The Winnipeg Centre riding includes the Manitoba Legislature, Commodity Exchange Tower, the historic Forks area and The University of Winnipeg. In the 2015 election, New Democrat Pat Martin will seek to retain the seat he has held consecutively since 1997.

Candidates

Christian Heritage Party: Scott Miller
Communist: Darrell Rankin
Conservative: Allie Szarkiewcz
Green: Don Woodstock
Liberal: Robert-Falcon Ouellette
NDP: Pat Martin (I)

Last Election

Incumbent, New Democrat Pat Martin, defeated Conservative runner-up Bev Pitura by more than 6,700 votes.

Martin has held the seat since 1997.

History

  • Created in 1914, the riding was split into Winnipeg North Centre and Winnipeg South Centre in 1924. It was re-created from these ridings in 1997.
  • North Centre became left wing with the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.
  • In 1921, it elected Labour candidate J.S. Woodsworth, founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.
  • When the riding became North Centre, Woodsworth won for Labour and the CCF until his death in 1942.
  • In a byelection that year, Stanley Knowles of the CCF and NDP won and retained the seat up to and including 1980; except for one loss to PC John MacLean in the 1958 Tory sweep.
  • Knowles suffered a stroke in 1981, but stayed in Ottawa as an observer until his death June 9, 1997.
  • In the 1984 vote, Cyril Keeper, the 1980 NDP winner in Winnipeg-St. James, won in North Centre.
  • Keeper was defeated in 1988 by Liberal David Walker, who also won in 1993.
  • The riding became North and then Centre by private bill in 1996.
  • Pat Martin of the NDP defeated Walker in 1997 and still holds the seat.

Boundaries

  • The legislature, Commodity Exchange Tower, and historic Forks area are all in this riding.
  • The old West End has Sargent Park, Daniel McIntyre, Minto, St. Matthews, Spence, Colony, and Wolseley, Armstrong Point and West Broadway along the Assiniboine River.
  • In the north are Brooklands, Weston and West Alexander, Health Sciences Centre, The University of Winnipeg and Red River College.
  • To the south are King Edward, Kensington, Bruce Park and Polo Park.

Industries

  • Business is big in the riding: Power Corp.’s Great West Life Assurance and IGM Financial with 500 employees; huge Agricore United owned by Saskpool of Regina; James Richardson and the Canadian HQ of farm giant Cargill.
  • There is also Wawanesa Insurance, HudBay Minerals HQ and Paterson Foods.
  • The Centennial area here has Magellan Aerospace, Enduron, Aero, Argus and Custom Steel and Standard Aero, J.R. Stephenson and Precision Metalcraft.