Wab Kinew

Wab Kinew is not your typical premier and that matters. He came from outside the traditional political class and won an election most people didn't expect him to win. He's been in office about a year and a half. Some things are different — the tone on Indigenous issues is better, healthcare funding has been adjusted, there's more acknowledgment of poverty as a real policy problem. But everyday life for a lot of Manitobans hasn't changed dramatically yet. Groceries are expensive. Housing in Winnipeg is still strained. The test of any premier is whether real people feel a difference. That verdict takes time, but the clock is ticking.

Premier Kinew has brought real energy and a different kind of leadership to Manitoba. His approach to reconciliation is more credible than most politicians because of who he is and where he comes from. But the economic file is where governments ultimately stand or fall. Manitobans are struggling with the same cost of living pressures as the rest of Canada — housing is tight, grocery bills are painful, and services in northern and rural Manitoba need serious investment. The progressive platform needs to produce results that families can actually feel. I'm paying attention.

Wab Kinew has served as Manitoba Premier since October 2023, making history as Canada's first provincial premier of First Nations descent. He closed out 2025 as the most approved premier in the country — and the record shows why. His government delivered a provincial fuel tax holiday, eliminated the PST on groceries in the 2026 budget, expanded pharmacare to cover birth control and menopause medications, opened the first of five planned neighbourhood health clinics, and committed $51 million to develop the Port of Churchill as a critical minerals hub. He signed interprovincial trade barrier agreements and established a new Manitoba Crown Indigenous Corporation. When the remains of two victims of the Winnipeg serial killer were recovered from a landfill in 2025, Kinew's response was measured and compassionate — a moment that illustrated his leadership character. The challenges are real: Manitoba's 2026 budget still carries a $498 million deficit, health care wait times remain long, and chronic homelessness is unresolved. His approval has dipped 10 points from its peak. But by the standards of Canadian premiers right now, Kinew is governing with both competence and integrity. Reviewed as a Canadian following Manitoba's path under its historic first Indigenous premier.