With Manitoba poised to make election history, front-runners contend with sexism, racism – CBC

Sep 15, 2023

Province expected to elect either a woman or a First Nations person as premier for the 1st time on Oct. 3

While Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson already became Manitoba’s first female premier when she won her party’s leadership race in 2021, a victory for her party on Oct. 3 would make her the first woman to ever win the role in a general election.

Meanwhile, if NDP Leader Wab Kinew wins, he would become the only First Nations person to ever hold the title of premier in Manitoba.

With polls suggesting the two leading parties are tied in popularity, all eyes are now on their leaders — a level of scrutiny that’s heightened because neither candidate is what people may think of as a stereotypical politician, says an expert who studies perceptions of politicians who belong to marginalized groups.

Joanie Bouchard, an assistant professor at Quebec’s Sherbrooke University, said those kinds of leaders often become representative of their identities, whether they want to or not.