Even apart, Fletcher and PCs are stuck together

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/08/2017 (3037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MLA Steven Fletcher may be gone from the Progressive Conservative caucus, but it’s quite certain he won’t allow himself to be forgotten.

The rogue MLA from Assiniboia was punted from the Tory caucus in June after several incidents in which he challenged his own government on legislative or policy matters.

However, expelling Fletcher has not quieted him. On the contrary, it seems Fletcher has the capacity to continue generating headlines even without the resources of a registered party.

The most recent Fletcher story involved the executive of the Assiniboia PC riding association, which gathered July 19 for a meeting with Keith Stewart, CEO of the PC Party of Manitoba. At this meeting, party sources said, a request was made to have Fletcher readmitted to the party. The same sources said Stewart promised the matter would be duly considered.

Notwithstanding the request that was made, it appears the Assiniboia executive was somewhat split about whether to ask the party to take Fletcher back. “Some people thought that Steven was more responsible than the party for what happened, and others thought the party was really responsible,” said one source.

Certainly, the loss of status in the party that nominated Fletcher as a candidate was taking its toll on the executive. President Don Cooper resigned shortly after the meeting with Stewart, but would not say if that was because Fletcher was expelled or because some members of the executive were asking that he be readmitted.

It’s also unclear whether the Assiniboia executive’s request made its way up the chain of command at Tory party headquarters. At the legislature, Tory sources said no formal request had been received. Other sources claimed the request was really just the actions of one or two Fletcher loyalists, acting alone and without the authority of the executive.

Not surprisingly, when the Free Press broke the news of the riding association’s request a few weeks later, both the party and Fletcher appeared to have little interest in ceasing hostilities.

Tory MLA Sarah Guillemard, speaking on behalf of her caucus, would not comment on the riding association’s request but reiterated that there were “multiple behaviours, multiple events,” that led to the decision to expel Fletcher. Stewart, meanwhile, declined to comment.

In an email statement on the riding association’s actions, Fletcher seemed open to the idea of returning to caucus but only under his terms. “I think it’s best that I say ‘no comment,’ other than, with a simple public apology for their actions we can move forward.”

Fletcher’s response hardly sounds like a man desperate to be welcomed back to caucus. He certainly has some legitimate concerns about the way in which his expulsion was handled — he still claims to have received no formal explanation for the decision — but under the circumstances it’s going to be difficult to portray himself as the wronged party.

That is not to say Fletcher hasn’t exposed some of the toxic culture that has invaded the Pallister government. Backbench MLAs are rarely consulted or — more importantly — warned about government policy and legislation. For example, party sources confirmed that none of the Tory MLAs was warned in advance when an announcement was made in June that 18 emergency medical service stations were going to be closed in rural communities. That decision has been very unpopular and is making for a long, hot summer of angry constituents for those rural MLAs.

Fletcher’s criticism about not being able to have input on key legislation, or even get questions answered about why his government was doing certain things in certain ways, is valid. Unfortunately, his manner of expressing his frustration was clearly outside the norms and traditions of the party system.

The awful truth for Fletcher is that under the current political system, the premier — who is almost entirely responsible for the present culture — can be dead wrong and still get his way.

All of these details mean the chances of Fletcher being readmitted to the party are pretty slim. And yet, as a loose cannon out on his own with no oversight from his former party, the irrepressible MLA from Assiniboia presents significant problems for the Progressive Conservatives heading into the next election.

If Fletcher cannot be reconciled with his former party, then the Tories will have a big job ahead of them finding a candidate who is able to lock down Assiniboia in the next election. Say what you want about Fletcher, but he is very, very good at getting elected. It is a bad time to try to break in a new candidate in an election where, following one of the largest majorities in Manitoba political history, the Tories are expected to lose a handful of Winnipeg seats.

However, just because Fletcher is not running for the Tories does not mean he won’t run. Fletcher has been coy about whether he would consider running as an independent, or perhaps under the banner of a fringe party, such as Manitoba Forward. Fletcher’s presence on the ballot in Assiniboia as an independent candidate would almost certainly sink the Tories in the riding.

Party sources acknowledge that threat, but suggest that if Fletcher is to run again, it will be in the 2019 federal election. In fact, the sources said they believe Fletcher was only using the Manitoba legislature as a stepping stone to get back into federal politics. This theory is supported by some rather unusual links between Fletcher and the executive of the Conservative party riding association in Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia-Headingley.

Fletcher was MP for that riding until the 2015 election, when he lost to Liberal Doug Eyolfson. Since that loss, and his subsequent victory in the 2016 provincial election, Fletcher has become the president of the federal riding association. Although it is not unprecedented for a provincial politician to hold an executive position in a federal riding association, it is unusual.

Unusual as well is that Fletcher’s image appears regularly and prominently in materials issued by the federal riding association. This has rankled other Tory MLAs in surrounding ridings, who believe Fletcher is using his profile and resources as a provincial politician to support his federal aspirations.

Does Fletcher have a preference for where and for whom he will run again? In an interview, he said he will keep all his options open. “Why would anyone exclude options?”

As for rejoining the Tory caucus, Fletcher said it will only happen if he has the opportunity to give input and the chance to challenge legislation internally. That seems to be a long shot, at best.

Pallister and the Tory caucus may be satisfied they no longer have to work with Fletcher. He is a handful, and a man who clearly does not feel the obligation to be blindly loyal to a leader and party that does not let him fulfil all his aspirations.

But the Tories will have to contend with Fletcher again in the future — either as a repatriated member of their own team or a freelancer who will be highly motivated to bring them down.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca