Kewatinook

For the similarly named territory formerly controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company, see Rupert's Land.

File:Kewatinook2011.jpg

The 2011- boundaries for Kewatinook highlighted in red

Kewatinook is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Starting with the 2011 election, the riding was renamed Kewatinook which means "from the north” in Cree.

It was created in 1916 from territories that were added to the province four years earlier, and has existed continuously since that time. It was originally named Rupertsland but its name was changed as part of the 2008 riding redistribution by the Manitoba Boundaries Commission that happens every few years.

Kewatinook is currently the largest riding in the province, a sprawling northern constituency which occupies most of the eastern half of Manitoba. It was a smaller constituency until 1989, when it gained a significant amount of territory from the former riding of Churchill.

The current Kewatinook riding stretches from the Ontario border in the southeast to the Nunavut border in the north; it is also bordered by Lac Du Bonnet to the south and Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson to the west. Churchill, Manitoba is the most significant community in this wide region.

For logistical reasons, elections in Kewatinook before 1966 were usually deferred until a later date than the rest of the province.

Kewatinook's population in 2006 was 15,560. In 1999, the average family income was $33,787 (the fourth-lowest in Manitoba), and the unemployment rate was 25%. Over 34% of the riding's population have less than a Grade 9 education, the highest such rate in the province. Government services account for 21% of the riding's industry, followed by education services at 17%.

Eighty-seven per cent of Kewatinook's residents are aboriginal, the highest percentage in the province. Over half the population list Cree as their mother tongue. In 1999, there was only a 1% immigrant population.

The New Democratic Party has represented this riding since 1969, and it is considered extremely safe for the party. The current MLA is Eric Robinson, who was re-elected in 2003 with over 86% of the vote—the highest percentage in the province.

List of provincial representatives

Name	Party	Took Office	Left Office
John Morrison	Independent	1916	1920
	Lib	1920	1922
Francis Black	Prog	1922	1927
Herbert Beresford	Independent Progressive	1927	1932
Ewan McPherson	Lib-Prog	1932	1936
Michael Rojeski	Lib/Non-Coalition	1936	1941
Daniel Hamilton	Lib-Prog	1941	1953
Roy Brown	Lib-Prog	1953	1958
Joseph Jeannotte	PC	1958	1969
Jean Allard	NDP	1969	1972
	Independent	1972	1973
Harvey Bostrom	NDP	1973	1981
Elijah Harper	NDP	1981	1992
Eric Robinson	NDP	1993	present

Electoral results

Manitoba general election, 2011
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	New Democratic	Eric Robinson	2,043	56.81	−1.40
	Progressive Conservative	Michael Birch	1,389	38.62	+2.87
	Green	Philip Green	94	2.61	–
	Liberal	Orville Woodford	49	1.36	−4.26
Total valid votes			3,574	99.39
Rejected and declined ballots			22
Turnout			3,596	35.68
Electors on the lists			10,081
	New Democratic hold		Swing		-

Manitoba general election, 2007: Rupertsland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Eric Robinson	2,092	58.21		$23,296.64
	Progressive Conservative	David Harper	1,285	35.75		$8,233.12
	Liberal	Earl Fontaine	202	5.62	–	$3,911.36
Total valid votes			3,579	99.58
Rejected and declined ballots			15
Turnout			3,594	33.34
Electors on the lists			10,780
	New Democratic hold		Swing		-

Source:Elections Manitoba

Manitoba general election, 1999: Rupertsland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Eric Robinson	2,007	58.94		$25,058.00
	Liberal	Darcy Wood	708	20.79	–	$28,387.14
	Progressive Conservative	Fred Harper	678	19.91		$31,774.52
Total valid votes			3,392	99.62
Rejected and declined ballots			12
Turnout			3,405	38.72
Electors on the lists			8,793

Previous boundaries

File:Rupertsland98.png

The 1998-2011 boundaries for Rupertsland highlighted in red