Fresh crop of rookie MLAs join Manitoba's government

Manitobans voted in a big group of rookies to the province's legislative assembly Tuesday night.

Fifteen PC MLAs who won seats in the 2019 election decided not to run for re-election, opening up those ridings to fresh faces. But a number of PC incumbents were also unseated by NDP candidates. 

Here are the first-time MLAs who will be representing Manitobans across the province, according to unofficial results as of Wednesday.

Agassiz: Jodie Byram (PC)

Jodie Byram held on to this riding for the Progressive Conservatives. It was previously held by former cabinet minister Eileen Clarke, who was first elected as the MLA for Agassiz in 2016.

Clarke resigned from her role as minister of Indigenous and northern relations following former premier Brian Pallister's controversial comments downplaying the harms of colonialism in Canada. Last August, she announced her decision not to seek re-election. 

Byram worked as a constituency assistant for Clarke for nine years before running for her old boss's job. 

Growing up on a farm, Byram hopes to be a strong voice for rural Manitoba, the PC Party website says.

Assiniboia: Nellie Kennedy (NDP) 

The NDP's Nellie Kennedy is the new MLA for Assiniboia after defeating PC MLA Scott Johnston. 

Prior to entering politics, Kennedy was a community service worker with the Community Living Disability Services program and co-founded the Postpartum Depression Association of Manitoba.

Brandon East: Glen Simard (NDP)

The NDP's Glen Simard is the new MLA for Brandon East after beating PC incumbent Len Isleifson. 

Simard's win represents the first time the riding has gone orange since the 2011 election. 

Prior to running for office, Simard was a teacher at École Harrison as well as a coach and volunteer, the NDP website says. 

"I'm just so incredibly proud to take this on," Simard said following the win. "We need to seriously take a look at the issues that are present downtown and work through meaningful change for them."

Brandon West: Wayne Balcaen (PC) 

Former Brandon police chief Wayne Balcaen is the new MLA for Brandon West, winning the seat that was previously held by PC MLA Reg Hewler. 

In a race that was too close to call on election night, Balcaen claimed a narrow win for the PCs in the riding, finishing just 98 votes ahead of the NDP candidate, Quentin Robinson, according to unofficial results from Elections Manitoba.

Balcaen worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years, after joining the Brandon Police Service in 1990. 

He has spent most of his life in Manitoba's second-largest city, where he's also served on a number of boards and committees, the PC Party website says. He and his wife, Sharlene, have two children and four grandchildren.

Fort Richmond: Jennifer Chen (NDP) 

Jennifer Chen took the south Winnipeg riding for the NDP on Tuesday.

The Winnipeg School Division trustee holds a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Manitoba. 

Chen, who is originally from China, has also served on various boards and committees in the city, including CancerCare Manitoba, the Newcomer Advisory Committee and Asian Heritage Society. 

Fort Richmond was previously represented by former PC cabinet minister Sarah Guillemard, who decided not to run for re-election.

Kildonan-River East: Rachelle Schott (NDP)

The NDP's Rachelle Schott is the new member of the legislative assembly for Kildonan-River East. 

The relatively new riding was won by Progressive Conservative candidate Cathy Cox in 2019, who had previously served as the representative for the former River East riding — which had been blue since 1986.

Schott works as an educational assistant but is also trained as a primary care paramedic. 

She served as a project co-ordinator for the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, which helps educate Manitobans about treaty relations and reconciliation. 

She currently lives in the Fraser's Grove neighbourhood with her husband and two children. 

Kirkfield Park: Logan Oxenham (NDP) 

The NDP's Logan Oxenham will be the new MLA for Kirkfield Park, after defeating PC MLA Kevin Klein.

It was the second time Oxenham and Klein had faced off in less than a year. Klein won the riding in a tight byelection in December 2022, with Oxenham placing second in that race.

An online biography says Oxenham was the first openly transgender corrections officer in Manitoba. He was the recipient of a Manitoba 150 medal for spearheading advocacy for transgender Manitobans.

Lagimodière: Tyler Blashko (NDP) 

The NDP's Tyler Blashko is the new MLA for the Winnipeg riding of Lagimodière, after winning a close race against PC cabinet minister Andrew Smith.

Blashko is the former president of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and also worked for the Seven Oaks School Division helping high school students as they transitioned to adulthood. 

