Churchill--Keewatinook Aski

Churchill--Keewatinook Aski covers the northern four-fifths of Manitoba — more than 420,000 square kilometres of boreal forest, tundra, lakes, and Hudson Bay coastline, making it the fifth-largest federal riding in Canada. The name pairs the town of Churchill with the Cree phrase "Keewatinook Aski," meaning "Northern Land." The riding stretches from the southern tip of Lake Winnipeg northward to the Nunavut boundary and westward to Saskatchewan, taking in the cities of Thompson and The Pas, the port town of Churchill, and dozens of First Nations communities including Norway House Cree Nation, Cross Lake (Pimicikamak), and Garden Hill.

Candidates

Niki Ashton (NDP) was born and raised in Thompson, Manitoba, the daughter of provincial NDP cabinet minister Steve Ashton and a mother of Greek heritage. She holds a B.A. in Global Political Economy from the University of Manitoba and an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University's Norman Paterson School, and was an instructor at the University College of the North before her election to Parliament in 2008 at age 25. She ran for the federal NDP leadership in both 2012 and 2017, finishing seventh and third respectively.

Shirley Robinson (Liberal) is a Cree woman from Pimicikamak Cree Nation who served as a band councillor for 14 years before entering federal politics. Her candidacy drew endorsements from several First Nations leaders who emphasized the importance of Indigenous representation and her advocacy for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

Charlotte Larocque (Conservative) carried the Conservative banner in a riding where the party has historically struggled against the NDP's deep organizational roots in northern Indigenous communities.

Dylan Young (People's Party) ran for the PPC, offering a libertarian-leaning alternative in a riding where economic issues — from food security to transportation infrastructure — are shaped by extreme remoteness.

About the Riding

This riding has the highest percentage of First Nations people of any federal electoral district in Canada — approximately 61.1% of the population — and the highest percentage of Cree speakers. The name "Keewatinook Aski" was added during the 2012 redistribution to recognize the riding's Indigenous character. Thompson, with just over 13,000 residents, is the largest city and serves as the riding's urban centre, originally built as a mining town around Inco's nickel operations.

Churchill — accessible only by rail, air, or sea — is Canada's sole Arctic deepwater port, shipping grain and supplies to Nunavut communities during the ice-free season. The port is owned and operated by Arctic Gateway Group, a partnership of First Nations and northern communities. The town is also renowned internationally as a destination for polar bear and beluga whale viewing.

The riding's vast distances pose extraordinary challenges for political campaigns and public service delivery alike. Many communities are accessible only by winter roads or by air, and basic infrastructure — clean drinking water, reliable broadband, adequate housing — remains a pressing concern across the region. The economy is driven by mining, hydroelectric generation, commercial fishing, trapping, and tourism, with Manitoba Hydro's generating stations on the Nelson and Churchill rivers playing an outsized role in provincial energy production.