St. Boniface (provincial electoral district)

The 2011+ boundaries for St. Boniface highlighted in red.

St. Boniface is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It should not be confused with the federal electoral division of the same name, which includes most of the provincial riding's territory but has expanded boundaries and a larger population base. The riding has existed, in one form or another, since the province's creation.

In Manitoba's first general election (1870), the riding was divided into St. Boniface East and St. Boniface West. It became a single constituency in 1874, and has existed continuously since then.

The riding elected two members by preferential balloting in 1949 and 1953. On all other occasions, it has been a single-member constituency.

St. Boniface is located in the central-eastern Winnipeg. Its boundaries roughly correspond with the historical community of St. Boniface, Manitoba, which was a distinct civic jurisdiction before being amalgamated with the City of Winnipeg in 1971.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,646. The average family income in 1999 was $45,193, with an unemployment rate of 10.50%. The service sector accounts for 18% of the riding's industry, with a further 15% in health and social services.

St. Boniface has historically been home to the largest francophone community in the Winnipeg area. According to a 1999 census, 34% of the riding's residents speak French as their first language—the highest rate in the province. The riding's aboriginal population is 8%, and almost 19% of the population is over 65 years of age.

For many years after the introduction of partisan politics in 1882, St. Boniface was a hotly contested battleground riding between the provincial Liberals and Conservatives (although candidates of the parliamentary left were also elected in the 1930s and 1940s). During the 1950s and 1960s, it was generally regarded as a safe seat for the Liberals.

In 1969, St. Boniface MLA Laurent Desjardins decided to sit as a Liberal Democrat, supporting the New Democratic Party government of Edward Schreyer. He formally joined the NDP in 1971, and aside from an overturned election result in 1973, continued to represent the area until 1988.

The provincial Liberals recaptured the seat in 1988, during a period of resurgence for that party in the province. After Neil Gaudry's death in 1999, Greg Selinger recaptured the seat for the NDP. He was reelected in 2003 with about 75 percent of the popular vote, and was named premier of Manitoba in 2009.

Members of the Legislative Assembly

St. Boniface East (1870-1874)

Name Party Took Office Left Office
Marc-Amable Girard Governing Coalition/Cons 1870 1874

St. Boniface West (1870-1874)

Name Party Took Office Left Office
Louis Schmidt Governing Coalition/Cons 1870 1874

St. Boniface (single-member riding, 1874-1949)

Name Party Took Office Left Office
Marc-Amable Girard Governing Coalition/Cons 1874 1878
Alphonse LaRiviere Governing Coalition/Lib-Cons 1878 1888
Roger Marion Cons 1888 1892
James Prendergast Cons-Lib, then Lib 1892 1896
Jean-B. Lauzon Cons 1897 1899
S.A.D. Bertrand Lib 1899 1900
Joseph Bernier Cons 1900 1903
Horace Chevrier Lib 1903 1907
Joseph Bernier Cons 1907 1915
Joseph Dumas Lib 1915 1920
Joseph Bernier Independent 1920 1926
Cons 1927 1932
Harold Lawrence ILP 1932 1941
Austin Clarke Lib-Prog 1941 1945
Edwin Hansford CCF 1945 1949

St. Boniface (two-member riding, 1949-1958)

Name Party Took Office Left Office
Joseph Van Belleghem Lib-Prog 1949 1953
Edwin Hansford CCF 1949 1953
Roger Teillet Lib-Prog 1953 1958
L. Raymond Fennell Lib-Prog 1953 1958

St. Boniface (single-member riding, 1958-)

Name Party Took Office Left Office
Roger Teillet Lib-Prog 1958 1959
Laurent Desjardins Lib-Prog 1959 1961
Lib 1961 1969
Liberal-Democrat 1969 1971
NDP 1971 1973
J. Paul Marion Lib 1973 1974
Laurent Desjardins NDP 1974 1988
Neil Gaudry Lib 1988 1999
Greg Selinger NDP 1999 present

Electoral results

Manitoba general election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
New DemocraticGreg Selinger 5,941 68.88 +2.53
Progressive ConservativeFrank Clark 1,537 17.82 +4.94
LiberalBrad Gross 606 7.03 −6.58
GreenAlain Landry 530 6.14 −0.74
Total valid votes 8,587
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 8,62559.50
Electors on the lists 14.496
Manitoba general election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger 5,090 66.04 −8.3 $16,599.60
LiberalGilbert Laberge 1,049 13.61 0.82 $3,582.87
     Progressive Conservative Jennifer Tarrant 993 12.88 1.65 $722.42
GreenAlain Landry 530 6.88 6.88 $378.57
CommunistThane-Dominic Carr 45 0.58 0.58 $373.97
Total valid votes 7,707 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 7,745 59.56
Electors on the lists 13,004
Manitoba general election, 2003
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger 4,904 74.34
LiberalDougald Lamont 952 14.43
     Progressive Conservative Dan Zahari 741 11.23
Total valid votes 6597 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 38
Turnout 6635 52.19
Electors on the lists 12,712
Manitoba general election, 1999
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
New DemocraticGreg Selinger 5,439 56.57
LiberalJean-Paul Boily 2,994 31.14
     Progressive Conservative Robert Olson 1,181 12.28
Total valid votes 9614 100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 63
Turnout 9677 74.35
Electors on the lists 13,015

Previous boundaries

The 1999-2011 boundaries for St. Boniface highlighted in red

References

    Coordinates: 49°53′10″N 97°06′11″W / 49.886°N 97.103°W / 49.886; -97.103

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