James Teitsma

James Peter Teitsma is a Canadian provincial politician, who was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for the riding of Radisson in the 2016 election. He is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, and defeated New Democratic Party (NDP) challenger Preet Singh.

He was re-elected in the 2019 provincial election.

In February 2020, Teitsma faced backlash for posting opposition to a proposed program to provide breakfast to all schoolchildren in Manitoba schools, stating that it would be better for families if children could eat meals at home.

In January 2021, James Teitsma faced public criticism for his disregard of Manitoba provincial COVID-19 guidelines which directed that people “avoid all non-essential travel”, and took his family on a 10-day driving trip through Western Canada during the December 2020 holiday season. He did not face any consequences for his decision.

In the 2023 election, the NDP defeated the PCs at the provincewide level to form government, and Teitsma lost his seat to NDP candidate Jelynn Dela Cruz by 1,147 votes.

Electoral record