Progressive Conservatives hold ground in rural Manitoba, NDP keep northern seats

While the NDP will form the next government, the Progressive Conservatives appear to be holding their ground in southern and central Manitoba.

Historically, most southern Manitoba ridings have voted Tory in provincial elections, and as results from Tuesday's election continue to roll in on Wednesday morning,CBC projects that trend will largely continue.

CBC projectsthe PCs will hold seats in 13of the 16 southern Manitoba ridings and fourout of five seats in central Manitoba.

There are still seven ridings too close to call with one or two polls and out-of-district advance votes tricklingin. They are:

• Brandon West.
• Dauphin.
• Lagimodire.
• McPhillips.
• Selkirk.
• Tuxedo.
• Waverley.

In his victory speech, NDP Leader Wab Kinew, whose party won a majority on Tuesday, reached out to rural Manitobans including those who voted for other parties.

"To people in rural Manitoba, to people in northern Manitoba, I want to say thank you for sending people from your communities to sit with our team at the Manitoba Legislature,"he said Tuesday night, during his speech to supporters at NDP headquarters.

"To people in rural Manitoba who haven't voted for us yet, I would ask you to keep an open mind," Kinew said.

"If our team deliversif after a few years we have improved your health care and we have made your life a bit more affordableI would humbly ask that in four years time, you send more people from your communities to sit with our team in the Manitoba Legislature."

While the party lost power, theProgressive Conservatives did hold on to several strongholds, including Steinbach,which incumbent Kelvin Goertzenwon again.

The southeastern Manitoba riding has only ever elected Tory MLAs. Goertzen won the seat with more than 80 per cent of ballots cast in the last three elections.

The Borderland riding, anotherPC stronghold,was won byJosh Guenter one of seven PC incumbents projected to keep their seats in southern Manitoba, along withTurtle Mountain's Doyle Piwniuk.

Therewill also besix new Tory MLAs in southern Manitoba, CBC projects.

The NDP'sGlen Simardbeat PC incumbent Len Isleifson in Brandon East a riding the NDPhasn't won since the 2011 election.

Meanwhile in the Brandon West riding,PC candidateWayne Balcaenthe city's former police chief continued to hold a margin of just 98votes over the NDP'sQuentin Robinson as of Wednesday morning.

Rounding out the Brandon-area ridings, Grant Jackson held the Spruce Woods riding for the PCs. The southwest Manitoba riding had been held by the PCs'Cliff Cullen, who didn't seek re-election, since it was created in 2008.

The NDPalso led in a tight race in Dauphin as of Wednesday morning with Ron Kostyshynmaintaining a 340-vote margin overPC candidate Gord Wood.

The NDP also once again sweptthe north, as the party did in the 2019 election, keeping theFlin Flon, Thompson, Keewatinook and The Pas-Kameesak ridings.

Manitoba Votes 2023

1 year ago

Duration 4:00:01

Manitoba Votes 2023: CBC Manitoba's live election broadcast from the Manitoba Legislature, October 3, 2023.