St. Boniface is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It should not be confused with the federal electoral division of the same name, which includes most of the provincial riding's territory but has expanded boundaries and a larger population base. The riding has existed, in one form or another, since the province's creation. In Manitoba's first general election, the riding was divided into St. Boniface East and St. Boniface West. It became a single constituency in 1874, and has existed continuously since then. The riding elected two members by preferential balloting in 1949 and 1953. On all other occasions, it has been a single-member constituency. St. Boniface is located in the central-eastern Winnipeg. Its boundaries roughly correspond with the historical community of Saint Boniface, Manitoba, which was a distinct civic jurisdiction before being amalgamated with the City of Winnipeg in 1971. The riding's population in 1996 was 19,646. The average family incomein 1999 was $45,193, with an unemployment rate of 10.50%. The service sector accounts for 18% of the riding's industry, with a further 15% in health and social services. St. Boniface has historically been home to the largest francophone community in the Winnipeg area. According to a 1999 census, 34% of the riding's residents speak French as their first language—the highest rate in the province. The riding's aboriginal population is 8%, and almost 19% of the population is over 65 years of age. For many years after the introduction of partisan politics in 1882, St. Boniface was a hotly contested battleground riding between the provincial Liberals and Conservatives. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was generally regarded as a safe seat for the Liberals. In 1969, St. Boniface MLA Laurent Desjardins decided to sit as a Liberal Democrat, supporting the New Democratic Party government of Edward Schreyer. He formally joined the NDP in 1971, and aside from an overturned election result in 1973, continued to represent the area until 1988. The provincial Liberals recaptured the seat in 1988, during a period of resurgence for that party in the province. After Neil Gaudry's death in 1999, Greg Selinger recaptured the seat for the NDP. He was reelected in 2003 with about 75 percent of the popular vote, and was named premier of Manitoba in 2009. Selinger left politics two years after the NDP was heavily defeated at the 2016 provincial election, and newly elected Liberal leaderDougald Lamont won the seat at the ensuing by-election.
