Agboola tapped to take second crack at winning Saint Boniface-Saint Vital back for Conservatives
Provincial corrections employee finished second to Dan Vandal in 2021
The federal Conservative Party has nominated a candidate for the Winnipeg riding of Saint Boniface-Saint Vital.
Shola Agboola will try to win back a riding the Conservatives last held from 2008-15, when Shelly Glover served as MP. The Conservative Party website was updated this week to list Agboola as a candidate.
Agboola has spent 17 years working with provincial corrections, according to his LinkedIn account. In a Facebook post, Agboola said he won a contested nomination on Wednesday, defeating fellow Saint Boniface-Saint Vital electoral district association board member Nicholas Tenszen.
Agboola finished second to Liberal Dan Vandal in Saint Boniface-Saint Vital in the 2021 federal election, attracting 28 per cent of the vote.
Vandal is not running for re-election. The Liberals have nominated Ginette Lavack, the former director of the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre and Festival du Voyageur.
The New Democratic Party candidate is Thomas Linner, who served as a spokesperson for the Manitoba Health Coalition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A general election must be held in Canada this year and may take place as soon as this spring. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was sworn in Friday, is expected to call an election within days or weeks.
Since its formation in 1925, what is now called Saint Boniface-Saint Vital has only been represented by MPs from the Liberal Party and conservative parties. The Liberals have won 27 of 32 elections over the past century.