Wharton initially ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Gimli in the 2011 provincial election,but lost to incumbent NDP MLA Peter Bjornson. When Bjornson retired in 2015,Wharton ran and was elected MLA for Gimli in the 2016 Manitoba election.
On August 17,2017,Premier Brian Pallister appointed Wharton as Minister of Municipal Relations.[2]
Following electoral boundary changes implemented in 2019,Gimli was dissolved and Wharton successfully sought election in the new constituency of Red River North.
Wharton was appointed Minister of Crown Services on September 26,2019. He was succeeded by the Honourable Jamie Moses with the election of the NDP government in 2023.[3] On October 24,2023,he was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Economic Development,Investment and Trade.
On October 29th, 2025 while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was speaking about the rights of vulnerable groups (including the disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples), Wharton made a “waah, waah” sound and gesture in a sarcastic and mocking tone, after the Premier’s mention that his father was not allowed to vote.[7]
Although no formal sanction against Wharton has been reported in connection to these incidents, the events drew media attention and raised questions about the conduct of MLAs in the chamber and the treatment of issues relating to Indigenous rights and marginalized groups.
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