Swan River is a provincial

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

 electoral division in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

. It was created in 1903, in what was then the northwestern corner of the province. Manitoba's borders expanded significantly in 1912, and Swan River is now located in the centre of the province, close to its western border with Saskatchewan. The division has seen several redistributions.

The riding is bordered to the north by The Pas, to the south by Dauphin-Roblin, to the east by Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...

 and to the west by the province of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

. Lake Winnipegosis

Lake Winnipegosis

Lake Winnipegosis is a large lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada, some 300 km northwest of Winnipeg. It is Canada's eleventh-largest lake...

 runs through the riding.

The community of Swan River

Swan River, Manitoba

-Economy:The economic base of the town lies in agriculture and forestry along with support industries for same.Almost fifty percent of the surrounding area is under cultivation, most of which is seeded to cereal grain, oilseeds, and other specialty crops. Wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, and canola...

 is located in the riding's southwest corner. Other communities in the riding include Birch River

Birch River, Manitoba

Birch River is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba located in the Rural Municipality of Mountain in the western portion of central Manitoba. The municipality is split into two regions, Mountain North and Mountain South. Mountain North is one of the most northerly municipalities in...

, Ethelbert

Ethelbert, Manitoba

Ethelbert is a village that is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Ethelbert in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is 370 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and 60 kilometres north of Dauphin, Manitoba. The village is located not far from Duck Mountain Provincial Park on PTH 10...

, Minitonas

Minitonas, Manitoba

Minitonas is a community in Manitoba. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Minitonas and the Swan Valley. It is 15 km east of Swan River. The town is close to the Duck Mountain Provincial Park. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 538, with an additional 1,152...

, Camperville

Camperville, Manitoba

Camperville is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Many Métis people live in this community. It is situated on Lake Winnipegosis....

 and Winnipegosis

Winnipegosis, Manitoba

Winnipegosis is a village of approximately 630 people, located at . Farmlands surround the town. There is a beach in town on Lake Winnipegosis. The Mossey River flows into the lake. Except for its lakeshore, it is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Mossey River. Once there was a thriving...

.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,639. As of 1999, the average family income was $35,209, and the unemployment rate was 10.70%. Twenty-eight per cent of the riding's residents are listed as low income, and over 25% of the population has less than a Grade Nine education (the third-highest rate in the province).

Thirty-six per cent of the riding's residents are aboriginal, and 10% are Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. Agriculture accounts for 22% of Swan River's economy, followed by the health and service sector at 12%.

Swan River's political identity has undergone a significant change in recent years. It was represented by the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba

Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...

 continuously from 1932 to 1986, and was generally regarded as safe for the party during this period. Since then, however, it has been dominated by the New Democratic Party of Manitoba

New Democratic Party of Manitoba

The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...

 (NDP). The current MLA is Rosann Wowchuk, who was re-elected with over 60% of the vote in 2003.

List of provincial representatives

This riding has elected the following MLAs

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...

:

Parliament	Years	Member		Party
8th Manitoba general election, 1903 Manitoba's general election of July 20, 1903 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a second consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, now led by Premier Rodmond Palen Roblin...	1903–1907		James Robson	Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
9th Manitoba general election, 1907 Manitoba's general election of March 7, 1907 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a third consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, led by premier Rodmond Palen Roblin...	1907–1910
10th Manitoba general election, 1910 Manitoba's general election of July 11, 1910 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a fourth consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, led by premier Rodmond Palen Roblin. Roblin's electoral machine won...	1910–1914		Daniel D. McDonald Daniel D. McDonald Daniel Duncan McDonald was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1910 to 1914, as a member of the Liberal Party....	Liberal Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
11th Manitoba general election, 1914 Manitoba's general election of July 10, 1914 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a fifth consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party, led by premier Rodmond P. Roblin...	1914–1915		William Sims	Liberal Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
12th Manitoba general election, 1915 Manitoba's general election of August 6, 1915 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was held only one year after the previous general election of 1914. In that election, the governing Conservatives of premier Rodmond P. Roblin were...	1915–1920
13th Manitoba general election, 1920 Manitoba's general election of 29 June 1920 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.-Background:...	1920–1922		Robert Emmond Robert Emmond Robert William Emmond was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1927.Emmond was a successful farmer in Thunderhill, and served as postmaster of Benito, Manitoba. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1920 provincial election,...	Farmer Progressive Party of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
14th Manitoba general election, 1922 Manitoba's general election of July 18, 1922 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.As in the previous election of 1920, the city of Winnipeg elected ten members by the single transferable ballot...	1922–1927			Progressive Progressive Party of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
15th Manitoba general election, 1927 Manitoba's general election of 28 June 1927 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This was the first election in Manitoba history to elect members through a single transferable ballot in all constituencies...	1927–1932		Andrew McCleary Andrew McCleary Andrew McCleary was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1927 to 1932, as a member of the Progressive Party....	Progressive Progressive Party of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
16th Manitoba general election, 1932 Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1932 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This was the second election in Manitoba where the single transferable ballot was used in all electoral divisions...	1932–1936		George Renouf George Renouf George Poddester Renouf was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1932 to 1958, initially as a Conservative and later as a Progressive Conservative, once the party changed its name.Renouf was educated at a private school in Jersey, and came to...	Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
17th Manitoba general election, 1936 Manitoba's general election of July 27, 1936 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The was the second election in Manitoba after the formation of a Liberal-Progressive alliance in 1932...	1936–1941
18th Manitoba general election, 1941 Manitoba's general election of April 22, 1941 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was held shortly after the formation of a coalition government in December 1940...	1941–1945
19th Manitoba general election, 1945 Manitoba's general election of October 15, 1945 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The 1945 provincial election was extremely different from the previous election, which was held in 1941...	1945–1949
20th Manitoba general election, 1949 Manitoba's general election of November 10, 1949 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election pitted the province's coalition government, made up of the Liberal-Progressive Party and the Progressive Conservative Party, against a variety of...	1949–1953
21st Manitoba general election, 1953 Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...	1953–1958
22nd Manitoba general election, 1958 Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...	1958–1959		Albert Corbett	Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
23rd Manitoba general election, 1959 Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...	1959–1962
24th Manitoba general election, 1962 Manitoba's general election of December 16, 1962 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a second majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...	1962–1966		James Bilton James Bilton James H. Bilton was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1962 to 1977, and served as Speaker of the Legislature for three years.Bilton was educated in England, and subsequently moved to Canada...	Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
25th Manitoba general election, 1966 The Manitoba general election held on June 23, 1966, was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a third consecutive majority win for the Progressive Conservative Party led by Dufferin Roblin...	1966–1969
26th Manitoba general election, 1969 The Manitoba General Election of June 25, 1969 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was a watershed moment in the province's political history. The social-democratic New Democratic Party emerged for the first time as the largest party in...	1969–1973
27th Manitoba general election, 1973 The Manitoba General Election of June 28, 1973 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the social-democratic New Democratic Party, which took 31 of 57 seats...	1973–1977
28th Manitoba general election, 1977 The Manitoba general election of October 11, 1977 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 33 seats out of 57...	1977–1981		Douglas Gourlay	Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
29th Manitoba general election, 1981 The Manitoba general election of November 17, 1981 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the opposition New Democratic Party, which took 34 of 57 seats. The governing Progressive Conservative Party took the remaining 23, while the...	1981–1986
30th Manitoba general election, 1986 The Manitoba general election of March 18, 1986 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which took 30 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party won 26 seats and formed the official opposition...	1986–1988		Len Harapiak Len Harapiak Leonard Harapiak is a Manitoba politician. He served in the NDP government of Howard Pawley, and narrowly lost the party's leadership to Gary Doer in 1988....	New Democratic Party New Democratic Party of Manitoba The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
31st Manitoba general election, 1988 The Manitoba general election of April 26, 1988 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government...	1988–1990		Parker Burrell Parker Burrell Parker Burrell is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1990, representing the northern riding of Swan River for the Progressive Conservative Party.Burrell was educated at The Pas, Manitoba, and received a Certificate of...	Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
32nd Manitoba general election, 1990 The Manitoba general election of September 11, 1990 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 30 out of 57 seats...	1990–1993		Rosann Wowchuk	New Democratic Party New Democratic Party of Manitoba The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
33rd Manitoba general election, 1995 The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...	1995–1999
34th Manitoba general election, 1999 The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....	1999–2003
35th Manitoba general election, 2003 The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...	2003–2007
36th Manitoba general election, 2007 The Manitoba general election held on May 22, 2007 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 36 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with nineteen seats. The Liberal...	2007-

Electoral results

Swan River 2003:

• (x)Rosann Wowchuk (NDP) 4701
• Jason Shaw (PC) 2223
• Russell McKay (L) 538

Previous boundaries