Judy Klassen is a Canadian provincial politician, who was interim leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party,[1] from October 2016 to June 2017, succeeding Rana Bokhari. Klassen was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for the riding of Keewatinook (then spelled Kewatinook) in the 2016 provincial election. She defeated incumbent New Democratic Party (NDP) MLA and Deputy Premier Eric Robinson in a closely contested race.[2]

Judy Klassen
Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party
Interim
In office
21 October 2016 – 13 June 2017
Preceded byRana Bokhari
Succeeded byDougald Lamont
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Keewatinook
In office
19 April 2016 – 12 August 2019
Preceded byEric Robinson
Succeeded byIan Bushie
Personal details
NationalityCanadian
Political partyLiberal

In April 2019, Klassen announced she would not be seeking re-election in Keewatinook, instead seeking the federal Liberal nomination for the riding of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in the 2019 federal election.[3] In July 2019, Klassen was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate.[4] Her provincial riding covered much of the eastern portion of the federal riding. However, she lost by an over two-to-one margin to incumbent Niki Ashton of the NDP.

Klassen grew up in St. Theresa Point First Nation and has a business studies diploma from Red River College in Steinbach.[5]

Electoral history

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2019 Canadian federal election

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2019 Canadian federal election: Churchill—Keewatinook Aski
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Niki Ashton 11,919 50.3
Liberal Judy Klassen 5,616 23.7
Conservative Cyara Bird 4,714 19.9
Green Ralph McLean 1,144 4.8
People's Ken Klyne 294 1.2
Total valid votes/Expense limit 23,687 100.0
Total rejected ballots 190
Turnout 23,877 48.8
Eligible voters 48,949
Source: Elections Canada[6][7]

2016 Manitoba general election

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2016 Manitoba general election: Keewatinook
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Judy Klassen 1,565 49.73 48.36 $30,958.72
New Democratic Eric Robinson 1,207 38.35 -18.79 $34,619.23
Progressive Conservative Edna Nabess 375 11.92 -26.94 $24,449.08
Total valid votes 3,147
Rejected 135
Eligible voters / turnout 13,500 24.31 -11.37
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing +33.42
Source(s)
Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (2016). Statement of Votes for the 41st Provincial General Election, April 19, 2016 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba."Candidates: 41st General Election". Elections Manitoba. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.

References

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  1. ^ Judy Klassen is Manitoba Liberals' 1st Indigenous leader. Archived 4 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine CBC News, 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Manitoba election results - Kewatinook". Global News. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. ^ Schroeder, Lara (11 April 2019). "MLA Judy Klassen sets sights on federal seat, saying 'proper representation' would save lives". CBC News. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Liberal MLA acclaimed as federal Liberal candidate in Churchill-Keewatinook Aski riding". Thompson Citizen. 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Home". judyklassen.liberal.ca.
  6. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
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