Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman

Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman is a sprawling rural-suburban riding stretching across the Interlake region of Manitoba, occupying the broad plain between Lake Manitoba to the west and Lake Winnipeg to the east. The riding extends from the northern suburbs of Winnipeg up through agricultural and cottage country, encompassing the city of Selkirk, the towns of Stonewall, Gimli, Beausejour, Teulon, Arborg, Lac du Bonnet, and Winnipeg Beach, along with the municipalities of St. Andrews, St. Clements, Rockwood, and St. Laurent. Boreal forest blankets the northern reaches while mixed farming and ranching dominate the southern interior. The riding is home to the largest Icelandic-descended population outside of Iceland, particularly concentrated around Gimli. Several First Nations communities, including Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, fall within its boundaries.

Candidates

James Bezan (Conservative) is the incumbent, first elected in 2004 and seeking his eighth consecutive term. Raised on a family farm near Teulon, Bezan studied livestock technology at Olds College in Alberta and worked in the cattle industry before starting his own livestock company in 1996. In Parliament, he has chaired the Standing Committees on Agriculture, Environment, and National Defence, and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence from 2013 to 2015. He has been the Conservative shadow minister for National Defence and is a prominent advocate for Ukraine, having been personally sanctioned by Russia in 2014 for his outspoken criticism of the Kremlin.

Rhonda Nichol (Liberal) is a registered nurse with more than 35 years of front-line healthcare experience. She was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for the riding.

Josef Estabrooks (NDP) ran as the New Democratic Party candidate, participating in local candidates' forums across the riding during the campaign.

Wayne James (Green Party) stood as the Green Party candidate, bringing environmental policy concerns to the race.

Byron Gryba (People's Party) ran on the People's Party platform emphasizing individual liberty and reduced government intervention.

About the Riding

Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman's economy is rooted in agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Cattle ranching and grain farming are the primary agricultural activities, with the Interlake's variable soil conditions favouring livestock production in many areas. Lake Winnipeg—the tenth-largest freshwater lake in the world—supports over 1,300 commercial fishers, making water quality and lake health matters of direct economic consequence. Gimli's Icelandic Festival and the beaches along the lake's western shore draw seasonal tourists, while Winnipeg Beach and the cottage communities around the lake are popular summer destinations.

The riding has been a Conservative stronghold for more than two decades, and defence policy carries unusual local prominence given Bezan's longstanding role as his party's defence critic. In 2025, Canada's defence preparedness and military spending were particularly salient issues amid heightened tensions with the United States over trade and sovereignty questions.

Flooding has been a recurring concern across the Interlake, where low-lying terrain along Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin has left communities vulnerable to devastating inundations. Infrastructure for flood mitigation—including the Lake St. Martin outlet channel—has been a persistent demand from affected residents and First Nations. Agricultural producers also contended with rising input costs and trade uncertainty, as the spectre of US tariffs threatened export-dependent commodity markets heading into the 2025 campaign.