Selinger win a Tory victory?

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This article was published 09/03/2015 (4041 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Manitoba New Democrats took a giant step forward in resolving their differences, but may have paved the way to victory for the Progressive Conservatives in the 2016 election.

Premier Greg Selinger retained his party’s leadership by the narrowest of margins on Sunday — 33 votes — ending a four-month political drama.

Now he faces the task of reuniting a party that is low in the polls and may be more divided than ever.

Selinger was quick to deflect the vote’s slim outcome and the daggers pointed his way in the past several months, saying the saga helped the party unite and reconnect with Manitobans.

“I believe in the democratic process,” he said after his challengers, Theresa Oswald and Steve Ashton, moved that the result be declared unanimous.

“I was prepared for all the outcomes. I’m pleased with the outcome obviously, but I really believe that when you do things democratically, the wisdom of the people will show itself.”

In a stuffy room crammed to capacity, the tension was palpable before the results of both ballots were announced.

Ashton, who once seemed a shoo-in to survive the initial ballot, was eliminated after finishing third, with 502 votes to 612 for Selinger and 575 for Oswald. Ashton failed to win constituency delegates in the Maples and had soft support in the north.

That set up a dramatic showdown between Selinger and his loyalists versus Oswald and the Gang of Five rebels.

In the second ballot, Selinger won 759 votes to Oswald’s 726.

Selinger also said he’s ready to move past the cabinet and staff mutiny, but that might be wishful thinking.

The majority of the premier’s staff took time off to work for Oswald’s campaign, and it’s uncertain how many will want to return to a government they considered poisonous. Three other staffers were fired. It’s uncertain whether Oswald and the four other former cabinet ministers who resigned in protest last November will return or run again in 2016.

Nevertheless, Selinger said he and the rest of his caucus are ready to put that behind them.

“It’s part of the business,” he said. “It’s been a big experience. It’s been a demanding experience, but we’ve made sure and I’ve made sure, that every single day I got things done for the people of Manitoba. Has it been worth it? You betcha it’s been worth it.”

Oswald, in comforting her young son afterwards, said her political future is unclear.

“Of course, I’m disappointed,” she said. “I would have loved to have been on the other side of that decision, without question. But as I’ve gone through this process, it became so clear to me that whatever was going to happen today, the members will have decided,” she said. “And I respect that, absolutely.”

Opposition Leader Brian Pallister said Selinger’s slim majority proves the NDP is still infighting rather than serving.

‘I was prepared for all the outcomes. I’m pleased with the outcome obviously, but I really believe that when you do things democratically, the wisdom of the people will show itself’ — Premier Greg Selinger

“Manitobans want real change, I’m convinced of that,” Pallister said. “Today proves they aren’t going to get it from the NDP. A government divided against itself isn’t representing Manitobans’ key priority issues. They are not fighting for Manitoban’s best interests, they’re fighting internally.

“They went divided into this process and they came out — if possible — they came out more divided.”

Selinger said his government has time to recover to compete against Pallister. He has incumbency working in his favour: The NDP has 37 seats in the 57-seat legislature. For the Conservatives to form the government, the party must capture at least 10 seats to add to the 19 it currently has.

For now, Selinger can take comfort in knowing he prevailed over an unprecedented mutiny.

At the convention, he appeared calm and relaxed, with a ready smile.

His loyalists won key positions on the party executive, including president, which went to First Nations leader Ovide Mercredi.

Besides dealing with Oswald, he also has to deal with the other four ministers who resigned: former health minister Erin Selby, former attorney general Andrew Swan, former finance minister Jennifer Howard and former municipal government minister Stan Struthers.

He must also deal with ministers and MLAs who supported Oswald and Ashton.

Several cabinet ministers said they don’t know what today will bring, whether Oswald and the other four will be welcomed back into caucus or how Selinger’s supporters will reconcile with MLAs who opposed him.

“We’re going to have to go through a little bit of a process,” Justice Minister James Allum said.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca