Manitoba premier says he recently considered early election, could still happen

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew isn’t ruling out an early election and says he recently contemplated calling an early vote when legislation to detain highly intoxicated people longer looked like it might not pass into law quickly.

“I was pretty close on Bill 48 when the (Progressive Conservatives) were playing games,” Kinew told reporters Thursday.

“If they mess around with your public safety or your health care, yeah, I could see a scenario where we just go to the people and say, ‘You tell us. Do you guys want politicians to play games? Or do you want us to focus on what matters, which is health care and affordability?'”

Kinew’s comments came just a few days after the governing NDP’s annual convention, where he told delegates to prepare for the next provincial election. The party has already picked a campaign manager — Mark Rosner, Kinew’s chief of staff — and has nominated its first candidate.

The NDP was elected Oct. 3, 2023, and it’s a little over halfway to the next scheduled election on Oct. 5, 2027.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have denied NDP accusations they were playing games and holding up the legislation allowing highly intoxicated people to be detained for up to 72 hours. It was introduced in October and the NDP managed to get it passed before the end of the legislature session last week.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said Kinew is the one playing games.

“The premier needs to stop playing political games and be honest with Manitobans,” Khan said in a statement. “We have fixed election dates in Manitoba, and if the premier is going to operate outside those dates, he needs to come clean with Manitobans.”

The Tories tried to change the bill and put forward amendments, including keeping detention sites at least 500 metres away from schools, child-care centres and seniors homes. But their amendments were voted down by the NDP majority. The government said a 500-metre buffer zone was unworkable and would force an existing 24-hour detention centre to close.

The government is preparing to open its first 72-hour detention centre in central Winnipeg in the coming weeks. The extra detention time, up from the previous 24-hour limit, is aimed at people high on methamphetamines and other long-lasting drugs.

The New Democrats have shown signs of electoral strength since the last election, which saw them win 34 of the 57 legislature seats.

Recent opinion polls suggest support for the NDP has grown. The party has also had strong showings in byelections, taking a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold last year in the Tuxedo constituency in Winnipeg and finishing 70 votes shy of winning another seat in the Spruce Woods constituency.

The New Democrats have also been raising a lot more money than the Tories. They garnered more than $1.8 million in contributions and fundraising in 2024 — roughly triple the amount of the Tories.

Kinew told delegates at last weekend’s convention the trend has continued, with the NDP raising $625,000 in a three-month period around the recent Spruce Woods byelection.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2025.