St. Boniface (provincial electoral district)

St. Boniface is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It should not be confused with the federal electoral division of the same name, which includes most of the provincial riding's territory but has expanded borders and a larger population base. The riding has existed, in one form or another, since the province's creation.

In Manitoba's first general election (1870), the riding was divided into St. Boniface East and St. Boniface West. It became a single constituency in 1874, and has existed continuously since then.

The riding elected two members by preferential balloting in 1949 and 1953. On all other occasions, it has been a single-member constituency.

St. Boniface is located in the central-eastern Winnipeg. Its boundaries roughly correspond with the historical community of St. Boniface, Manitoba, which was a distinct civic jurisdiction before being amalgamated with the City of Winnipeg in 1971.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,646. The average family income in 1999 was $45,193, with an unemployment rate of 10.50%. The service sector accounts for 18% of the riding's industry, with a further 15% in health and social services.

St. Boniface has historically been home to the largest francophone community in the Winnipeg area. According to a 1999 census, 34% of the riding's residents speak French as their first language -- the highest rate in the province. The riding's aboriginal population is 8%, and almost 19% of the population is over 65 years of age.

For many years after the introduction of partisan politics in 1882, St. Boniface was a hotly-contested battleground riding between the provincial Liberals and Conservatives (although candidates of the parliamentary left were also elected in the 1930s and 1940s). During the 1950s and 1960s, it was generally regarded as a safe seat for the Liberals.

In 1969, St. Boniface MLA Laurent Desjardins decided to sit as a "Liberal Democrat", supporting the New Democratic Party government of Edward Schreyer. He formally joined the NDP in 1971, and (aside from an overturned election result in 1973), continued to represent the area until 1988.

The provincial Liberals recaptured the seat in 1988, during a period of resurgence for that party in the province. After Neil Gaudry's death in 1999, the seat was again won by the New Democrats.

In 2003, NDP MLA Greg Selinger was re-elected with about 75% of the popular vote.

List of Provincial Representatives

t. Boniface East (1870-1874)

t. Boniface (two-member riding, 1949-1958)

t. Boniface (single-member riding, 1958-)