On October 3, 2023, Manitobans went to the polls in the province's 43rd general election. Premier Heather Stefanson had visited Lieutenant-Governor Anita Neville on September 5 to dissolve the legislature, launching a 28-day campaign. The Progressive Conservatives were seeking a third consecutive mandate, though under new leadership after Brian Pallister's resignation as premier in September 2021. Stefanson had won the PC leadership on October 30, 2021, defeating Shelly Glover by just 363 votes, becoming Manitoba's first female premier. The PCs had won 36 seats in 2019, though one seat was vacant at dissolution, leaving them with 35.

Voter turnout was 55%, with 489,208 of 884,864 registered voters casting ballots. A record 200,790 Manitobans voted in advance polls, nearly double the approximately 112,814 advance ballots cast in 2019.

Results

The NDP won a decisive majority with 34 seats, a gain of 16 from their 2019 result of 18. The PCs were reduced to 22 seats, while the Liberals dropped from three seats to one. The NDP captured roughly 45.6% of the popular vote compared to 41.7% for the PCs and 10.7% for the Liberals. Despite the relatively narrow 3.9-point gap in popular vote, the NDP's efficient vote distribution delivered a commanding 12-seat majority.

The NDP swept nearly every seat in Winnipeg, with PC losses concentrated in the capital's suburban ridings. Eight PC cabinet ministers lost their seats, including Health Minister Audrey Gordon in Southdale, Rochelle Squires in Riel, Janice Morley-Lecomte in Seine River, James Teitsma in Radisson, and Environment Minister Kevin Klein in Kirkfield Park. The PCs retained their traditional rural and southern Manitoba strongholds but were virtually shut out of Winnipeg.

Party Leaders

Wab Kinew (NDP) became premier-designate after leading the NDP to its first majority government since 2011. Born December 31, 1981, in Kenora, Ontario, Kinew is Anishinaabe from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation. He earned a degree in economics at the University of Manitoba before building a multifaceted public career. As a hip-hop musician with the groups Dead Indians and Slangblossom, he released the solo album Live by the Drum in 2009. He went on to become a prominent CBC broadcaster, hosting the documentary series 8th Fire in 2012 and the arts show The 204. His bestselling 2015 memoir The Reason You Walk chronicled his relationship with his father, Tobasonakwut Kinew, a residential school survivor and former regional chief. He later served as Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Relations at the University of Winnipeg. Kinew won the NDP leadership on September 16, 2017, and was re-elected in his Fort Rouge riding. He was sworn in as premier on October 18, 2023, making history as the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province and Manitoba's first Indigenous premier since Métis Premier John Norquay, who served from 1878 to 1887.

Heather Stefanson (PC) fought to hold onto power after less than two years as premier. Born May 11, 1970, in Winnipeg, she attended St. John's-Ravenscourt School and earned a political science degree from the University of Western Ontario. Stefanson worked as a special assistant in the Prime Minister's Office under Brian Mulroney before returning to Manitoba and entering financial services as an investment adviser. She won the Tuxedo by-election in 2000 and held the seat for over two decades. Her campaign centred on affordability, pledging a $200-million Carbon Tax Relief Fund, PST removal from restaurant meals, and payroll tax elimination. On election night, Stefanson barely survived in historically safe Tuxedo, winning by just 263 votes over NDP challenger Larissa Ashdown. She announced her resignation as PC leader in her concession speech.

Dougald Lamont (Liberal) entered the election hoping to build on the party's three-seat caucus. Born April 23, 1969, in Winnipeg, Lamont earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature from the University of Manitoba. He spent over 25 years as a writer, policy analyst, and communications specialist, running a digital advertising agency and teaching at the University of Winnipeg. He won the Liberal leadership on October 21, 2017, on the second ballot by just 8 votes over Cindy Lamoureux, and entered the legislature through a July 2018 by-election in St. Boniface. On election night, Lamont lost St. Boniface to NDP candidate Robert Loiselle and stepped down as leader. The sole surviving Liberal MLA, Cindy Lamoureux in Tyndall Park, was later named interim leader.

Campaign Issues

Health care dominated the campaign. The PCs had closed three of Winnipeg's six emergency departments beginning in 2017, converting Victoria General, Concordia, and Seven Oaks General hospitals to urgent care centres. Median ER wait times had roughly doubled since the consolidation, and hundreds of nursing positions had been eliminated. The NDP pledged to reopen the three closed ERs, recruit over 300 nurses for Winnipeg, hire 400 additional physicians, and build a new ER at Eriksdale hospital.

Cost of living was a close second. The PCs proposed a $87-million Family Affordability Package, payroll tax cuts, and PST removal from restaurant meals. The NDP promised increased rental housing tax credits and elimination of PST on new rental construction. Manitoba's minimum wage had just risen to $15.30 per hour on October 1, though it remained well below the estimated $18.34 living wage.

The search of the Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of murdered Indigenous women Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran became a defining issue. The NDP committed to funding the search, while the PCs explicitly opposed it, citing worker safety and cost concerns. The issue became a flashpoint on reconciliation and Indigenous relations.

Crime and public safety also featured prominently, with both parties pledging new resources. The NDP promised 100 mental health workers to work alongside law enforcement and a comprehensive youth crime strategy.

Notable Outcomes

Wab Kinew's election as premier was the most historic outcome, making him the first First Nations person to lead a Canadian province. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs described the result as opening a new chapter for First Nations in Manitoba.

The Liberal Party experienced a near-total collapse. In addition to leader Lamont's defeat in St. Boniface, longtime MLA Jon Gerrard lost River Heights to NDP candidate Mike Moroz after holding the riding for 24 years. Only Cindy Lamoureux survived in Tyndall Park.

The NDP also captured Fort Richmond, Kildonan-River East, and several other suburban Winnipeg ridings that had been PC strongholds, signalling a dramatic urban realignment that left the PCs as an almost exclusively rural party.