He holds a master's degree in public administration. 

Lakeside: Trevor King (PC)

Progressive Conservative Trevor King is the new MLA for Lakeside, the riding located northwest of Winnipeg that includes Stonewall and Stony Mountain. 

The riding has voted PC for the last 13 elections. It was previously represented by former cabinet minister Ralph Eichler, who was first elected in 2011. 

King was the reeve for the RM of Woodlands from 2014 to 2018 before leaving municipal politics to work for Prairie Roots Consumers Co-operative as energy division manager. 

He operates a family farm near Warren, where he lives with his wife and four sons.

La Vérendrye: Konrad Narth (PC)

The PCs' Konrad Narth is the new MLA for the southeastern Manitoba riding of La Vérendrye. 

Prior to running for office, Narth owned several businesses in the area and worked on his family's farm near Zhoda.

He also served as municipal councillor and volunteered for numerous community boards and organizations, the PC Party website says.

The La Vérendrye riding was previously represented by PC backbencher Dennis Smook, who was first elected in 2011. 

McPhillips: Jasdeep Devgan (NDP)

Jasdeep Devgan won for the NDP in the northern Winnipeg riding of McPhillips.

In the riding's first election in 2019, PC candidate Shannon Martin won. But Martin opted not to run for re-election this time around. 

Devgan previously worked as director of government and community engagement for the University of Manitoba. 

He's also served on the Sikh Society of Manitoba's board of directors for more than a decade, most recently as its vice-president.

Midland: Lauren Stone (PC)

Lauren Stone held the southern Manitoba riding of Midland, a safe Tory seat, for the PC Party, replacing MLA Blaine Pedersen, who didn't run for re-election.

Stone, who lives in La Salle with her husband and two small children, runs a consulting business, according to her campaign website.

Morden-Winkler: Carrie Hiebert (PC)

Carrie Hiebert is the new MLA for Morden-Winkler. 

The riding, which has always voted Progressive Conservative, was previously represented by cabinet minister Cameron Friesen, who stepped down as MLA to run federally in the Portage-Lisgar byelection.

Hiebert takes on her former boss's job, having worked for Friesen in his constituency office. She also worked for former Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen, and has been highly involved in the PC Party at both the provincial and federal levels.

Portage la Prairie: Jeff Bereza (PC)

Former city councillor and businessman Jeff Bereza continues the PC hold on this riding for the 13th provincial election in a row.

A lifelong resident of Portage la Prairie, Bereza has worked in the agriculture industry since the early 1990s. He also served as chair of the Municipal Board of Manitoba for eight years.

In the past three elections (2011, 2016 and 2019), the Portage la Prairie riding was won by Progressive Conservative Ian Wishart.

Radisson: Jelynn Dela Cruz (NDP)

Jelynn Dela Cruz is the new NDP MLA for Radisson after unseating PC MLA James Teitsma. 

Dela Cruz worked for L'Arche, a non-profit that helps people with disabilities gain meaningful employment, before being elected to office. 

But it was her mom's experience as a nurse amid the PC government's cuts to health care that inspired her to get into politics, the NDP website says.  

Riel: Mike Moyes (NDP)

Glenlawn Collegiate teacher Mike Moyes defeated former PC cabinet minister Rochelle Squires to become the new NDP MLA for Riel. 

Moyes said it will be hard to leave teaching but he's ready to get to work for the riding. 

"I do love teaching. I love working with kids, but ultimately I'm looking to make the most impact for the kids, and we're going to do a lot of great things for education," Moyes said.

Moyes ran against Squires in the 2019 provincial election but was unable to unseat the veteran MLA. 

This time around, Moyes credited the win to a year and a half of door knocking and Manitobans' desire for change. 

"It's about making sure that they're getting the health care that they need and that we can make their lives a little bit better."

River Heights: Mike Moroz (NDP) 

Longtime MLA Jon Gerrard lost the Liberal stronghold of River Heights to the NDP's Mike Moroz, a teacher and community activist.

Moroz said he worked hard during the campaign to connect with people in his community and listen to their concerns. 

"River Heights is an incredibly vibrant community," he said. 

"They're engaged, they're thoughtful, they understand the issues in a deeper and profound way, and they want to make a difference across the broader community."

