Kirkfield Park byelection sees candidates focused on health care trying to unseat Tories

The byelection in Kirkfield Park won't herald the outcome of next year's provincial election by itself, but a victory for the Progressive Conservatives could prove hope is not lost for the sitting government, while a defeat may signal that health-care woes are costing them votes.

The west Winnipeg constituency, which was previously represented by PC cabinet minister Scott Fielding, has historically voted for Tories, but recent opinion polls suggest the government's fortunes are still lagging in Winnipeg.

Under those circumstances, the PCs have selected the high-profile Kevin Klein, a former city councillor who recently placed third in Winnipeg's mayoral election.

He says he won't be afraid to challenge his party if that's what best serves his constituents — a rare position in partisan politics where candidates are expected to toe the party line.

Royce Koop, a University of Manitoba political studies professor, says the gamble could pay off.

"Given how unpopular the Tories are in Winnipeg, I don't think this Klein strategy of saying he's willing to get into fights with [Premier] Heather Stefanson is a bad strategy, to be honest," he said.

The Tories are trying to hold on to the riding, which Fielding — who retired in June — won with just over half the votes cast in 2019. The NDP took 25.6 per cent of the vote, the Liberals got 15.7 per cent support and the Greens earned 8.3 per cent.

Klein faces two challengers — the NDP's Logan Oxenham, a corrections officer, and nurse Rhonda Nichol for the Liberals — who are focusing their campaigns on health care, blaming the Tories for the long waits and staffing shortages ailing Grace Hospital, which is in the riding.

Dennis Bayomi rounds out the field as the Green Party's candidate in Kirkfield Park.

Other factors that may play into the outcome of the Dec. 13 byelection include allegations of mudslinging over Klein's ties to a disgraced fashion mogul, the NDP's pleas for strategic voting, and a winter date that may stifle voter turnout.

Klein says he'll put constituents over party

As the city councillor for much of the riding from 2018 to 2022, Klein wasn't afraid to be outspoken when he opposed decisions.

He said he'll do the same if elected as MLA. He'll express his reservations behind closed doors first, but will speak publicly if he's exhausted other options. 

"If you're not getting the answers or we're not having those discussions — which I don't think are going to happen — then of course you would share them publicly," Klein said, stressing it is the people of Kirkfield Park he'd work for, not the PC Party. 

In a recent Facebook post, Klein told voters, "I will fight for you if it is with [NDP Leader] Wab Kinew or even Heather Stefanson," which prompted Kinew to allege the PCs are distracted by infighting.

Klein has also advanced policy ideas without party endorsement: a perhaps-impossible commitment to eliminate parliamentary privilege and increasing the number of advanced-care paramedic units in Winnipeg.

Koop said Klein is effectively running his own campaign, which is "pretty rare in Canadian politics," but the political scientist said it could help Klein to distance himself from a party low in popularity.

But he said if elected, Klein will have to be a team player in order for the PCs to support his proposed initiatives. 

Klein said the NDP and Liberals have no plan to fix the health-care system, but the PCs have put forward a tangible $200-million plan to add 2,000 health-care professionals "that's going to work in the short-term."

In the longer term, the increased use of advanced-care paramedics would help, he said.

"That's why I think you have to look to me as the right candidate, because I'm not afraid to bring those conversations forward that will make change."

Voters 'understand what's at stake here': Oxenham

The NDP is trying to coalesce the anti-government vote around Oxenham. 

The party, which held Kirkfield Park from 2007 to 2016, brought out former Liberal supporters at a recent news conference, trying to convince voters a ballot cast for the Liberals or Green Party would only ensure the PCs keep the seat. 

Koop says the strategic voting plea "makes the party look a little bit weak," but Oxenham said he isn't worried about his rivals.

"Voters in Kirkfield Park are smart," he said.

"They understand what's at stake here, and they understand that in order for us to defeat the PCs … we need to come together."

Oxenham says disrepair in the health-care system drove him to run for office, and it's the issue he continually hears about from residents. The NDP says it will extend clinic hours at the Grace Hospital Access Centre if elected next year.

"A lot of my friends, and some family members who actually work within the health-care system, kept repeating over and over again just how dire the situation is."

He was encouraged to run as well because of his advocacy work.

An online biography says as the first openly transgender corrections officer in Manitoba, Oxenham helped educate the justice department and police officers on developing an inclusive work environment for transgender staff.

In the legislature, the NDP has raised questions about Klein's work history with Peter Nygard, suggesting Klein hasn't fully explained his connections with the former fashion mogul now accused of sexual assault.

Klein has denied the allegations. 

Oxenham said he'll leave it up to voters to decide whether those factors affect their vote, "but I'm focused on the constituents here in Kirkfield Park."

'Start working together' on health care: Nichol

Meanwhile, the Liberals say those worried about health care should vote for the candidate who best understands it.

Rhonda Nichol spent 29 years as a nurse at Grace Hospital, where she worked in oncology, emergency observation, surgery and long-term medicine, among other departments. She now works as a clinical trials research and prevention nurse at CancerCare Manitoba.

"I'd be the best person, I believe, just due to my connection with the Grace Hospital. People are willing to speak to me openly and freely, without any fear of repercussions," she said.

"I think if this were a corrections issue, I'm just going to say right now Logan [Oxenham] would be the person to vote for … [but] I truly believe that I am the best person if we're looking at health care."

She's seen the health-care system go from "functioning like a well-oiled machine" to suffering a "slow demise," she said, with facilities scrambling to fill positions.

If she's elected, the Liberals intend to organize a town hall at the hospital, and set up a hotline for front-line workers to reach Nichol directly and in confidence.

"We all want good health care, so why don't we start working together a little bit more to get to the bottom of this and truly solve it?" she said.

Asked about splitting the anti-government vote with the NDP, Nichol said it is up to voters to make up their own mind, but she hopes they consider her. 

Koop said Nichol's candidacy appears to have resonated with voters and the party could take votes from both the PCs and NDP.

'Running to win': Bayomi

Dennis Bayomi is the only candidate from the 2019 election who is running again. 

The Green Party candidate says he was a "last-minute candidate" back then, when he earned nearly nine per cent of the vote, but says he's "a serious candidate" this time around.

"We're running to win. We're not just a name on the ballot," the semi-retired IT professional said. 

He said if elected, addressing the climate emergency would be his top priority. Some ideas would include free public transit, creating a compost program in Winnipeg and offering incentives for buying electric vehicles.

Bayomi would also advocate for a guaranteed basic income to help lift people out of poverty. 

He'd also like to see a number of democratic reforms, including an end to winter elections.

He worries voter turnout could be suppressed by an electorate numbed by both the weather and a campaign marred by partisan bickering.

Advance voting continues until Dec. 10. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the Dec. 13 voting day. More information, including voting locations, is available at the Elections Manitoba website.