Heather Stefanson stepping down as Manitoba PC Party leader

Heather Stefanson says she will step down as leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives on Monday.

Stefanson, who has been leader of the Official Opposition since her party was defeated in last October’s election, made the announcement Saturday afternoon to party delegates, who are meeting to draw up the rules for the party’s next leadership race.

“I’m very proud of our time in government and some of the things that we were able to achieve,” she told reporters immediately afterwards.

“I wish we had four more years to keep that momentum going, but that’s OK, we respect the people of Manitoba – they have spoken and we will continue to be a very strong opposition to this NDP government.”

The former premier of Manitoba said she will retain her Tuxedo seat for the time being, but didn’t commit to remaining as MLA for the full duration of her term.

She said the upcoming leadership race may impact her decision.

WATCH | Heather Stefanson recalls her proudest moment as premier:

Stefanson, who has held the Tuxedo riding in Winnipeg for the PCs since 2000, went on to roles in cabinet, including the justice and health portfolios, when the Tories came to power in 2016.

She was chosen as the party’s leader in 2021, as the party’s fortunes under then premier Brian Pallister began to sag.

The PCs tried to move away from its austerity-minded approach under Stefanson, but were unable to earn a third consecutive election victory on Oct. 3, when the NDP won a majority.

“I think we came a long way in a short period of time, but you know, it just wasn’t far enough to earn government again,” she said Saturday.

“I think as a party we are now going to go through a very healthy leadership race, and I look forward to seeing whoever will be taking over.”

Changes recommended to leader selection

Stefanson announced after losing the Oct. 3 election that she would step down, but had not set a date to do so until Saturday.

The Tory delegates meeting in Winnipeg are looking to avoid a repeat of the 2021 leadership race, when many people did not receive ballots in time to vote by mail.

Shelly Glover, who lost the race by a narrow margin, challenged the results in court, but a judge ruled Glover failed to show there were any irregularities that would have affected the outcome.

The party’s executive is recommending changes, including a move away from the traditional “one member, one vote” system.

The executive is recommending a formula that would cap the influence of constituencies with large membership numbers, but some party members are against the idea.

Stefanson told reporters she stepped away from the meeting so she isn’t seen as interfering in the rules for choosing her successor.

Looking back at her tenure as premier, Stefanson said the province encountered a number of challenges, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.

“But I can say I’ve learned so much over the course of the last 23 years, both in opposition and in government,” she said.

“I feel very blessed and honoured to have been given the roles of the minister of justice and families and health, and then of course the premier of Manitoba — and I’m just so incredibly honoured to have been given that opportunity.”

She wrote on social media that serving as premier of Manitoba and party leader for the Tories has been “the honour of a lifetime.”

Alleged ethics breach ‘didn’t happen’: Stefanson

Stefanson is stepping down as her party faces accusations it tried to push through a controversial mining proposal in the days after it lost the election.

Premier Wab Kinew, former PC environment minister Kevin Klein and former acting environment minister Rochelle Squires have all alleged the former government tried to breach the caretaker convention, which states outgoing governments shouldn’t make any major decisions before the next government is sworn in.

On Friday, the NDP’s caucus leader filed ethics complaints against Stefanson and former cabinet minister Jeff Wharton over the allegations.

Wharton is accused of having told Squires he was trying to get a minister to sign off on the mining project, because Stefanson had a conflict of interest.

Speaking for the first time about the allegation on Saturday, Stefanson insisted she never tried to push the project and had no conflict of interest. 

“We respected the caretaker convention and it didn’t happen, so I don’t know what the issue is here,” she said. 

“It didn’t happen. End of story.”

She said she wasn’t privy to the conversations Wharton had with departing cabinet ministers.