Stefanson puts on brave face as another Tory pulls the plug

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This article was published 03/01/2023 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Heather Stefanson is trying to put a positive spin on news she’s losing another veteran member of her caucus.

She said Wednesday she’s ready to welcome new energy to her team after Myrna Driedger announced she won’t seek re-election this year.

“Every organization needs to reinvigorate itself with new people and new ideas,” Stefanson said in a statement.

After 25 years as an MLA, Driedger, the current Speaker of the house, said she will not run again. She declined to do an interview, but said on her personal website she will continue to work hard for her constituents for the next several months and looks forward to spending more time with her family, especially her two young granddaughters.

On Tuesday, Alan Lagimodiere, minister of Indigenous reconciliation and northern relations, announced he won’t run again due to “personal family reasons.”

The two join a growing list of Tory MLAs who have decided to end their political careers. The others are: Deputy Premier Cliff Cullen, Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke and backbenchers Ralph Eichler, Ian Wishart, Blaine Pedersen and Dennis Smook.

The premier said their decision to leave public life comes as no surprise.

“I was fully aware of their intentions to not seek re-election, and wanted to give them the opportunity to communicate their future plans on their own terms,” Stefanson said in an email as she thanked them for their service and wished them well.

The PC caucus would not confirm whether other MLAs — including Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen, Labour Minister Reg Helwer and Health and Wellness Minister Sarah Guillemard — plan to run again or pull the plug.

Stefanson was voted party leader 14 months ago, replacing an unpopular Brian Pallister, who led during the pandemic, arguably Manitoba’s worst health and economic crisis. She has struggled to gain popularity; polls put her party on track to lose the election, which is slated for the fall.

Now, Manitobans are grappling with inflation at a 30-year high and the premier will lose many experienced members of her caucus.

As Manitoba’s first female premier, she may be joining a list of women recruited to lead at the worst of times on the “glass cliff,” said Brandon University political science Prof. Kelly Saunders.

“It’s where we see organizations on the brink of collapse that are in crisis mode, that have lost legitimacy in the eyes of the public, where they need to do something radical and different,” Saunders said Wednesday.

“They bring in a woman to clean up the mess and then, low and behold, the woman can’t perform miracles. Then they’re shuffled out, or their star declines. Then, the organization goes back to the status quo of putting a man in charge.”

The best example is Canada’s first female prime minister, Kim Campbell, Saunders said.

After Brian Mulroney resigned as prime minister, Campbell was chosen to lead a party in turmoil that was tanking in the polls and headed for defeat. It was the biggest loss for a governing party in Canadian history.

“I think we are seeing a bit of that in the Heather Stefanson situation,” Saunders said.

“The mess that was left by the Pallister administration, at least in terms of public perception, in the handling of the pandemic was really quite monumental for any leader to try to clean up,” she said.

“Not only does she have to deal with that and an impending election, there are other concerns around housing, affordability, inflation. She’s also losing some really seasoned, experienced members of her caucus with good institutional knowledge,” Saunders said. “That is going to hurt her. No question about it.”

She noted that despite the tough times, the Tories did win two byelections in 2022, and that voters are fickle. So while the polls have them down, the Tories can battle back.

“I’ve been surprised way too many times,” Saunders said. “Never say never in politics.”

On Wednesday, Stefanson confirmed she will seek re-election.

She said she’s proud of her government’s efforts to address “the issues that matter most to Manitobans” by providing financial relief, investing in the health system and public safety and steering the economy “into a new era of growth and opportunity.”

She welcomed “new dynamic Manitobans” to the PC team, including Obby Khan and Kevin Klein, who narrowly won seats vacated by former premier Brian Pallister and cabinet minister Scott Fielding; and candidates Lauren Stone (Midland), Jodie Byram (Agassiz) and Konrad Narth (LaVerendye).

“I look forward to welcoming even more talented individuals to represent Manitobans across our province as we continue the important work to build a stronger, more prosperous future for all Manitobans,” the premier stated.

Khan said he’s having “ongoing discussions” with four people who’ve reached out to him about running for the PCs. People who’ve never considered running for office are seeing “fresh faces” like his and seriously thinking about it, said Khan, who is Manitoba’s first Muslim MLA.

“I think this is a really great opportunity and I’m very excited for the future,” Khan said.

A veteran Tory MLA, who is a cabinet minister said he’s sticking around.

“I really feel that we’re definitely on the right path, moving in the right direction and there’s more work I think we have to do,” said Wayne Ewasko, who was first elected in 2011 and is education and early childhood learning minister.

“I want be a part of a lot of the good things that we’re doing as the government.”

A veteran analyst says there are many reasons for a politician to throw in the towel.

“There is no doubt that the likely prospect of moving from government to opposition can be a strong inducement to consider retirement,” said Paul Thomas, University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus.

“Decisions to stay or leave public life are more complicated than the simple, hard-headed political calculation of whether you and your party are likely to win again,” Thomas said.

What may look to some like “rats abandoning a sinking ship” may be “more a case of individuals coming to a personal decision with their families that it is time to quit and spend time doing other things.”

In addition, the pandemic spawned burnout and stress, Thomas said. Calculations about pensions can be another factor, he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020.

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