Winnipeg North

Winnipeg North is a federal electoral district covering the northern portion of Winnipeg, Manitoba, including some of the city's oldest and most economically challenged neighbourhoods. The by-election was called after NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis resigned her seat effective May 1, 2010, to run for mayor of Winnipeg in the October 2010 municipal elections. Wasylycia-Leis had represented the riding since 1997 but was ultimately unsuccessful in her mayoral bid.

Candidates

Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal) — Lamoureux was a veteran Manitoba politician who had served in the provincial legislature as a Liberal MLA for the riding of Inkster from 1988 to 2003, and again from 2007 onward. He had run twice for the Manitoba Liberal Party leadership, in 1993 and 1996, losing both times. He resigned his provincial seat to seek election to the House of Commons in this by-election.

Kevin Chief (NDP) — Chief was a community advocate who had been named a recipient of the Future Leaders of Manitoba award in the community service category in 2010. He ran a close campaign and finished a narrow second behind Lamoureux. He later successfully won the provincial seat of Point Douglas for the NDP in the 2011 Manitoba general election.

Julie C. Javier (Conservative) — Javier was the Conservative Party candidate in the by-election.

About the Riding

Winnipeg North covers the northern section of the city of Winnipeg, including the historic North End, one of Manitoba's oldest urban neighbourhoods. The riding includes communities such as Garden City, Tyndall Park, the Maples, Inkster, and portions of the inner-city North End including Burrows, Mynarski, and William Whyte. The area has been a traditional gateway neighbourhood for successive waves of immigrants to Winnipeg.

The riding faces significant socioeconomic challenges. Parts of the North End have historically experienced high rates of poverty, with median household incomes well below the city average. Housing stock in the older parts of the riding includes many aging homes in need of repair. However, the northern portions of the riding, including Garden City and Tyndall Park, are more middle-class suburban neighbourhoods with newer housing developments.

By 2010, the riding was home to a growing Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest in Winnipeg, alongside established Indigenous, Eastern European, and South Asian populations. Major institutions in the riding include health care facilities, schools, and community centres. The riding has a proud working-class tradition and has been politically competitive between the NDP and the Liberals over the decades.