Health advocate to run for NDP in Liberal stronghold

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This article was published 29/01/2025 (274 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Health-care advocate Thomas Linner is seeking to become the first NDP MP in the St. Boniface-St. Vital seat, which is soon to be vacated by Liberal MP Dan Vandal.

The 47-year-old Linner, who is married to NDP advanced education and training minister Renée Cable and is the father of two children, was acclaimed as the federal candidate at a recent meeting.

Linner, who lives in Windsor Park, is currently the interim executive director of the Manitoba Federation of Labour’s Occupational Health Centre and the former director of the Manitoba Health Coalition. He sits on the board of directors of the Heartwood Healing Centre, a non-profit group that helps adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

“Public health care is critically important to me,” said Linner on Wednesday.

“Canadians want to see public health care protected and they also want to see these services improved… a lot of the problems in health care came from cuts made by (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper and the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau has followed in this path.”

In a statement, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he is proud that Linner, a longtime defender of the country’s universal health care system, is running as a candidate for his party.

“He’s beaten Conservative plans to privatize health care for profit in Manitoba before, and he will bring that fight to Ottawa to ensure everyone can access health care when and where they need it with their health card, not their credit card,” said Singh.

Vandal was elected to the House of Commons in late 2015. He announced in October that he would not seek re-election and was shuffled out of cabinet in December.

Both the Liberals and Conservative parties have not announced candidates yet.

Linner was born and raised in Saskatchewan and came here to work in the governments of Gary Doer and Greg Selinger. He has also worked for the leader of the NDP opposition in Saskatchewan.

Linner said until now he never considered taking a shot at politics himself. He said he realizes he is in for a tough battle.

In the last nine elections, the NDP has come in third in the riding, with the 1997 election being the lone time it came in second, squeaking just five votes ahead of the Reform Party candidate.

The riding itself is, for the most part, a Liberal stronghold with the party losing to the Tories only five times in 29 previous elections.

“It is going to be an uphill battle,” said Linner on Wednesday. “I know that and I am ready for the work.

“But, if you look, all of the provincial ridings in St. Boniface and St. Vital are held by the NDP provincially. And the Probe polls in the last year show the NDP are leading the Liberals in Winnipeg.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca