Tories steal Elmwood-Transcona from rookie New Democrat

Colin Reynolds took a second shot — and scored.

The Conservative was declared the MP for Elmwood–Transcona Monday, swiping the seat from the NDP, which held it for the past decade.

Reynolds had 44 per cent of the vote at the time he was crowned victor. The outcome is a reversal of last September’s fortunes, when New Democrat Leila Dance squeezed past Reynolds in a byelection triggered by the resignation of MP Daniel Blaikie.

At that time, Reynolds lost by 1,182 votes.

He didn’t make himself available for an interview, nor did he reveal his party’s headquarters with members of the media Monday. Trucks labelled with his campaign signs took to the streets earlier in the day.

The new MP has shared online that he’s a construction electrician and union member.

Lawn signs for both Reynolds and Dance peppered residents’ front yards.

“I don’t think the Liberals and NDP have really done well for Canada in the last few years, so maybe we need a change,” Shawntel Genaille said shortly before voting Conservative, a pivot from her previous Liberal picks.

She cited local drug and crime issues, and Canada’s debt, as her reason for switching from red to blue.

The September byelection, although a reinstatement of NDP power, increased the Tory vote from Blaikie’s re-election in 2019, when he received roughly 3,500 more votes than the second-place candidate at the time.

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The last Tory to hold the city’s easternmost riding was Lawrence Toet, who was MP from 2011 to 2015 before losing to Blaikie. The area typically leans orange.

However, Elmwood-Transcona’s boundaries changed in 2022. Rural areas, such as Dugald, were pulled in; some Winnipeg residents were redirected to Kildonan-St. Paul. The redistribution likely increased the Tory count, said Winnipeg city Coun. Ross Eadie, a supporter at Dance’s party Monday.

“I know this isn’t the result we were hoping for across Canada, but we’re going to come back bigger and stronger next time,” Dance said in a tearful speech Monday night. “Canadians need New Democrats at the table.”

Ian MacIntyre, the Liberal candidate, took 21 per cent of the vote. Both Nicolas Geddert of the Green Party and People’s Party of Canada nominee Collin Watson drew less than one per cent.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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.