Spruce Woods rematch all set

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/08/2025 (235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Wednesday, a debate between the three candidates for the vacant Spruce Woods seat was hosted in Souris by the Souris & Glenwood Chamber of Commerce. A crowd of approximately 150 filled the Avalon Theatre to hear and observe candidates Ray Berthelette (New Democratic Party), Stephen Reid (Liberal) and Colleen Robbins (Progressive Conservative) set out their respective views on a host of issues affecting the riding and province.

What the audience witnessed was a discussion that was likely more intense and confrontational than many of them expected, or are used to in that riding.

Since its creation in 2011, the Spruce Woods riding has always been represented by a Progressive Conservative MLA, who has always been elected by a huge majority of votes cast. That reality — the foregone conclusion that the Tory candidate would be easily elected — meant that the riding was never seriously contested by the other political parties.

In the 2023 provincial election, for example, PC candidate Grant Jackson received more than 61 per cent of votes cast, while the NDP candidate, Melissa Ghidoni, finished in second place with just 24 per cent of the votes. According to Elections Manitoba records, she spent just $168 on her campaign. In other words, it was a token campaign by the NDP, conducted with the expectation of losing by a large margin.

The current byelection campaign in Spruce Woods is an entirely different contest. The NDP believes it has a viable opportunity to win, and it shows in the far more aggressive manner in which they and their candidate, Berthelette, are campaigning.

With frequent visits to the riding by Premier Wab Kinew and NDP MLAs over the past several weeks, millions of dollars in spending commitments and hundreds of campaign signs throughout the riding, the NDP are loudly signalling that they are fighting to win the riding this time. That also explains the high-stakes tone at Wednesday’s debate in Souris.

Robbins claimed the NDP has “failed Manitobans in all of their election promises.” Pointing to issues such as health care, bail reform and the soaring cost of living, she argued that “The NDP like to talk a big game, but they failed to deliver.” She also accused the party of promising a bridge in the riding that had already been announced by the previous Tory government, and had already been completed before the NDP promise.

Berthelette fired back, arguing the NDP government was completing infrastructure projects that had been stalled for years under the Tories. He twice claimed that neither Robbins nor Reid would have the access to the premier, cabinet ministers and government staffers that he would have as an NDP MLA.

“When it comes to action in the back rooms” and making decisions, he said, “it’s not the opposition who does that. It’s the premier, and it’s the government.”

Reid on other hand, promised to be a “check and balance” who would make sure the government spends tax dollars “the right way.” He emphasized that “Manitobans deserve the same standard as people living inside the Perimeter,” and promised to fight as an MLA to make that a reality in Spruce Woods.

This was the first-ever debate for the three candidates, who are each rookies in the political game — and it showed. While the long Tory history of the riding suggests that Robbins should be regarded as the front-runner, both Robbins and Reid appear to be treating Berthelette as the incumbent. Berthelette, on the other hand, wasted far too much time and effort squabbling with Reid, when he should have directed his attention and arguments toward his true rival for the seat: Robbins.

The intensity of last Wednesday’s debate sets up an interesting rematch this coming Wednesday, when the three candidates will face each other in a debate hosted by the Brandon Sun and Brandon University. The event will occur in the village of Sprucewoods, at the Sprucewoods Community Hall (5 Woods Ave.) at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. For those who are unable to attend, the event will be recorded and re-broadcast on WCGtv in the following days.

Unlike the Souris debate, the candidates will not be given the questions in advance. The questions they will be asked will test their familiarity with issues in the province, and in the Spruce Woods riding in particular. The answers will give voters a sense of the candidates’ depth of knowledge, and perhaps also a sense of how they would perform as the MLA for Spruce Woods.

I will be a member of the debate panel, along with Brandon University professor Kelly Saunders and Brandon Sun reporter Alex Lambert. The debate will be moderated by Kerry Auriat. We encourage you to attend or, if you unable to do so, to watch a recording of the debate on WCGtv.