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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba byelection called in traditional Progressive Conservative stronghold
WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called a byelection Friday that will test whether his NDP government's popularity can spread to a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold. Voters in the Spruce Woods constituency will go to the polls Aug. 26 to choose a replacement for Grant Jackson, a Tory who resigned in March to run federally. Jackson garnered more than double the votes of his closest opponent in 2023, and the Tories normally get well above 60 per cent of the vote in the area. The New Democrats have been riding high in opinion polls, however, and have made a series of spending announcements in and around Spruce Woods in recent weeks. One political analyst said the byelection could be a race. 'I would say right now that I think the (Progressive) Conservatives probably still have a bit of the upper hand, given that history, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the NDP can win it,' Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University, said in an interview. The outcome of the vote won't affect the NDP's majority in the legislature, where the party has 34 of the 57 seats to the Tories' 20. There is one Liberal and one Independent. But a win in Spruce Woods would give the NDP, whose seats are concentrated mainly in Winnipeg and the province's north, a breakthrough in the rural southwest corner of the province. The riding contains a part of Brandon, but most of its area consists of small towns and farmland. 'If (Kinew) can pull that off, then I think that would be a huge symbolic win for (the NDP) to show that in fact they are the government that can speak for everybody in this province,' said Saunders, who lives in Spruce Woods. Kinew announced spending on highways, housing, doctor training and other items in the lead-up to the byelection call. He told supporters in the area Thursday that the NDP is being more proactive than in past contests, when some areas of the constituency didn't have lawn signs. The Tories have also gone on the offensive. They have criticized Kinew for not calling the byelection earlier and have accused him of leaving the area without a voice. When Kinew pushed back against a reporter's questioning about the ongoing vacancy, the Tories turned it into social media fodder. The Tories have chosen Colleen Robbins, a longtime party volunteer for the race. The NDP have nominated Ray Berthelette, a former real estate agent who recently worked as an executive assistant to cabinet minister Glen Simard. The Liberals have selected Stephen Reid, a teacher in Brandon. The Tories have been in rebuilding mode since losing the 2023 provincial election. The NDP pulled off a major upset last year in winning a byelection in the Tuxedo seat in Winnipeg, which had always voted Progressive Conservative and had been the seat of two former Tory premiers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Spruce Woods byelection called for August 26
The byelection for the provincial constituency of Spruce Woods will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Manitoba government said late Friday, hours after Premier Wab Kinew held another news conference in Westman. Kinew and two cabinet ministers appeared in Glenboro to promote road and bridge work that is part of the province's long-term infrastructure plan. The town is in the Spruce Woods constituency, where the byelection must be held to fill the seat vacated by Progressive Conservative Grant Jackson in March. Ray Berthelette (Matt Goerzen / The Brandon Sun) Kinew and his NDP cabinet ministers have made a series of announcements in and around the constituency in recent weeks. Political science professor Kelly Saunders at Brandon University says a NDP win in the rural seat would be a huge symbolic win for the party, because rural seats in southwest Manitoba have been Tory strongholds. Kinew said Thursday he is confident the party's candidate, Ray Berthelette, can bring Spruce Woods into the NDP fold, at a news conference to unveil the candidate. Colleen Robbins from Souris is the Tory candidate, while the Liberals have selected Brandon teacher Stephen Reid. The government news release said the chief electoral officer will issue information in the upcoming days that will indicate polling times, locations and the dates, and locations of advance polls. Colleen Robbins (Supplied) Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. There are 57 seats in the legislature; 34 are held by the governing New Democrats; 20 by the Progressive Conservatives; one independent Liberal; one independent member and the vacant Spruce Woods seat. fpcity@ Stephen Reid (Supplied)
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Liberal MPs call for Canada to join France in recognizing Palestinian state
OTTAWA – Liberal members of Parliament are publicly calling on the Canadian government to follow France's lead in recognizing Palestine as a state. Toronto-area MP Salma Zahid said on a social media post that Canada must join France in announcing its recognition of a state for the Palestinian people MP Fares Al Soud, who also represents the Toronto area, posted a message on social media saying that justice for the Palestinian people 'demands recognition.' French President Emmanuel Macron says he intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state in September during the United Nations General Assembly. When asked whether Prime Minister Mark Carney would do the same, his team did not respond to the question. Carney's office instead referred The Canadian Press to a social media post by the prime minister on Thursday in which he said Canada supports a two-state solution that 'guarantees peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
