Manitoba voters elected a record number of women in Wednesday's municipal elections, according to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, raising the proportion of women among elected municipal officials to almost one-quarter across the province.
Of the 339 women who sought municipal office, 213 were elected. The result represents an increase from 2022, when women accounted for about 20 per cent of elected municipal officials. The association described the outcome as a new provincial record.
The figures put Manitoba's local governments at the centre of a continuing shift in who holds elected office. Municipal councils make decisions that affect residents' day-to-day lives, including local services and community priorities. The election results show more women will now have a direct role in those decisions across communities of varying sizes.
A record result across the province
Kathy Valentino, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and a Thompson city councillor, welcomed the outcome. She credited efforts to encourage more women to seek office, including work connected to the Her Seat at the Table initiative.
“The highest number of women elected in Manitoba history. I'm very, very proud of all the women who put their names forward and got elected.”
Valentino said the association's support for the initiative was part of a broader effort to persuade women to put their names forward. Her comments also pointed to the work that remains after election day: maintaining interest in municipal politics and encouraging candidates to participate in the next election cycle.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Women who ran | 339 |
| Women elected | 213 |
| Share of elected municipal officials | Nearly 25 per cent |
| Share in 2022 | 20 per cent |
Winnipeg reaches its own milestone
Winnipeg also recorded its strongest representation of women on council since the city's amalgamation in 1972. Seven of the 15 council seats will be held by women, according to the election results.
The Winnipeg figure is part of the broader provincial result, but it carries particular significance because the city is Manitoba's largest municipality and its council oversees decisions affecting a large and diverse urban population. The seven women elected will join a council whose composition has not reached that level of female representation since the Unicity structure was created.
Recruitment efforts helped build interest
Tracy Baker, a certified financial planner in Brandon and co-founder of Her Seat at the Table, said she was pleased with both the number of women who ran and the number who won. Baker launched the initiative last year with information sessions and panel discussions.
The initiative was designed to provide information for women considering municipal office and to help address questions that can arise before entering a campaign. Its work formed part of the organized encouragement that preceded this year's vote, alongside the municipal association's efforts.
- 339 women were candidates in Manitoba's municipal elections.
- 213 women won their races.
- Women now represent almost 25 per cent of elected municipal officials, compared with 20 per cent in 2022.
- Women will hold seven of Winnipeg's 15 council seats.
Baker said the initiative would continue working to attract more women to municipal politics four years from now. That timeline reflects the next municipal election cycle referenced by Valentino and Baker, and suggests organizers are already treating this result as a step rather than a final destination.
Representation and the next term
The election numbers provide a clear measure of increased participation, but they do not by themselves describe the experiences or priorities of every newly elected councillor. Each municipal government will now begin its own term with its local mandate and responsibilities. The elected women will bring their individual backgrounds and campaign commitments to those councils.
For advocates of greater participation, the results offer evidence that recruitment and information-sharing can translate into more candidates and more elected officials. The increase from 20 per cent in 2022 to nearly 25 per cent this year is a measurable change, while the record in Winnipeg gives the provincial trend a prominent urban example.
The immediate challenge for groups such as Her Seat at the Table and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities will be sustaining that interest between elections. Valentino said the work to ensure women are represented at the municipal table must begin again well before the next vote.
For Manitoba communities, the new councils will provide the first test of how the expanded representation shapes local deliberations. The election has established the number; the coming term will show how those elected officials use their mandates in the municipalities they now serve.
