WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s premier congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney on his election victory Tuesday, while also acknowledging that the fall of the federal NDP has made it a tough day for those who support orange.
Wab Kinew said in a social media post that he looks forward to continued work building Canada with Carney’s federal government. In a separate post, he offered well wishes to Jagmeet Singh, who stepped down as NDP leader after losing his B.C. seat of Burnaby Central.
“Thank you, Jagmeet Singh, for your years of service and for standing up for working people,” wrote Kinew. “You led with the value we both share: fairness, justice and compassion.”
During the five-week snap election, Kinew was pressed on whether he supported Singh as prime minister. Kinew declined to offer an endorsement, saying he did not wish to weigh in on federal politics.
The Liberals returned to power in Monday’s vote, with The Canadian Press decision desk projecting a minority government. Numbers from Elections Canada show the Liberals sitting at 169 seats — just three seats shy of a majority.
In Manitoba, the Liberals added to their seat count by picking up wins in the province’s northernmost riding and Winnipeg West.
Liberal candidate Rebecca Chartrand turned the NDP stronghold Churchill-Keewatinook Aski riding red after defeating incumbent Niki Ashton. Elections Canada says Chartrand won by more than 3,400 votes.
Ashton has represented the area in the House of Commons since 2008.
“The numbers speak for themselves. People talk with their feet, and we were victorious,” Chartrand said Tuesday. “It basically shows what constituents in this riding wanted.”
Chartrand, who is Anishinaabe, Inninew, Dakota and Métis, lost to Ashton during the 2015 election.
She said she heard from residents across the vast region that many wanted to see economic growth in their communities — something Chartrand said aligns with Carney’s vision for the country.
The area is home to one of the highest percentages of First Nations people in Canada.
One political analyst said the switch was a surprise, but with polling numbers that projected the Liberals to win, it makes sense.
“A lot of First Nation communities were reading the wind, knowing that they would have a member of Parliament who would be representing them in Ottawa rather than somebody on the outside,” said Christopher Adams, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Much of the Liberals’ support in Manitoba is concentrated in Winnipeg, where they won five of the eight ridings.
In the riding of Winnipeg West, Liberal Doug Eyolfson beat incumbent Marty Morantz of the Conservatives after losing to him in the two previous federal elections, including by fewer than 500 votes in 2021.
The NDP went into the election with three Manitoba seats, finishing with one after Ashton’s projected loss and Winnipeg’s Elmwood-Transcona, an NDP stronghold, went to the Conservatives.
The Tory win shows the party successfully campaigned on appealing to working class, unionized and young voters over issues like the economy, cost of living and housing issues, said Malcom Bird, associate professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg.
”(The NDP) clearly lost to both sides,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.
