Manitoba election deepens urban-rural divide

Oct 06, 2023

Manitoba’s urban-rural divide worsened Tuesday as the provincial election results provided the soon-to-govern NDP with only a couple of farming-related seats while taking away most of the Progressive Conservatives’ Winnipeg territory.

In a campaign in which agriculture and rural issues seldom grabbed attention, general issues such as health care, government services and crime were most prominent.

Premier-designate Wab Kinew recognized the gulf between Manitoba’s urban and rural populations in his victory speech.

“To people in rural Manitoba who haven’t voted for us yet, I would ask you to keep an open mind. If our team delivers, if after a few years we have improved your health care and we have made your life a bit more affordable, I would humbly ask that in four years time you send more people from your communities to sit with our team in the Manitoba legislature,” said Kinew.

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Video: How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Dr. Jill J. McCluskey, Regents Professor at Washington State University and Director of the School of Economic Science

Dr. McCluskey documents that women entered agricultural economics in significant numbers starting in the 1980s, and their ranks have increased over time. She argues that women have increased the relevance in the field of agricultural economics through their diverse interests, perspectives, and experiences. In their research, women have expanded the field's treatment of non-traditional topics such as food safety and nutrition and environmental and natural resource economics. In this sense, women saved the Agricultural Economics profession from a future as a specialty narrowly focused on agricultural production and markets. McCluskey will go on to discuss some of her own story and how it has shaped some of her thinking and research. She will present her research on dual-career couples in academia, promotional achievement of women in both Economics and Agricultural Economics, and work-life support programs.

The Daryl F. Kraft Lecture is arranged by the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, with the support of the Solomon Sinclair Farm Management Institute, and in cooperation with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.