Outspoken PC MLA Steven Fletcher booted from caucus

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This article was published 30/06/2017 (3108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tory MLA Steven Fletcher has been expelled from the Progressive Conservative caucus, Premier Brian Pallister said Friday, confirming a Free Press report earlier today.

The news comes following a spring in which the Assiniboia MLA publicly and frequently criticized his own government.

Pallister said he did not participate in the vote, or in the discussion, because he didn’t want to “unduly influence” the decision. “Caucus membership is not a right; caucus membership is a privilege. It’s extended by your colleagues to you,” the premier told reporters.

Fletcher is flabbergasted, he’s defiant, and as of early Friday afternoon he still hadn’t been told by Pallister or his party that he’s out.

“I wouldn’t yield from the rights and responsibilities of an MLA,” Fletcher said in an interview Friday morning. Unless he can use his parliamentary privilege, democracy won’t work, Fletcher said.

“This is the way I look at the world: queen and country first, my constituents second, the party third,” Fletcher declared.

“I’ve been very straight with the premier and the caucus from the get-go when I was going to do things — I thought we had an understanding,” Fletcher said. “It’s a very serious thing, and taken very seriously from the culture I come from.”

Fletcher would not say whether he’d been warned before his expulsion about toeing the party line and staying with the program by Pallister, caucus members, or the premier’s staff: “I’m not going to talk about private conversations — I always take the high road.

“Nothing I’ve done is a surprise to anyone. I’ve always provided plenty of notice,” said Fletcher, though he would not talk about whether he’d ever been told not to go ahead with his many private member’s bills or with his lengthy statements in committee hearings.

The Tories assigned MLA Sarah Guillemard to give the media a short explanation Friday afternoon. It was a unanimous decision by caucus after Fletcher continually failed to abide by caucus principles, Guillemard said.

Guillemard told reporters that there were “multiple behaviours, multiple events” which led to Fletcher’s expulsion. “I won’t be getting into specifics — there was no one event,” she said.

She said Pallister respected the caucus decision, but would not say whether Pallister had directed caucus to expel Fletcher. Nor would she say how his expulsion got on the caucus agenda, who first raised it, or who moved his expulsion before the unanimous vote.

There were multiple discussions with Fletcher over the past year, said Guillemard, again declining to elaborate. She cited caucus confidentiality in listing principles by which Fletcher did not abide, but would not give any examples.

“We have 39 independent thinkers in our caucus,” who get plenty of opportunities to express their opinions, but then are expected to support and abide by the decisions reached, she said.

The caucus office did not immediately respond to Friday afternoon to queries about how or when it will inform Fletcher he’s been given the boot.

Fletcher said that he had filibustered in committee on the hearing into the bill creating Efficiency Manitoba, because that was his first opportunity.

Asked if he had not been able to discuss the proposed legislation in caucus or in the house, Fletcher said, “You can say that, but I can’t possibly say that,” he said.

“I have the utmost respect for the premier,” said Fletcher, but, “Make no mistake — nothing happens without the premier saying ‘do it’ or ‘don’t do it’.”

Fletcher wouldn’t say whether any other caucus member has issues and positions he or she would want to openly pursue, but has heeded orders not to go public.

“Brian and I were in caucus together for four years federally,” said Fletcher, at one time a junior cabinet minister in the Harper government. “I knew what I was getting into when he asked me to run, and he knew what he was getting into.”

Fletcher said he will sit as an independent Conservative — he will not be just an independent. Fletcher said he will remain a card-carrying Conservative — Pallister can’t remove him from the party, Fletcher declared.

And he will continue to table private member’s bills, with 30 more percolating for the legislature sitting that resumes Oct. 4.

“I look forward to serving as long as people will have me serve — I’ll be bringing forward very good legislation, meritorious legislation,” Fletcher said.

Pallister did not comment at length on the move, saying that a caucus spokesman would address the media later today.

“I like and respect Steven Fletcher,” Pallister said. “I worked with him federally, worked with him provincially. But every caucus, every community organization, every sports team, every business has rules of conduct for its members. And being in a caucus or being in any organization requires those rules to be followed. Principles of behaviour have to be established. They have to be maintained. And, sadly, sometimes people decide that (they’d) rather not (follow the rules). So they work alone.”

The premier’s voice became voice emotional as he said of Fletcher, “I tell you he faces more challenges 30 minutes of every morning than most of us face in a lifetime.

“I’m doing my best ot make sure we have an effective organization here. We’ve seen what happens in Manitoba already when a political organization becomes dysfunctional,” Pallister said.

Fletcher said that he was not at the caucus meeting on Wednesday.

“I was asked not to attend on Wednesday…by the caucus chair, (Lac du Bonnet MLA) Wayne Ewasko. That’s all I know.”

Fletcher said he didn’t push Ewasko for a reason. “Whatever,” said Fletcher, who had relatives in the city on Wednesday and welcomed the chance to spend the time with them.

The decision to shun Fletcher comes after a difficult year which saw the Assiniboia MLA frequently cross swords with his own party. He introduced numerous private member’s bills without consulting his caucus or submitting them to internal reviews. Fletcher also filibustered at committee a government bill that would create a stand-alone energy efficiency agency.

The last straw, the sources confirmed, was Fletcher’s collaboration with Manitoba Forward, an advocacy group that has also been very critical of the creation of a new energy efficiency organization.

He’s part of a video made with the group, Fletcher said Friday morning. “OK, I will put that on YouTube so people can judge for themselves.”

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca