Swan River is a provincial electoral district of Manitoba, Canada. 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. In 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 for all but one term from 1932 to 1988, and was generally regarded as safe for the party during this period. The current MLA is Rick Wowchuk, who was elected in 2016, returning the seat to the Tories for the first time since 1990.
Members of the Legislative Assembly This riding has elected the following MLAs:
Parliament Years Member Party 8th 1903–1907 James Robson Conservative 9th 1907–1910 10th 1910–1914 Daniel D. McDonald Liberal 11th 1914–1915 William Sims Liberal 12th 1915–1920 13th 1920–1922 Robert Emmond Farmer 14th 1922–1927 Progressive 15th 1927–1932 Andrew McCleary Progressive 16th 1932–1936 George Renouf Progressive Conservative 17th 1936–1941 18th 1941–1945 19th 1945–1949 20th 1949–1953 21st 1953–1958 22nd 1958–1959 Albert Corbett Progressive Conservative 23rd 1959–1962 24th 1962–1966 James Bilton Progressive Conservative 25th 1966–1969 26th 1969–1973 27th 1973–1977 28th 1977–1981 Douglas Gourlay Progressive Conservative 29th 1981–1986 30th 1986–1988 Len Harapiak New Democratic Party 31st 1988–1990 Parker Burrell Progressive Conservative 32nd 1990–1995 Rosann Wowchuk New Democratic Party 33rd 1995–1999 34th 1999–2003 35th 2003–2007 36th 2007–2011 37th 2011–2016 Ron Kostyshyn New Democratic Party 38th 2016–2019 Rick Wowchuk Progressive Conservative 39th 2019-
Electoral results
1903
1907
1910
1914
1915
1920
1922
1927
1932
1936
1941
1945
1949
1953
1958
1959
1962
1966
1969
1973
1977
1981
1986
1988
1990
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2016
2019
2023
Previous boundaries
See also List of Manitoba provincial electoral districts Canadian provincial electoral districts
References