NDP rookie defeats Tory cabinet minister Squires in Riel

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This article was published 03/10/2023 (790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NDP candidate Mike Moyes toppled Progressive Conservative families minister Rochelle Squires, turning Riel orange Tuesday.

Moyes, a teacher at Glenlawn Collegiate, was declared the winner of the south central Winnipeg riding just before 10 p.m., with 12 of 18 polls reporting.

He had secured nearly 5,000 votes. Squires had garnered around 3,400 votes and Liberal candidate LéAmber Kensley had more than 600 when the riding was called.

At the NDP central campaign party, Moyes said health care is his top priority, once he takes office, adding he’s looking forward to change after hearing “a lot of stories” from voters about long waits to get appropriate care.

“Ultimately, it’s not about me, it’s about the people of Riel,” he said.

Squires watched the results at home with her family, and was not immediately available for comment.

At the PC campaign headquarters in the former Celebrations Dinner Theatre, cheers rang out as Tory candidates were declared winners in their respective ridings.

There was no reaction when the huge TV screen showed Squires losing in Riel.

Moyes, a first-time MLA designate, lives in Riel and serves on the board of directors of the Greendell Park Community Centre and Bishop Grandin Greenway.

According to his campaign website profile, Moyes “will ensure families and seniors in Riel can get the health care they need, the supports they require, and a life they can afford.”

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Squires first captured the seat in 2016, and then again in 2019 (defeating Moyes by about 1,000 votes).

Squires had served as a cabinet minister since 2016, most recently in families. Prior to entering politics, she was a journalist and political staffer at the federal and provincial levels.

The electoral district of Riel has a population of 22,610, the median age is 44.4 and a median household income of $90,000, according to Elections Manitoba.

The scene that played out in Riel — a PC incumbent losing their seat to an NDP candidate — was replicated across Manitoba on election night.

katrina.clarke@freepress.mb.ca

Katrina Clarke
Investigative reporter

Katrina Clarke is an investigative reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press. Katrina holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Queen’s University and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University. She has worked at newspapers across Canada, including the National Post and the Toronto Star. She joined the Free Press in 2022. Read more about Katrina.

Every piece of reporting Katrina produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.