Kildonan—St. Paul

Kildonan—St. Paul occupies the far northern reaches of Winnipeg and extends into the adjacent rural municipalities of East St. Paul and West St. Paul, with the Red River running through its centre. The riding is primarily suburban, encompassing the neighbourhoods of North Kildonan, The Maples, and Garden City within Winnipeg, as well as the bedroom community of Oakbank in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, which was added to the riding in the 2022 redistribution. Incumbent Conservative Raquel Dancho, first elected in 2019, sought and won a third consecutive term in what proved to be the tightest race in Manitoba.

Candidates

Raquel Dancho (Conservative) was raised on a fourth-generation farm in rural Manitoba and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from McGill University. Before entering politics she worked as a researcher at a Winnipeg-based think tank and later served as senior aide to Manitoba's minister of sport, culture, and heritage. First elected in 2019, Dancho has served as the Conservative shadow minister for public safety and later for industry, and has been a vocal advocate for stricter bail reform for repeat violent offenders.

Thomas Naaykens (Liberal) is a lifelong North Kildonan resident who attended River East Collegiate and completed a certificate in marketing at Red River College. He served in the Canadian military as an armour officer and built a career as a financial analyst with experience spanning agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and business acquisitions.

Emily Clark (NDP) works in education technology, helping create educational opportunities for young people across Manitoba and Canada. She has lived in Winnipeg for over 23 years and has worked alongside Manitoba NDP MLAs on constituency casework. This was her first federal campaign.

Erik Holmes (People's Party) ran as the People's Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Kildonan—St. Paul is a suburban riding whose character shifts from the established, tree-lined streets of North Kildonan along the Red River to the newer subdivisions and commercial strips of The Maples and Garden City further west. East St. Paul and West St. Paul, straddling the Red River just north of Winnipeg's boundary, offer a semi-rural lifestyle within commuting distance of the city. The addition of Oakbank and surrounding areas in the Rural Municipality of Springfield in the 2022 redistribution tilted the riding slightly more conservative.

The riding is ethnically diverse, with significant Filipino, South Asian, and Eastern European communities, particularly in The Maples and Garden City neighbourhoods. Retail and service employment is concentrated along McPhillips Street and Main Street, while many residents commute to jobs elsewhere in Winnipeg. The riding includes several large parks and green spaces along the Red River, which is also the source of recurring spring flood concerns for East St. Paul and riverfront properties.

The 2025 campaign in Kildonan—St. Paul centred on the cost of living, public safety and bail reform, housing affordability, and immigration policy. The riding's mix of long-established suburban neighbourhoods and newer, more diverse communities made it one of Manitoba's most competitive constituencies.