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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg MP Gazan seeks emergency debate on wildfires
A Winnipeg MP has written to the Speaker of the House of Commons to ask for an emergency debate on wildfires in Manitoba and elsewhere. Leah Gazan, who represents Winnipeg Centre, shared a letter with media organizations that she sent to Francis Scarpaleggia on Monday morning. 'Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency for the next month and are now appealing for international assistance to contain the fires. Despite the heroic efforts of front-line workers — firefighters, nurses, doctors and volunteers — the response system has proven inadequate in addressing the urgent needs of evacuees, particularly in Indigenous communities,' the NDP MP wrote. 'This is not the first time First Nations have been left behind during climate emergencies. The federal government has repeatedly failed to ensure that remote and northern communities have access to reliable emergency preparedness infrastructure and evacuation support.'
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gazan one of three NDP MPs to question election of interim leader
Manitoba's only NDP MP is one of three caucus members who signed a letter questioning the process that chose the interim leader, Don Davies. Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan, along with Nunavut MP Lori Idlout and Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan, sent the letter to the NDP federal executive and council days after Davies was appointed interim leader May 5. The letter says the process was done behind closed doors and 'failed to uphold democratic and transparent principles.' As per party rules, the NDP national council is responsible for choosing an interim leader. The three MPs said there was no formal consultation on who should be appointed. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Don Davies (right) was chosen as the NDP's interim leader after Jagmeet Singh stepped down. 'As a party that espouses democratic processes, we must model transparent and democratic processes in rebuilding the New Democratic Party,' the letter reads. 'Regrettably, the process so far has missed the mark and risks sowing deeper division.' The letter was leaked to media and reported by the Globe and Mail. On May 5, Gazan reposted the announcement about Davies' appointment on X: 'Great finding out through the news…. Go 'team' NDP.' The letter suggests the council take its decision to the party caucus and require that it be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote. Gazan, Idlout and Kwan are three of seven New Democrat MPs elected to Parliament April 28, down from 24 before the writ was dropped. Davies, a Vancouver MP since 2008, was named interim leader after Jagmeet Singh stepped down following his loss in his own riding. Gazan did not respond to a request for comment, but in a tweet Saturday, she called the leak 'unfortunate.' 'We value and respect all our caucus colleagues, including Don Davies. In writing the letter, we were seeking to review and discuss our concerns with the process and come to an agreement on how we move forward together,' she wrote in the post, which was co-signed by Idlout and Kwan. 'We must return to our roots in ensuring an inclusive and democratic engagement. We must rebuild our party based on a foundation of trust and solidarity.' The decision to send a letter that questions a core party process is a strong show of pushback against what Kelly Saunders, a Brandon University political science professor, describes as 'omniscient party discipline' in Canadian politics. 'MPs that do this, do it at enormous potential personal cost and professional cost as well. I think for her to do that she would have had to weigh all of that carefully,' she said. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'She's not a rookie politician now, she's experienced. I'm sure she weighed all of that and and clearly made the decision that the stakes were simply too high for her to remain silent.' Saunders said the huge electoral loss and the importance of the interim leader's role toward rebuilding the party likely pushed the three MPs to act, Saunders said. 'It all begins with the interim leader,' she said. 'If the process is not seen to be legitimate or open and welcoming and inclusive, then that's going to taint everything that happens moving forward.' fpcity@
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Last New Democrat in Manitoba blames Trump for party's collapse
