Voters in the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski have re-elected NDP incumbent Niki Ashton.
The riding has the highest percentage of Indigenous people in Canada, at 61 per cent, as well as the highest percentage of Cree speakers. Aside from a 20-year stretch that ended in the 1970s, Churchill-Keewatinook Aski has been represented mainly by the NDP, with two short terms by notable Liberal MPs – Elijah Harper and Tina Keeper – in the ’90s and early 2000s.
Candidates
Liberals: Judy Klassen
Conservatives: Cyara Bird
NDP: Niki Ashton
Green: Ralph McLean
PPC: Kenneth M. Klyne
Geography
The riding covers a massive amount of territory with a relatively small population. Churchill-Keewatinook Aski makes up the northern four-fifths of the province, much of which is wilderness. It’s the fifth-largest riding in Canada.
History
The riding was originally created in 1933, when the riding of Nelson was abolished. The name was changed from Churchill to Churchill-Keewatinook Aski during the 2012 electoral redistribution.
Niki Ashton has represented the riding for the NDP since 2008, narrowly winning the 2015 election with 45 per cent of the vote to Liberal opponent Rebecca Chartrand’s 42 per cent.