Latest news with #Lavack
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Liberals hang on to St. Boniface-St. Vital
Liberal candidate Ginette Lavack rode to victory in St. Boniface-St. Vital. Lavack bested Conservative candidate Shola Agboola with 56 per cent of the vote, while Agboola came in a distant second with 35 per cent of the vote. 'We did it. We really did it,' Lavack said from her election night headquarters at Fort Gibraltar in the heart of St. Boniface, flanked by supporters and former MP Dan Vandal. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Liberal candidate for St. Boniface-St. Vital riding Ginette Lavack celebrates her victory with constituents at Fort Gibralter, Monday. Supporters roared with applause as Lavack walked in to the tune of Serena Ryder's Circle of the Sun. The former director of the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre was chosen as the Liberal candidate after cabinet minister Dan Vandal announced he would not seek re-election. Other than sporadic periods of Conservative leadership, St. Boniface-St. Vital has largely been represented by the Liberals since its inception in the 1920s. Vandal beat out the Conservative candidate in three elections between 2015 and 2021 before announcing his retirement. Prior to Vandal's leadership, Tory Shelly Glover held the seat for two terms under former prime minister Stephen Harper. As he watched the results roll in, Vandal called Lavack the best person to lead the riding. 'I think she's passionate, she's qualified and she's anchored in the community. That's what you need to represent the constituency,' he said. A steady stream of guests remained in high spirits as election coverage projected on the wall announced multiple Liberal wins across the country. Lavack said she will be an MP for all people in the riding. 'I know there's real concerns about cost of living, housing, health care, the future of our planet, all of that. I hear you, I see you,' Lavack told the crowd of about 75 people. 'I will collaborate with all levels of government to ensure that our community gets the support and services it deserves.' Some voters in the riding opted to vote strategically. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Lavack celebrates her victory with former Liberal cabinet minister Dan Vandal, Monday. At the Champlain Community Centre earlier Monday, Andre Gomes was conflicted about his decision to vote for Lavack. 'I'm voting because I feel like it's my civic duty, but I'm unhappy about it,' he said. 'I would rather vote NDP.' Gomes, 34, said he prefers a Liberal government than a Conservative one. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Sporting a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word 'Canada,' Curtis — who declined to give his last name — said he would be voting for NDP candidate Thomas Linner, hoping the Liberals would form a minority government. 'I think that when we have a minority government, there's checks and balances,' he said. Agboola finished a distant second to Vandal in 2021, receiving 28 per cent of the vote. Vandal was re-elected with 43 per cent. Linner took just 7.5 per cent of the vote. Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
13-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberals poised to nominate former FMCC, Festival du Voyageur director in Saint Boniface-Saint Vital
The Liberal Party of Canada is poised to name the former director of the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre as the party's candidate in the Winnipeg riding of Saint Boniface-Saint Vital for the next federal election. Ginette Lavack served as the director of the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre from 2017 until her resignation this week. She previously ran Festival du Voyageur. Lavack was the only person to seek the party's nomination in Saint Boniface-Saint Vital before the nominations closed, riding association chair Theodore Mariash said Thursday. The federal party has yet to make her candidacy official. A formal announcement is expected during Festival du Voyageur, which begins this weekend. Approximately 12 per cent of the population in the riding listed French as its mother tongue during the 2016 subcensus, according to Statistics Canada. Approximately 22 per cent of the riding spoke French and identified ethnically as French in the same survey. The riding is currently represented by Liberal MP Dan Vandal, who is not seeking re-election. A general election must be held in Canada this year and may take place as soon as this spring. Since its formation in 1925, what is now called Saint Boniface-Saint Vital has only been represented by MPs from the Liberal Party and conservative parties. The Liberals have won 27 of 32 elections over the past century. The Conservative Party of Canada has yet to select a candidate in the riding for the upcoming election. The party has not responded to queries about the timeline for its nominations. The New Democratic Party has selected Thomas Linner, who served as a spokesperson for the Manitoba Health Coalition during the COVID-19 pandemic, as its candidate in Saint Boniface-Saint Vital.