The NDP stumbled to its worst result in Manitoba in 32 years — losing two strongholds and narrowly retaining its only other seat — as Liberal and Conservative candidates benefited from the party's collapse in Monday's federal election. Leah Gazan, re-elected in Winnipeg Centre, will be the NDP's only Manitoba MP after incumbents Leila Dance (Elmwood-Transcona) and Niki Ashton (Churchill-Keewatinook Aski) were upset by Tory and Liberal candidates, respectively. 'We lost a lot of good people here in Manitoba,' Gazan said Tuesday, when the New Democrats were projected to hold seven of Canada's 343 seats, down from 24 when the election was called March 23. AARON EPP / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan greets supporters at her headquarters after being declared the winner shortly before 11 p.m. Monday. Support for the NDP plummeted to single percentage points in some Manitoba ridings. The last time the party won only one Manitoba seat was the 1993 election amid a Liberal landslide. The NDP then won four of Manitoba's 14 seats in 1997. It will need to undergo an overhaul after placing fourth behind the projected Liberal minority government, the Tories and the Bloc Québécois. Gazan did not indicate if there is a potential candidate she supports to replace Jagmeet Singh as leader. She believes the U.S. political situation, including President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats, swayed voters away from her party. 'I think what's going on down south impacted the other two NDP seats,' she said, referring to the strongholds that were lost. 'It impacted my riding.' Three seats changed hands in Manitoba. The Conservatives won seven, gaining Elmwood-Transcona but losing Winnipeg West, where incumbent Marty Morantz was defeated by Liberal Doug Eyolfson. The Liberals won six seats, a gain of two. Before the campaign, the Tories had seven seats, the Liberals had four and the NDP had three. The federal standing is in contrast to provincial politics, in which the NDP has a majority government. 'The NDP didn't lose seats mainly to the Liberals. The NDP lost seats to the very party that many people were trying to keep out.'–Leah Gazan Before the election, some observers thought an NDP collapse would help the Liberals the most. The Tories benefited as well. 'What strategic voting resulted in is 12 extra Conservative seats,' Gazan said, referring to the national total. 'The NDP didn't lose seats mainly to the Liberals. The NDP lost seats to the very party that many people were trying to keep out.' The New Democrats had 11 per cent of the popular vote in Manitoba — down from 23 per cent in the 2021 election — with some polls left to report preliminary results. Tory (46.3 per cent) and Liberal (40.8 per cent) support climbed. Gazan edged Liberal Rahul Walia by 4.2 percentage points in Winnipeg Centre. Her vote share fell by almost 11 percentage points compared with 2021. She attributed her win to a 'solid' ground game and her work with community organizations in two earlier terms. 'I think the community chose to vote for and re-elect somebody that they knew, and somebody, I've heard at the door, that they trust to have their back,' she said. Liberal support surged in Elmwood-Transcona, where the NDP's Dance lost to Tory candidate Colin Reynolds by 7.1 percentage points in a rematch of a September byelection, which she won by 4.2 percentage points to become a first-time MP. Liberal candidate Ian MacIntyre scored 22.4 per cent of Monday's vote, up from 4.8 per cent in the byelection. 'By the Liberal number going up and my number coming down, I think that's where it is,' Dance said. 'I think if we had been strategically voting in the riding, people would have strategically voted towards the NDP because the NDP has historically held the seat here, if it was 'anybody but Conservatives.'' Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Liberal candidte for St. Boniface-St. Vital riding Ginette Lavack celebrates her victory with constituents at Fort Gibralter Monday. Reynolds did not respond to a request for comment, mirroring his strategy throughout the campaign and last year's byelection. Dance felt positive about her campaign. She said it was 'extremely draining' to compete in two elections in less than a year. After taking time off, she expects to return to work in the non-profit sector. 'I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had, even though it was a short time,' she said. Conservative incumbent Raquel Dancho, re-elected in Kildonan-St. Paul, said it's 'early days' for a vote analysis, but her door-knocking suggested she had 'overwhelming' support from tradespeople and young families. 'I would say, anecdotally, it certainly looks like some of the demographic that has voted NDP in the past, or would be expected to vote NDP, came our way,' she said. Dancho had 47.5 per cent of the riding's vote, up almost six percentage points from 2021. She defeated Liberal candidate Thomas Naaykens by less than three percentage points and New Democrat Emily Clark by 40 points, as NDP support plummeted in the riding. Elmwood-Transcona was a 'big upset' that poll aggregators did not predict, Dancho said. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. 'That may be an indication that, certainly, there's been a massive demographic shift between parties, and that the Conservative party is, in fact, representing many working Canadians, and it's great to see,' Dancho said. Liberal candidate Rebecca Chartrand had a 15.9-point lead over Ashton, the MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski since 2008, with most polls reporting. Ashton defeated Chartrand by three percentage points in 2015. Chartrand said voters wanted change. 