After lengthy leadership race, Manitoba PCs set to announce new leader

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives are gearing up to announce their new party leader after a six-month-long campaign that was somewhat overshadowed by the recent federal election. The announcement is set to take place at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon, where either Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan or Wally Daudrich, a hotel and ecotourism company owner from Churchill, will be revealed as the new leader of the Official Opposition party.

This leadership race will determine the permanent successor to former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson, who stepped down as party leader following the PC’s defeat in the 2023 provincial election by Wab Kinew’s NDP. After Stefanson’s departure, Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko was appointed as interim leader, leading up to the current leadership contest.

The lengthy campaign, which gave prospective contestants six months to sign up and another six months to campaign, aimed to avoid the issues faced in the party’s 2021 leadership contest. This race saw voting irregularities and a court challenge from former Conservative MP Shelly Glover, who has since expressed intentions to form an alternative party to the Manitoba PCs.

According to Christopher Adams, a political studies professor at the University of Manitoba, the extended campaign may not have benefited the PC party as intended. The federal election likely drew attention away from the leadership race, leading people to forget about the ongoing contest. Adams also noted that serving as an interim leader for 15 months was a tough task for Ewasko.

The new leader, whether Khan or Daudrich, will face the challenge of leading the PCs against an NDP government led by Kinew, who remains popular among Manitobans. With approximately two years until the next provincial election, the new leader will need to strategize and prepare for the opportunity to regain power.

Khan and Daudrich have presented different visions for the party, with Khan emphasizing his experience as an MLA in Winnipeg and Daudrich focusing on conservative values and attracting new voters. Both candidates have courted controversy during the campaign, with Daudrich making controversial statements about PC caucus members and Manitoba schools, while Khan faced criticism for his response to an issue regarding missing Indigenous women.

The party is set to announce the winner of the leadership contest at 5 p.m., with around 7,000 completed ballots received from the approximately 11,200 eligible party members. This turnout is lower compared to the 2021 leadership race, reflecting the challenges faced by an opposition party in garnering support. The new leader will have the task of uniting the party and preparing for the upcoming election, with the hopes of regaining power in Manitoba.