NDP picks nurse to run in Tuxedo election – Winnipeg Free Press

Manitoba's New Democrats have nominated a nurse to try to fill the seat left vacant by former premier Heather Stefanson in a by-election eight months after the NDP's election victory.

Carla Compton will run in a tuxedo for the June 18 election.

“This is an opportunity to grow in my practice and how I can help more people,” Compton said at a news conference Monday afternoon announcing his candidacy.

Compton ran in a tuxedo in the 2019 provincial election, finishing a distant third.

The candidate said that the decision to switch from the hospital bed to politics was made due to the need of time.

“I believe I have the time, the energy, and the will and desire to engage with Tuxedo voters and come to the table of government on their behalf,” Compton said.

“Serving others is my main motivation.”

Premier Wab Kinew said the party held a meeting of candidates earlier this week and selected Compton to put him in the tuxedo.

Stefanson officially resigned from his seat in the Manitoba legislature on May 6.

“I have seen the last government's health care cuts hurt my patients and drive my colleagues out of the system. I saw Heather Stefanson campaigning in this community where people shook their heads. That kind of division and anger is not who we are,” Compton said.

The Tuxedo seat has historically been a Tory stronghold since it was taken in 1981. In last year's provincial election, NDP candidate Larissa Ashdown won by 300 votes to unseat Stefanson.

There are currently 34 New Democrats, 21 Progressive Conservatives, one independent Liberal and one vacancy in the Manitoba legislature.

PC Party President Brent Pools said the party is due to hold a nominations meeting in the coming days and will announce its candidate soon.

Pulse says despite Tuxedo's historically blue vote, a by-election isn't guaranteed and a narrow vote in the 2023 race is lopsided for the party.

“We don't take anything for granted. You have to have the support of the people, you can't expect people to vote for you,” he said by phone on Monday.

Former McPhillips MLA Shannon Martin, who served as a provincial legislator from 2014 to 2023, is running for PC in Tuxedo, while lawyer Lawrence Pinsky and real estate agent Lori Shenkarov have also put their names on the ballot.

Before any other political party announced its candidate, the NDP announced a by-election, which Kineu accused of “mailing” former MP Stefanson since election night and had no time to waste.

“If the other parties know inside when the election is going to happen but can't nominate candidates when the law is overturned… I think you have to question their organizational ability,” he said.

Under provincial law, a by-election must be held within six months of a seat becoming vacant.

Political commentator Deveryn Ross said the candidates running for office don't necessarily matter, as voters will mostly vote for or against Webb Kinev.

“It's a referendum: do you want to be part of the government or not?” he said. “They probably could have found a more senior candidate … when you have a leader who is popular in a certain way, all you have to do is stand back and let Wab do his job.”

Kinew said Compton was the perfect candidate to turn the tuxedo orange.

“She's a registered nurse, she's someone with connections to the Tuxedo area, and most of all, she's a progressive who has what it takes to bring a refreshing voice to the Manitoba legislature,” Kinew said.

The Manitoba Liberals have yet to field a candidate, but Ross believes former Blue Bomber Willard Reeves will be in the running for the title.

Reeves received 200 votes to win the Fort White seat in the 2022 by-election.

The Manitoba Green Party has not yet announced a candidate for the Tuxedo election.

The PC party has also not yet chosen a leader following Stefansson's resignation. Corporate and commercial lawyer Brad Zander has been named chairman of the leadership committee, while Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Evasco continues as interim party leader.

PC party members will elect a new leader on April 26, 2025.

– With Canadian Press files

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Nicole Buffy
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffy is a multimedia producer reporting to the Free Press city office.

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