2009 Manitoba provincial by-elections

Two provincial by-elections were held in the Canadian province of Manitoba on March 24, 2009 to fill vacancies in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Both were won by the governing Manitoba New Democratic Party.

Elmwood

The electoral district of Elmwood became vacant in fall 2008 when incumbent New Democratic Party MLA Jim Maloway resigned from the legislature to run as the federal New Democratic Party candidate in Elmwood—Transcona in the 2008 federal election.

Bill Blaikie, the former MP whose retirement from federal politics opened up the NDP candidacy in Elmwood—Transcona, subsequently announced his intention to stand in the provincial by-election.[1] Two other candidates, Ed Innes and Darryl Livingstone, had submitted nomination papers, but both dropped out before the nomination meeting, and Blaikie was acclaimed as the party's candidate on December 14, 2008.[2] The Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party chose Adrian Schulz, a 25-year-old businessman who left high school at 14 to start his first computer business,[3] the Manitoba Liberal Party chose Regan Wolfrom, a community activist, and the Green Party of Manitoba candidate was James Beddome, who was selected as the party's new leader in 2008.

Blaikie won the by-election, marking the first time in his 30-year political career that he will be serving in a governing party caucus rather than an opposition role.[4]

Manitoba provincial by-election, March 24, 2009: Elmwood
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Bill Blaikie	2,325	53.76	−7.75	17,603.25
	Progressive Conservative	Adrian Schulz	913	21.11	+0.10	15,919.78
	Liberal	Regan Wolfrom	877	20.28	+2.80	27,106.33
	Green	James Beddome	210	4.86	–	1,115.73
Total valid votes			4,325	100
Rejected and declined ballots			14
Turnout			4,339	36.44	−13.54
Electors on the lists			11,907

The Pas

The electoral district of The Pas became vacant with the death of incumbent New Democratic MLA Oscar Lathlin on November 1, 2008. The by-election was won by Frank Whitehead, a former chief of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, who ran for the New Democrats.[4]

The Liberal candidate was Maurice Berens, a high school teacher from Norway House,[5] and the Progressive Conservatives selected Edna Nabess, a clothing store owner in The Pas.[3]

Manitoba provincial by-election, March 24, 2009: The Pas
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Frank Whitehead	2,949	75.11	+6.25	25,898.41
	Progressive Conservative	Edna Nabess	722	18.39	−3.06	31,676.75
	Liberal	Maurice Berens	255	6.50	−3.19	9,255.99
Total valid votes			3,926	99.32
Rejected and declined ballots			27	0.68
Turnout			3,953	29.65
Electors on the lists			13,334
	New Democratic hold		Swing		+4.66

References

1. "Former MP Bill Blaikie seeks provincial seat". CBC News. December 5, 2008. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
2. "Blaikie to run in provincial by-election". Winnipeg. December 14, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
3. Owen, Bruce (February 14, 2009). "PCs name byelection candidates". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
4. Romanuk, Ross (March 24, 2009). "NDP retain seats in byelection". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
5. Turenne, Paul (March 2, 2009). "Liberals name candidate for The Pas". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved January 7, 2019.