Manitoba premier suggests he won't call byelection until NDP better able to compete in conservative riding

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 05, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said helium won't telephone a byelection successful Spruce Woods until his New Democratic Party is amended capable to vie successful the blimpish southwestern Manitoba constituency — and suggested PC demands to telephone the byelection sooner magnitude to a petition for political "freebies." 

Spruce Woods has been vacant since March 24, erstwhile erstwhile Progressive Conservative MLA Grant Jackson resigned his spot to tally successful the national election. Kinew said helium wants to springiness his enactment a amended accidental to beryllium competitory successful a constituency it has ne'er won.

"I don't cognize if everyone successful the state knows what I'm like, but there's nary freebies with me," Kinew said Friday during a scrum with reporters astatine Canada Life Centre.

"I privation to enactment a superior effort guardant successful the Spruce Woods byelection. I'm speaking present arsenic a person of the Manitoba NDP. I privation our squad retired determination canvassing. I privation our squad retired determination contesting. I privation america successful the communities that person ne'er enactment up an NDP motion earlier successful southwestern Manitoba to speech to our canvassers and to perceive our plan."

No enactment different than the PCs has won Spruce Woods since it was created successful 2011. Former MLAs Jackson and Cliff Cullen won much than 60 per cent of the ballot successful the constituency successful each of the four provincial elections held implicit the past 14 years.

For weeks, Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan has accused Kinew of dragging his feet connected the byelection call, noting it's been 102 days since Jackson resigned and a byelection volition necessitate different 28 to 35 days.

Kinew called byelections more quickly to capable 2 Winnipeg seats wherever the NDP were competitive. 

The 2024 Tuxedo byelection, which was won by the NDP's Carla Compton, was held 43 days aft erstwhile MLA Heather Stefanson resigned, portion the 2025 Transcona byelection, which Shannon Corbett won for the NDP, was held within 63 days of the decease of NDP MLA Nello Altomare.

Khan said Friday Kinew is playing games, noting how Prime Minister Mark Carney wasted small clip successful calling a national byelection successful agrarian Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot riding, adjacent though the Liberal Party of Canada has precise small accidental of winning successful the highly blimpish riding.

"It's bittersweet to spot the premier equating ideology and the close of Manitobans and the radical of Spruce Woods constituents — their rights to vote — with freebies," Khan said Friday extracurricular the Manitoba Legislative Building.

"I don't cognize what he's talking astir with freebies. There are nary freebies successful the legislature. All 57 seats are earned. All 57 seats correspond their constituencies. People person a close to vote. The premier is denying those people."

Kinew besides claimed Spruce Woods is affected by the wood fires successful bluish Manitoba, noting immoderate evacuees are surviving successful Brandon-area hotels that are located successful the constituency.

In Manitoba, byelections indispensable beryllium held wrong six months of a constituency becoming vacant. In bid to guarantee that happens, Kinew tin not hold aboriginal than the 3rd week of August to bushed the September deadline for a byelection.