Keystone Party hopes to unlock retiring Tory seats

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This article was published 14/01/2023 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The fledgling Keystone Party has its eyes on seats held by Manitoba Tories who are ending their political careers this year.

At least 10 members of Premier Heather Stefanson’s Tory caucus have announced they won’t run for re-election in the scheduled October vote.

“I think people are starting to look for options, especially in some of these ridings that are going to have new candidates in them,” said Kevin Friesen, leader of the party that gained official status less than a year ago.

Most of the departing Progressive Conservative MLAs are of retirement age and have served more than two terms in a rural constituency.

The populist Keystone Party is eyeing those seats and hopes to attract disaffected Tory voters and those who’ve stopped voting altogether.

“A lot of these people have never had another option. Those are the people that are starting to realize what legacy party politics have not brought them,” said Friesen. “The simple question we ask a lot of them is, ‘How has the current political system been working for you?’ So many of them see that there is change needed, and it doesn’t look like the other parties wanted to make that change,” the Manitou grain farmer said.

Its message of less government and more individual freedom has popular appeal, but without a well-established organization behind it, Keystone’s chance of success is slim, says one expert.

“The Keystone Party is, indeed, in a position to win over some disillusioned traditional PC supporters and even convince some citizens that normally do not vote, to support the new party,” said University of Winnipeg political scientist Prof. Felix Mathieu.

“But the reality remains that the chances of the Keystone Party to be able to have at least one candidate elected is very marginal,” Mathieu said Friday.

“Our electoral system makes it quite difficult for any new political party to be successful over the short term,” he said.

That will make it difficult for the party to attract high-profile candidates, who would be “crucial” to have any chance of success in any constituency, said Mathieu.

Attracting disaffected and lapsed voters is one thing, but mobilizing them and turning out the vote “will be a significant challenge” for the new party, he said.

“The main impact the Keystone Party might have over the next election is to facilitate the election of either NDP or Liberal candidates whenever tight races happen, because their supporters could contribute to dividing the (small-C) conservative vote,” said Mathieu, who’s not convinced the party will be able to field candidates across the province.

Manitoba has 57 electoral districts. Friesen wasn’t prepared to tip the Keystone Party’s hand Friday on how many constituency associations it has up and running, or where they’re ready for a fight in the Oct. 3 election.

“We have more than a handful and less than 57,” was all he would say. “We’re not putting high pressure on certain areas, more than other areas,” said Friesen. “It’s basically where the people have come to know us and kind of got educated on what we’re about and those areas are growing quite quickly.”

The grassroots party won’t announce any of its candidates until they’re formally selected by constituency associations, its leader and co-founder said.

“The Keystone Party is, indeed, in a position to win over some disillusioned traditional PC supporters and even convince some citizens that normally do not vote, to support the new party.”–University of Winnipeg political scientist Prof. Felix Mathieu

Friesen said even he may not get the nod to run in his own constituency, Turtle Mountain (held by PC Doyle Piwniuk, who is running again), if a challenger is chosen instead by the local party.

“We’re trying to create a team that will be better for Manitoba, to set up things in a very methodical way, and want to do it without making too many mistakes,” Friesen said.

They aim to hold a convention this spring to prepare their platform, he said.

The party hasn’t yet announced where it stands on major issues such as health care, education, immigration or reconciliation. It’s been calling for smaller government, balanced budgets and general principles such as freedom and individual rights, the protection of Manitoba’s sovereignty and resistance against federal intrusion.

The party was founded last year after opposition to vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions spawned the so-called freedom convoy occupations. Friesen said he empathized with the protesters but has no plan to participate in a proposed reunion in Winnipeg next month.

“I’m not sure what it would be about right now,” he said, since all pandemic restrictions were lifted last March.

“If that happens, I believe it is up to politicians to have a conversation with those people. I think that’s why occupations lasted as long as they did, because our politicians… gave the image that they were above that, and that they didn’t have to talk with anybody.”

Friesen said Keystone isn’t affiliated with any of the federal parties, although the right-wing People’s Party of Canada and new Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre have espoused similar principles.

Friesen said he admires some of Poilievre’s qualities, especially his “boldness,” but “I’m not a huge fan of career politicians.”

He said he hadn’t planned to attend Poilievre’s events in Winnipeg Friday.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca