James Teitsma

James Teitsma
Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services
In office January 30, 2022 – October 18, 2023
Premier	Heather Stefanson
Preceded by	Reg Helwer
Succeeded by	Lisa Naylor
Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission
In office January 30, 2023 – October 18, 2023
Premier	Heather Stefanson
Preceded by	Reg Helwer
Succeeded by	Adrien Sala
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Radisson
In office April 19, 2016 – September 5, 2023
Preceded by	Bidhu Jha
Succeeded by	Jelynn Dela Cruz
Personal details
Born	(1971-04-14) April 14, 1971 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Website	jamesteitsma.ca

James Peter Teitsma MLA 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 approximately 1147 votes.

Electoral record

2023 Manitoba general election: Radisson
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Jelynn Dela Cruz	5,954	52.31	+15.61	$28,441.14
	Progressive Conservative	James Teitsma	4,807	42.23	-4.73	$49,117.12
	Liberal	Jean Luc Bouché	621	5.46	-4.94	$1,946.42
Total valid votes/expense limit			11,382	99.53	–	$77,750.00
Total rejected and declined ballots			54	0.47	–
Turnout			11,436	57.65	+1.18
Eligible voters			19,838
	New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative		Swing		+10.17
Source(s) Source: Elections Manitoba

2019 Manitoba general election: Radisson
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Progressive Conservative	James Teitsma	4,527	46.97	-6.8	$34,015.35
	New Democratic	Raj Sandhu	3,538	36.71	+5.0	$17,769.68
	Liberal	Tanya Hansen Pratt	1,002	10.40	-2.2	$502.30
	Green	Carlianne Runions	572	5.93	–	$0.00
Total valid votes			9,639	99.54	–
Rejected			45	0.46
Turnout			9,684	56.47
Eligible voters			17,150
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		-5.9
Source(s) Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (2019). Statement of Votes for the 42nd Provincial General Election, September 10, 2019 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba. "Candidate Election Returns". Elections Manitoba. Elections Manitoba. Retrieved 2 March 2020.

2016 Manitoba general election: Radisson
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Progressive Conservative	James Teitsma	4,635	50.53	11.22	$35,751.70
	New Democratic	Preet Singh	2,945	32.11	-23.04	$45,802.95
	Liberal	Scott Newman	1,593	17.37	11.82	$21,101.45
Total valid votes			9,173	–	–
Rejected			225	–
Eligible voters / turnout			14,956	62.84	1.36
	Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic		Swing		+16.95
Source(s) Source: Manitoba. Chief Electoral Officer (2016). Statement of Votes for the 41st Provincial General Election, April 19, 2016 (PDF) (Report). Winnipeg: Elections Manitoba. "Election Returns: 41st General Election". Elections Manitoba. 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2018.