Editing Merv Tweed (section)

==Provincial politician (1995–2004)==

In 1995, he was elected to the Manitoba legislature as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Progressive Conservative]] in Turtle Mountain, a safe seat for the party. He served as a parliamentary assistant to a variety of ministers in the government of [[Premier]] [[Gary Filmon]] before being appointed [[Manitoba Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism|Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism]] with responsibility for the [[Development Corporation Act (Manitoba ministry)|Development Corporation Act]] on February 5, 1999.<ref name=living>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_bio_living.html#t |title=MLA Biographies - Living |publisher=[[Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]] |accessdate=2014-07-14}}</ref>

Tweed was easily re-elected in the [[1999 Manitoba general election|1999 provincial election]], although the Progressive Conservatives were defeated at the provincial level by the [[New Democratic Party of Manitoba|New Democratic Party]] under [[Gary Doer]]. Tweed resigned his cabinet portfolio with the rest of the Filmon ministry.<ref name=living/>

Despite the NDP's landmark election win of 2003, Tweed was again re-elected in Turtle Mountain without difficulty, receiving 3,956 votes against 1,893 for New Democrat Lonnie Patterson.