Following the loss, Gerrard said he believes his party — which won only one seat — fell victim to a desire to push out the PC government.

"Sometimes when you get a wave in politics, it's a wave that sweeps a lot of people away."

Roblin: Kathleen Cook (PC)

Kathleen Cook is the new PC MLA for Roblin, which covers part of west Winnipeg and Headingley. 

The riding was created in the 2018 riding redistribution and was previously represented by veteran PC MLA Myrna Driedger, the former Speaker of the legislature. 

Cook has worked in municipal and provincial politics as a senior policy analyst, project manager and special adviser. Most recently she served as provincial director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

She lives in Winnipeg's Charleswood area with her husband and four children.

Rossmere: Tracy Schmidt (NDP)

Tracy Schmidt is the new NDP MLA for Rossmere after defeating PC backbencher Andrew Micklefield.

Schmidt is a lawyer with a background in labour and employment law, the NDP website says. 

"I think Manitoba was looking for a positive vision and really looking for change," Schmidt said following her win Tuesday night. 

After months of door-knocking, "we're just really excited to get to work," she said.

Seine River: Billie Cross (NDP) 

Seine River's newly minted NDP MLA, Billie Cross, is a teacher and proud Métis woman who owns a family-run butcher shop with her husband, Steve, the NDP website says. 

Cross defeated PC MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte to win the south Winnipeg riding. 

She said she thinks the NDP's positive campaign resonated with Manitobans, and she hopes to bring the improvements to health care that people are calling for. 

"Health care is really important to me. It's near and dear to my heart," she said. 

"I have some family members who are struggling with lung issues. My mom has emphysema, my aunt has lung cancer, so we need to improve our health-care system. Folks are depending on us." 

Selkirk: Richard Perchotte (PC)

Richard Perchotte is the new MLA for Selkirk, holding on to the seat for the Progressive Conservatives after Alan Lagimodiere opted not to run for re-election.

Perchotte is president of Janice Manufacturing Inc., a family-owned company based in Selkirk.

He also has several years of experience working in trades.

Southdale: Renée Cable (NDP) 

NDP rookie Renée Cable defeated Audrey Gordon, who was the PC health minister, in Winnipeg's Southdale riding. 

Cable, who is Métis, is a communications professional with a background in management, human resources and public policy. She previously worked in the Manitoba Legislature in various roles, the NDP's website says. 

The new MLA said she hopes to use her role to advocate for mental health services, something that's very important to her. 

"Mental health is health, and we need to treat it that way," she said.

Spruce Woods: Grant Jackson (PC)

The PCs' Grant Jackson has captured the riding that has only ever known one MLA — Progressive Conservative Cliff Cullen — since it was created.

The former deputy premier won the seat for the PCs in the 2011, 2016 and 2019 elections, but added his name to the list of Progressive Conservative MLAs departing politics last December. 

Jackson's win secures the southwestern Manitoba riding for the PCs for a fourth time. 

Before running for office himself, Jackson worked for Brandon-Souris member of Parliament Larry Maguire, both in Brandon and on Parliament Hill. 

Since 2020, Jackson has worked for the Manitoba PCs on several portfolios, including as special adviser to the premier. Prior to that, he also spent more than 10 years volunteering for the party, serving as regional director for southwest Manitoba on the party's board.

St. Boniface: Robert Loiselle (NDP) 

Robert Loiselle, a francophone Métis teacher who was born and raised in St. Boniface, won the riding for the NDP after defeating Dougald Lamont, who stepped down as Manitoba Liberal leader after his defeat.

The NDP made a strong push to capture votes in St. Boniface, which has swung between Manitoba's NDP and Liberals for nearly 50 years. 

"I am extremely proud of the work that we've accomplished in order to get this province back on track, and I'm extremely proud to be part of a team that's ready to work for Manitoba," Loiselle said following the win. 

Waverley: David Pankratz (NDP) 

David Pankratz won the Waverley riding for the NDP by just 119 votes, according to Elections Manitoba's unofficial results, defeating PC cabinet minister Jon Reyes. 

A former paramedic and firefighter, Pankratz says he was driven to run for office after seeing the impacts of funding to health care first hand, according to the NDP website. 

Reyes was first elected as MLA for St. Norbert in 2016 and won Waverley in 2019.