Walter Kolisnyk is a farmer and politician in 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...

, Canada

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...

.

He operates a grain and cattle farm in 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...

, a rural municipality. He served as leader of the Swan Valley Credit Union Board for five years, and was President of the National Farmers Union Local 520. In 2004, he was appointed chairman of the board of the Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation.

In the federal election of 2004

Canadian federal election, 2004

The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...

, he was a candidate of the social-democratic New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in the rural Manitoba riding of Dauphin-Swan River. Dauphin-Swan River was regarded as a safe Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

 seat in the election of 2004. Kolisnyk placed second to Conservative candidate Inky Mark

Inky Mark

Inky Mark is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the Manitoba riding of Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette. Mark is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada....

, receiving 7341 votes (about 22% of the total).