March (tradition) break: premier skips Royal Winter Fair

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This article was published 04/04/2022 (1282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Heather Stefanson broke with tradition last week, skipping the biggest event on the province’s agricultural community calendar: the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

“I was away on a holiday with my son on spring break,” Premier Heather Stefanson said Monday of not attending the annual Brandon event (held March 28-April 2)

A number of her Progressive Conservative colleagues did, however, make appearances, including deputy premier Cliff Cullen. “That’s his role — to be at these things when I can’t be at absolutely everything,” Stefanson said.

Fair spokesman Rick Dillabough said Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson also attended several days of events.

Brandon University political science Prof. Kelly Saunders questioned the premier’s decision to not make time to appear at the week-long fair.

“In the 20 years I’ve been here in Brandon, I don’t remember a premier not attending,” she said. “It’s an important tradition and it’s important for premiers of (any) stripes to attend.”

Brandon is Manitoba’s second-largest city, a regional hub, and the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is more than just a fair, the academic said.

“It showcases our agricultural sector, which remains an important part of our provincial economy — it’s one of the premier events of the ag sector,” she said. “For a PC premier to take a pass on this is really surprising.”

The PCs hold both Brandon seats and most of the surrounding rural area.

“This is a vital part of their vote base,” said Saunders. “You’d think the premier would want to be out here shoring up that support and making face time with an important part of her constituency… The fact that she denied herself an important opportunity to do that is really unfortunate.”

A general election is due to be held no later than Oct. 3, 2023.

The Winter Fair had been on hiatus for the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its return was warmly received — from which Stefanson could have benefited, Saunders said.

“Of all the years to miss it, this would not be the year,” she said. “On a number of things, the advice she receives on these political issues is surprising sometimes. For me, this would be a no-brainer.”

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he, too, was away for the March break and didn’t attend the fair.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said he was there, and enjoyed it.

Stefanson thanked her colleagues for attending in her absence and said she looks forward to getting back to Brandon “very soon.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca