Kirkfield Park byelection sees candidates focused on health care trying to unseat Tories

The byelection in Kirkfield Park won't herald the outcome of next year's provincial election by itself, but a victory for the Progressive Conservatives could prove hope is not lost for the sitting government, while a defeat may signal that health-care woes are costing them votes.

The west Winnipeg constituency, which was previously represented by PC cabinet minister Scott Fielding, has historically voted for Tories, but recent opinion polls suggest the government's fortunes are still lagging in Winnipeg.

Under those circumstances, the PCs have selected the high-profile Kevin Klein, a former city councillor who recently placed third in Winnipeg's mayoral election.

He says he won't be afraid to challenge his party if that's what best serves his constituents — a rare position in partisan politics where candidates are expected to toe the party line.

Royce Koop, a University of Manitoba political studies professor, says the gamble could pay off.

"Given how unpopular the Tories are in Winnipeg, I don't think this Klein strategy of saying he's willing to get into fights with [Premier] Heather Stefanson is a bad strategy, to be honest," he said.

The Tories are trying to hold on to the riding, which Fielding — who retired in June — won with just over half the votes cast in 2019. The NDP took 25.6 per cent of the vote, the Liberals got 15.7 per cent support and the Greens earned 8.3 per cent.

Klein faces two challengers — the NDP's Logan Oxenham, a corrections officer, and nurse Rhonda Nichol for the Liberals — who are focusing their campaigns on health care, blaming the Tories for the long waits and staffing shortages ailing Grace Hospital, which is in the riding.

Dennis Bayomi rounds out the field as the Green Party's candidate in Kirkfield Park.

Other factors that may play into the outcome of the Dec. 13 byelection include allegations of mudslinging over Klein's ties to a disgraced fashion mogul, the NDP's pleas for strategic voting, and a winter date that may stifle voter turnout.

As the city councillor for much of the riding from 2018 to 2022, Klein wasn't afraid to be outspoken when he opposed decisions.

He said he'll do the same if elected as MLA. He'll express his reservations behind closed doors first, but will speak publicly if he's exhausted other options. 

"If you're not getting the answers or we're not having those discussions — which I don't think are going to happen — then of course you would share them publicly," Klein said, stressing it is the people of Kirkfield Park he'd work for, not the PC Party. 

In a recent Facebook post, Klein told voters, "I will fight for you if it is with [NDP Leader] Wab Kinew or even Heather Stefanson," which prompted Kinew to allege the PCs are distracted by infighting.