'People in the north have felt forgotten in some regards,' she said. 'What I consistently heard is this riding needs to be a huge part of the strategy as we start to re-envision what Canada looks like economically.' Ginette Lavack, who kept St. Boniface-St. Vital for the Liberals, will be another new face in Ottawa, taking over from Dan Vandal, who did not seek re-election. 'I'm very excited to get to work,' she said. Lavack received almost 60 per cent of the riding's vote, up from Vandal's share of 43.8 per cent in 2021. 'It doesn't surprise me the numbers overall would be up by comparison to 2021 because (Monday's) turnout was significantly higher,' she said. Liberal incumbents were relieved after opinion polls a few months ago suggested the Tories were set for a big win in the next election. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Conservative candidate for Kildonan-St. Paul, Raquel Dancho, speaks to supporters at her election headquarters on Monday. The Grits' comeback was triggered by a leadership change — swapping prime minister Justin Trudeau for Mark Carney — and Trump's rhetoric. One should never give up hope in politics, said Kevin Lamoureux, who was re-elected in Winnipeg North, the riding he has held since 2010. 'We've won more seats than we had in the previous Parliament,' he said. 'People recognized Mark Carney as the best person to be able to deal with Canada's economy and Donald Trump.' Lamoureux believes a lot of the 'progressive vote,' including the NDP vote, unified behind the Liberals. The NDP could be relied upon again to prop up a Liberal minority government, as it did under Trudeau. 'I'm hoping the NDP will see the merit of working closely with the government, but also I think it's important that we work with members of all political parties who are prepared to put Canada first,' Lamoureux said. Dancho had nothing but praise for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his Ottawa-area seat while guiding the party to its highest projected vote share since 1988. She declined to say if she thinks he should stay on as leader. 'Pierre Poilievre is the hardest-working person I've ever met in my life. He inspired millions of people with a message of hope and change,' she said. Holding the Liberals to a minority and gaining seats were positive outcomes for the Conservatives, she said. University of Winnipeg political science Prof. Malcolm Bird said eventual riding-by-riding analyses will help determine where NDP support went. 'I think more of it went to Mr. Poilievre than people think,' he said. Bird said it's not the end of the NDP, but it's time for the party to rethink its tactics and behaviour. 'I do think that this is an inflection point or milestone or something where they need to consider what they're doing, who they are and who is their leader,' he said. Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris 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.
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Jagmeet Singh resigning as NDP leader after losing his seat, his party routed
OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh said he was stepping down as NDP leader on Monday night after suffering a resounding defeat on election night, losing his own seat and seeing his party reduced to what would likely be a single-digit seat count. Article content Article content When an emotional Singh took the stage to speak to a crowd of supporters in Burnaby, B.C. he was in third place in his riding with less than 20 per cent of the vote, trailing both the Conservative and Liberal candidate. Article content Article content The NDP also looked likely to lose its party status on Monday after leading in only seven seats across the country by the time Singh took the stage at 9:30 p.m. local time. Article content Article content 'Obviously, I'm disappointed we could not win more seats. But I'm not disappointed in our movement. I'm hopeful for our party, I know we will always choose hope over fear and optimism over despair and unity over hate,' he said. Article content Among the smattering of NDP candidates who had secured victory on Monday night were Alexandre Boulerice in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, Leah Gazan in Winnipeg Centre and Jenny Kwan in Vancouver East. As Singh spoke, longtime NDP MP Don Davies was locked in a battle in the Vancouver Kingsway riding with his Liberal opponent. Article content More than a dozen NDP incumbents are likely to lose their seats by the time all the votes have been counted. Article content National Post
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gazan ensures NDP stay on electoral map in Manitoba
Leah Gazan has held her Winnipeg Centre seat in a tough battle with Liberal challenger Rahul Walia. Gazan, an Indigenous and anti-poverty activist first elected in 2019, took nearly 40 per cent of the vote, five points more than Walia. In winning Winnipeg Centre, Gazan kept true to the NDP record of always having at least one MP from Manitoba since the party was formed in 1961.
