Manitoba election deepens urban-rural divide

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.

Higher diesel and fertilizer prices are squeezing farm profit margins ahead of the midterm elections. Farmers in Iowa and Kansas discuss rising harvest costs, the war in Iran and whether those pressures will change their votes. Peter Tubbs reports on the debate over farm input costs and the differing political responses across the Corn Belt.