# James Teitsma

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

vte2023 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 | Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | 11,382 | 99.53 | – | $77,750.00 |
| Total rejected and declined ballots | Total rejected and declined ballots | Total rejected and declined ballots | 54 | 0.47 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,436 | 57.65 | +1.18 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 19,838 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +10.17 |
| Source(s) Source: Elections Manitoba |||||||
vte2019 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 | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,639 | 99.54 | – |
| Rejected | Rejected | Rejected | 45 | 0.46 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,684 | 56.47 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 17,150 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | 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. |||||||
vte2016 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 | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,173 | – | – |
| Rejected | Rejected | Rejected | 225 | – |
| Eligible voters / turnout | Eligible voters / turnout | Eligible voters / turnout | 14,956 | 62.84 | 1.36 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic | Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic | Swing | 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. |||||||