Greg Selinger given fond farewell on final day in legislature

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This article was published 07/03/2018 (2522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You know your career is ending when everyone is nice to you.

On Wednesday, former NDP premier and longtime MLA Greg Selinger bid farewell to the Manitoba legislature, a building where he had been a prominent fixture for almost 19 years.

“We can make this place better,” Selinger told the house, between standing ovations.

He quietly left the Winnipeg landmark for the final time as an elected official, after Tory Premier Brian Pallister and NDP Leader Wab Kinew wrapped him in a star blanket.

Selinger, 67, resigned his seat as the NDP member for St. Boniface with a brief speech in the house in English and French, thanking his family for their support and thanking legislature staff and the civil service for working for Manitobans.

There was none of the acrimony that accompanied the NDP’s plummet to electoral defeat two years ago under Selinger’s watch or, just last month, being ordered to quit by Kinew, whom Selinger had supported as leader despite widespread criticism of Kinew’s past.

“Megwetch, Greg,” Kinew told the house.

Kinew said when his father died in 2012, Selinger came to the memorial and spoke. In 2011, when Kinew was a CBC reporter, he said the then-premier set an example.

“Everywhere I covered the flooding, where people were in need, where people were in danger, the premier was there. He was the leader our province needed.”

Pallister said it was a rare honour for a premier to be able to honour a former premier. Public service involves both the best and worst of times, and it’s only natural for the two leaders to have disagreed over issues, he said.

Selinger’s loyalty was not always reciprocated, Pallister noted. He singled out Selinger’s government for its work to improve francophone services, and for enabling so many new Manitobans to come to the province under its nominee program — though Pallister could not resist pointing out previous Progressive Conservative premier Gary Filmon started the program.

Selinger’s family shared the personal toll politics takes, Pallister said. “They will enjoy getting to know their husband and father a little better.”

In one final media scrum, Selinger said it wasn’t the day to talk about what befell him and the NDP (which was in power from October 1999 to May 2016), or to divulge what he thinks of the government led by Pallister.

“I’m not in that business — yet,” said Selinger, quickly noting he has no current career plans and is in no rush to take up any of the offers coming in.

Looking back at the inner turmoil in 2014 that led to his government’s downfall, Selinger would only say it was his primary responsibility to stay focused on the people of Manitoba.

“You acknowledge, with gratitude, the chance to serve the people of the province,” he said. “Most important is to move forward to make things better.”

First and foremost, responsible government must respond to its people’s needs, he said.

The former University of Manitoba social work professor and former Winnipeg city councillor won the St. Boniface seat in 1999, and was immediately named finance minister. He became premier in 2009. In all, Selinger won the St. Boniface seat — handily — five times.

However, Selinger and the NDP ran into major trouble when he backpedalled on a 2011 campaign promise and raised the PST to eight per cent from seven per cent.

That fuelled open rebellion by the so-called Gang of Five, dissident cabinet ministers who tried unsuccessfully to talk Selinger into resigning. He refused, and barely held onto his leadership in a subsequent race.

Selinger has shown up in the house on a regular basis since the disastrous April 19, 2016, election ended with the New Democrats plummeting to 14 seats from 35. He has posed questions as francophone affairs critic, but has steadfastly refused to discuss the past.

Last month, Kinew demanded Selinger resign as MLA, after several women accused former NDP cabinet minister Stan Struthers of sexual misconduct during the time Selinger and Gary Doer served as premier.

The NDP has, so far, not recognized his service to the party. At the annual general meeting in 2017, members were adjourning when former MP Cyril Keeper spontaneously called for a standing ovation for Selinger. MLA (and Gang of Five member) Andrew Swan pointedly stayed in his seat.

At last September’s party leadership convention, won by Kinew, there was no mention of Selinger.

When Doer resigned his seat in 2009, to become Canadian ambassador to the United States, he was lauded and feted with speeches.

Filmon resigned his seat at a news conference in 2000, the year after losing power to the NDP.

The premier prior to Filmon never got the chance for a farewell — Howard Pawley’s NDP government fell on a confidence vote, and Pawley chose not to run for re-election.

Pallister has until Sept. 8 to call a byelection in St. Boniface.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

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