Winnipeg Centre

Winnipeg Centre encompasses the urban core of Manitoba’s capital, taking in some of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods including the North End, West End, Wolseley, and the Exchange District. The riding covers the downtown commercial and institutional heart of Winnipeg, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights at The Forks.

Candidates

Robert-Falcon Ouellette (Liberal) — A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces with over two decades of service, Ouellette retired from the Royal Canadian Navy at the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class and served in the Primary Reserves with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles as a Warrant Officer. He served as director of Aboriginal Focus Programs at the University of Manitoba before resigning in July 2015 to focus on his campaign. He had previously finished third in the 2014 Winnipeg mayoral race.

Pat Martin (NDP) — The incumbent since 1997, Martin held Winnipeg Centre for eighteen years in what had been an NDP stronghold. Before entering politics, he worked as a journeyman carpenter and spent years in mining and construction across the Yukon and Manitoba. He served as business manager of the Manitoba Carpenters Union from 1989 to 1997.

Allie Szarkiewicz (Conservative) — A retired English and social studies teacher with over 30 years of experience in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division, Szarkiewicz also worked part-time in human resources helping people transition into new careers.

Don Woodstock (Green Party), Scott Miller (Christian Heritage Party), and Darrell Rankin (Communist) also contested the riding.

About the Riding

Winnipeg Centre has long been one of Canada’s most economically challenged urban ridings, with high rates of poverty, homelessness, and housing instability concentrated in its inner-city neighbourhoods. The riding is also one of the most culturally diverse in Manitoba, with large Indigenous, Filipino, and immigrant populations. Major employers include the provincial and municipal governments, the Health Sciences Centre—one of the largest hospitals in Canada—and the University of Winnipeg. The Exchange District, a National Historic Site, houses a concentration of heritage buildings and a growing arts and technology sector. Key local issues in 2015 included affordable housing, poverty reduction, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and inner-city infrastructure investment.