Swan River (electoral district)

Swan River is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1903, in what was then the northwestern corner of the province. Manitoba's borders expanded significantly in 1912, and Swan River is now located in the centre of the province, close to its western border with Saskatchewan. The division has seen several redistributions.

The riding is bordered to the north by The Pas, to the south by Dauphin-Roblin, to the east by Lake Winnipeg and to the west by the province of Saskatchewan. Lake Winnipegosis runs through the riding.

The community of Swan River is located in the riding's southwest corner. Other communities in the riding include Birch River, Ethelbert, Minitonas, Camperville and Winnipegosis.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,639. As of 1999, the average family income was $35,209, and the unemployment rate was 10.70%. Twenty-eight per cent of the riding's residents are listed as low income, and over 25% of the population has less than a Grade Nine education (the third-highest rate in the province).

Thirty-six per cent of the riding's residents are aboriginal, and 10% are Ukrainian. Agriculture accounts for 22% of Swan River's economy, followed by the health and service sector at 12%.

Swan River's political identity has undergone a significant change in recent years. It was represented by the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba continuously from 1932 to 1986, and was generally regarded as safe for the party during this period. Since then, however, it has been dominated by the NDP. The current MLA is Rosann Wowchuk, who was re-elected with over 60% of the vote in 2003.

List of provincial representatives

Name	Party	Took Office	Left Office
James Robson	Cons	1903	1910
Daniel D. McDonald	Lib	1910	1914
William Sims	Lib	1914	1920
Robert Emmond	Farmer	1920	1922
	Prog	1922	1927
Andrew McCleary	Prog	1927	1932
George Renouf	Cons/PC	1932	1958
Albert Corbett	PC	1958	1962
James Bilton	PC	1962	1977
Douglas Gourlay	PC	1977	1986
Leonard Harapiak	NDP	1986	1988
Parker Burrell	PC	1988	1990
Rosann Wowchuk	NDP	1990	"present"