Winnipeg city councillor Sherri Rollins seeks federal Liberal nomination in byelection

A Winnipeg city councillor is seeking the 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 the late 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.

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 stepped up to 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. 

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.