2023 Manitoba general election
The 2023 Manitoba general election was held on October 3, 2023, to elect 57 members to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The New Democratic Party of Manitoba, led by Wab Kinew, formed a majority government, defeating the two-term Progressive Conservative government. Following the election, Kinew became the second Indigenous premier of Manitoba and the first First Nations person to become premier of a Canadian province.
The incumbent Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, led by Premier Heather Stefanson, had attempted to win a third term in government, having previously won the 2016 and 2019 elections under the leadership of Brian Pallister.
Background
Under Manitoba's Elections Act, a general election must be held no later than the first Tuesday of October in the fourth calendar year following the previous election. As the previous election was held in 2019, the latest possible date for the election was October 3, 2023, which was the official election date. The election was held under first-past-the-post voting.On August 10, 2021, incumbent premier Brian Pallister announced that he would not seek re-election and resigned shortly after. Members of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba elected Heather Stefanson to succeed Premier Kelvin Goertzen, who served as interim leader of the party after Pallister's departure. During the previous legislature, the opposition NDP had gained a polling lead over the PCs. However, the lead tightened during the campaign period.
Campaign
Stefanson primarily campaigned on reducing the cost of living for Manitobans, crime, and parental rights in education. Kinew led the NDP into the election. The NDP campaign focused on healthcare reform and balancing the province's budget. Dougald Lamont led the Liberals and Janine Gibson led the Green Party, having been elected leader in March.The PCs promoted the film industry in the province and in 2022 helped WestJet launch direct flights from Los Angeles to Winnipeg. The New Democrats focused on healthcare with a promise to improve cardiac services. They also pledged to install geothermal systems in thousands of homes. The Liberals campaigned on creating more benefits for seniors, including establishing a minimum income for people over 60. They also promised a new debt relief system if elected. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce encouraged voters to prioritise the economy when voting.
During the final stages of the campaign, a point of contention was the proposed search of a Winnipeg landfill for the remains of the murdered Indigenous women Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. The PCs opposed the search, citing health and safety concerns. The Liberals and NDP supported a search. Most other Indigenous issues were reportedly side-lined during the campaign.
Other campaign issues included crime, agriculture and affordable housing.
Manitoba had not elected a minority government since 1988, so the media coverage was focused on the PCs and the NDP. In the final days of the campaign, the Manitoba government reported a surplus in the provincial budget worth $270 million.
Candidates
The PCs and New Democrats ran candidates in all 57 ridings, while the Liberals ran candidates in 49 and the Greens in 13, respectively.| Candidates | NDP | PC | Lib | Grn | KP | Comm | Ind | Total |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |||||
| 3 | 34 | 34 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 102 | ||
| 4 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 64 |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||
| Total | 57 | 57 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 189 |
Timeline
2021
- July 15: Eileen Clarke resigns as Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations but stays on as MLA for Agassiz.
- July 15 Blaine Pedersen resigns as Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development. He announces he will not seek re-election.
- August 10: Brian Pallister announces he will not seek re-election as the MLA for Fort Whyte and will resign as premier.
- September 1: Brian Pallister resigns as Premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba but remains as the MLA for Fort Whyte.
- September 1: Kelvin Goertzen is chosen by the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba to become its interim leader and the 23rd Premier of Manitoba. Rochelle Squires is appointed as the Deputy Premier.
- October 4: Brian Pallister resigns as the MLA for Fort Whyte, triggering a by-election.
- October 30: Heather Stefanson is elected as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
- November 2: Kelvin Goertzen resigns as Premier of Manitoba.
- November 2: Heather Stefanson is sworn in as the 24th Premier of Manitoba and is the first woman to hold the position.
- December 9: Danielle Adams dies in office, triggering a by-election.
- December 30: Ron Schuler is removed from cabinet post as Minister of Infrastructure. Reg Helwer is appointed as acting Minister of Infrastructure.
2022
- January 18: Premier Heather Stefanson shuffles her cabinet.
- March 22: Obby Khan is elected in the Fort Whyte by-election, replacing former Premier Brian Pallister. The Progressive Conservatives hold the seat narrowly.
- June 6: Scott Fielding resigns as Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development, Minister responsible for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and announces his intention to resign as MLA for Kirkfield Park.
- June 6: Alan Lagimodiere is named acting Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development, Minister responsible for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.
- June 7: Eric Redhead is elected as the MLA for Thompson, holding the seat for the NDP.
- June 17: Scott Fielding resigns as MLA for Kirkfield Park.
- October 4: Ralph Eichler announces he will not seek re-election as MLA for Lakeside.
- December 16: Ian Wishart announces he will not seek re-election as MLA for Portage La Prairie.
2023
- January 15: Cathy Cox announces she Will not seek re-election as MLA for Kildonan River East.
- January 27: Cameron Friesen announces his resignation as finance minister and MLA to seek federal Conservative nomination for Portage—Lisgar.
- January 30: Cliff Cullen is appointed as finance minister and retains Deputy Premier role.
- June 13: Sarah Guillemard announces she will not seek re-election as MLA for Fort Richmond.
Results
Results were formally declared on October 3, the night of the election. The NDP only finished four percentage points ahead of the Tories on the popular vote. However, they dominated Winnipeg, taking all but three seats in the capital. Eight members of Stefanson's cabinet were defeated, all in Winnipeg-based ridings. Stefanson herself was nearly defeated in her historically safe seat of Tuxedo, surviving by less than three percentage points.!rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Party
!rowspan="2"|Leader
!rowspan="2"|Candidates
!colspan="5"|Seats
!colspan="4"|Popular vote
!2019
!Dissolution
!Elected
!%
!+/–
!Votes
!%
!Change
Analysis
| Parties | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| 34 | 22 | 1 | |||
| 22 | 30 | 5 | |||
| 1 | 4 | 38 | 6 | ||
| 1 | 2 | ||||
| 5 | |||||
| 4 | 9 | ||||
| 2 | 3 |