Winnipeg city councillor Sherri Rollins seeks federal Liberal nomination in byelection

A Winnipeg city councillor is seeking the federal Liberal Party nomination in the byelection expected in Winnipeg South Centre. 

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rogue-East Fort Garry) says she's putting her name forward as the Liberal candidate to replace late member of Parliament Jim Carr, who died of cancer last month.

Rollins said she gave the idea some serious consideration after receiving encouraging messages from supporters who have followed her political journey. 

They sent her letters through the "invite her to run" initiative on the Liberal website, which seeks to increase the number of women in federal politics. 

"It has been some considerable thought about what I have to offer and what people are telling me I have to offer, but also the ability to define the job," Rollins said.

'Bring resources home:' Rollins

After discussing it with her family, Rollins said she felt she can represent Winnipeg's interests in the House of Commons well. 

"I do think it's really important that we have folks that knows Winnipeg's agenda, that knows that we need to reignite downtown and the core area initiative, knows that we have multiple infrastructure projects and some capacity issues that we have to fix," Rollins said.

"I want to make sure we go to Ottawa with Winnipeg's agenda and to forward that agenda and to make sure that we're bringing resources home."

Rollins became a city councillor in 2018, winning a seven-candidate race to represent the ward, after previously serving as a Winnipeg School Division trustee for one term. She was re-elected in last October's civic election.

Throughout her time on city council, Rollins has been in the mayor's inner circle. She's been on the executive policy committee, first under mayor Brian Bowman and more recently with Mayor Scott Gillingham. 

She said she's worked at city hall to leverage federal money to address homelessness and waste and water needs.

At first, Rollins said the message encouraging her to run federally felt like they were coming too soon. She's still mourning the death of her friend Carr, whose Liberal Party nomination she supported, in part, by helping organize a cocktail event, "where he taught me to make a better Manhattan."

In time, she realized the political experience she honed in Winnipeg, including in regular meetings with Carr, the MP for her riding, would serve the city in Ottawa. 

"It's the same people that asked me to run the first time that's really asking me to run this time," she said.

Rollins intends to remain a city councillor if she wins the Liberal nomination. She would step down from her city hall responsibilities if she wins the byelection, which must be announced by June 11 in the absence of any general federal election.

No date for the party nomination has been set, but Carr's son, Ben Carr, has said he may follow in his father's footsteps and seek the Liberal nomination. 

Political families are common in Winnipeg, Rollins knows, but she isn't shying away from a nomination race that could be contested.

"Competition is very good for democracy and it's good for the Liberal Party," she said.

Winnipeg South Centre has served as a reliable — but not exclusive — Liberal territory since it was created in 1988.

The Liberals have held the seat for every term except 2011 to 2015, when Conservative Joyce Bateman represented the riding.

Royce Koop, a political studies professor at the University of Manitoba, said in a recent interview that Winnipeg South Centre is a "naturally Liberal seat" that only falls to the Conservatives when broader conditions favour the right-of-centre party.

Jim Carr, who died at the age of 71, had been the riding's representative since 2015.