Jon Gerrard acknowledges the Manitoba Liberal party is generally seen as a Winnipeg force.
But the former federal minister responsible for western diversification is hoping to break out of the mould.
For the first time in its history, the provincial Liberal party has more rural members than urban.
And Gerrard said he’s the first provincial Liberal leader in 30 years to have rural ties.
Gerrard represented the Selkirk-Interlake riding for one term in the Jean ChrŽtien government, but lost to Reform candidate Howard Hilstrom in the last federal election. This time, Gerrard is running in Winnipeg. He believes the party will win at least one rural seat, a feat that hasn’t happened since the 1960s.
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High-profile rural Liberal candidates include Herm Martens in the Morris riding, a popular reeve who is a well-known hog and egg farmer.
Ray LeNeal, a farmer and former school board superintendent from Treherne, is running in the new Carman riding.
Political scientist Paul Thomas said Gerrard and the Liberals will have a hard time getting over the party’s image as an urban party.
He said that earlier this spring, Gerrard made a serious strategic error when he instructed the two sitting Liberal MLAs to vote against a motion calling for immediate federal help for flooded farmers.
Thomas said Gerrard lacks the easy touch necessary to effortlessly mix with both prominent urban and rural interests.
Gerrard said he hopes to emphasize access to the internet, biotechnology and nutraceuticals issues on the rural campaign trail.
