Second NDP strategist urges Selinger to step down

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This article was published 29/10/2014 (4088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Further pressure mounted on Premier Greg Selinger to resign on Wednesday, with a second senior NDP strategist urging him to step down a day after he stood his ground and vowed to stay on as leader of the NDP government.

Darlene Dziewit, a party member since the mid-1970s and a former president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, praised the five cabinet ministers who called for his resignation this week.

“I think the premier needs to listen to what the people of Manitoba are saying,” Dziewit said. “We have a crisis here in that I don’t believe that the people of Manitoba trust our leadership anymore.”

Dziewit was the second member of the party’s provincial executive to call on the premier to resign as leader after Becky Barrett, a former NDP cabinet minister, did so on Monday.

Barrett stuck to her guns after Selinger vowed on Tuesday to remain in office and announced his intention to lead the party into the next general election, likely to take place in April 2016.

“I think the pressure has to be kept on and I think the premier has to be reminded daily that there are people who are very concerned,” Barrett said Wednesday.

Both women said the party risks annihilation in the next election unless there is a leadership change.

Dziewit was in Nova Scotia last fall when Darrell Dexter’s NDP government fell from power and was relegated to third-party status with just seven seats.

“It feels the same here as it did in Nova Scotia,” she said, noting that there, too, people were unhappy with the premier and had lost their trust in him.

For Selinger Wednesday, it was back to business the day after he faced down his critics and said he would remain in the premier’s chair.

He had already cancelled this week’s cabinet meeting to make a brief appearance at We Day in Winnipeg before heading to Flin Flon where he spent the rest of the day.

What Selinger does next in the drama that’s enveloped the NDP government — much to the glee of the opposition Progressive Conservatives — is expected to be played out over the coming days and almost certainly before the government introduces its throne speech, expected after Remembrance Day.

Selinger has threatened that if the five cabinet ministers choose not to support him in his decision to stay on, they could be expelled from his inner circle or choose to resign.

There was no indication Wednesday that any action has been taken by or against Finance Minister Jennifer Howard, Municipal Affairs Minister Stan Struthers, Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald, Justice Minister Andrew Swan and Health Minister Erin Selby.

Those pushing for Selinger to resign are hoping to duplicate in Manitoba what former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s 2010 resignation did for the B.C. Liberals. The West Coast Liberals experienced a resurgence in public opinion polls and have remained in power under new leader Christy Clark.

Campbell resigned after his popularity fell to nine per cent due to B.C.’s introduction of the harmonized sales tax.

Even with Selinger out of Winnipeg, the mood at the legislative building was despondent, with some political staffers expressing fear they could be fired if their loyalty was questioned. There was also a sense that the business of government had ground to a halt with the futures of the five ministers up in the air. None was available for comment.

To pull the government back together, senior cabinet minister Gord Mackintosh volunteered to broker a truce between Selinger and what some have dubbed the Gang of Five.

“I say to my colleagues, ‘Hey team, let’s get back on the ice,’” the conservation and water stewardship minister said. “There is critical work at hand. There’s a session coming up. It’s all the more reason to work harder. There has to be a bringing together of different approaches to recover the focus on serving Manitobans and standing up against the opposition.”

Mackintosh said while that won’t be easy, given the hard feelings that have divided the government, it’s necessary.

“When it comes to the future of party leaders, there are well-established procedures in all parties,” he said. “I’m not calling for the premier to resign. We have work to do and at the same time we all know that all of us have to do more to build the trust and confidence of Manitobans.”

Mackintosh said he did not join the 15 MLAs who stood behind Selinger on Tuesday because no one invited him. He said he was in his office working.

“I’m an optimist. I write my crosswords in pen, and I know that this will all work out if we all work hard and work hard together,” he said.

He added he’s spoken to Selinger about his own concerns, issues raised by his constituents, but he would not divulge what those concerns were.

“He has committed to dealing with those head-on and he deserves the courtesy and respect to allow him to address those issues,” he said.

Tourism, Culture, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux said Wednesday he supports Selinger. Like others, he said the division in caucus needs to be resolved quickly.

“This whole issue should have been solved and dealt with internally,” Lemieux said. “He said that he’s staying as premier, so as far as I’m concerned he’s staying as premier. No matter how you cut it, if the coach says he’s staying, he’s staying.

“If the premier says he’s staying, my job is to work with him and to work with my caucus and move forward.”

Lemieux said he’s had conversations with Selinger over the direction of the government, but that those discussions will stay confidential.

“To me, who is the enemy? The enemy is Brian Pallister, on a political level. Brian Pallister to me, and the Progressive Conservatives are a scary party.”

Former Manitoba NDP premier Howard Pawley, meanwhile, added his voice to those who say the party needs to resolve its differences soon.

“I don’t think (there) is any advantage within the party on either side. I think they need to deal with it quickly,” he said from Windsor.

Pawley emphasized that as a former premier he did not want to comment on Selinger’s performance or whether he should resign.

“I don’t want to say he’s doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing because I don’t think that would be appropriate,” said Pawley, premier from 1981 to 1988.

He said if the party can come to a “compromise” it is not too late for it to recover and retain power.

“It’s over a year before the election so they have lots of time,” he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca