial judge determined that a section of the Manitoba Public Schools Act requiring mandatory Christian prayer in the classroom was unconstitutional. Manitoba was the last Canadian province to require prayer in public schools, and Vodrey did not challenge the decision. In March 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a unanimous decision requiring Manitoba to give exclusive control over French-language education to the province's francophone community. Vodrey welcomed this decision, saying that her government was already proceeding with legislation and promising that a new francophone school division would be in place by September. Manitoba's francophones generally supported the framework plan that was introduced two months later. Budget cuts The Filmon government introduced austerity measures on education in 1993, including a