Suggestions for a new Progressive Conservative leader

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/09/2024 (417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The contest to find a new leader for the PC Party of Manitoba is well underway, and while it’s too early to make any calls about who’s in and who might take the lead, there are two things I hope come true: that it is more competitive than the previous two, and fairer than the one before.

Not since 2006 has the party experienced a true contest, when Hugh McFadyen won against Ron Schuler (Springfield) and Ken Waddell.

Then, after two elections with no substantive gains, McFadyen stepped down in July 2012, and Brian Pallister ran unopposed to replace him.

Pallister remained leader until August 2021, and upon stepping down, Heather Stefanson barged through a leadership contest fraught with divisive timelines and enough nefarious allegations to put a question mark at the end of her win. The party was taken to court in a costly battle that not only put the finances in jeopardy, but also lost the trust of many supporters.

Now all that’s in the past. The party is moving ahead with a better process to hold a competitive race.

This new contest opened on July 2 and potential candidates have until Oct. 15 to register. The only one to publicly declared his intent, at the time of this writing, is MLA Obby Khan (Fort Whyte). There are at least two other camps organizing, or so I’m told, that hope to field candidates in the coming days.

With more than a month until the registration deadline, the race could open up even more, but one thing is certain, potential candidates need to organize quickly to catch up to Khan’s lead. He is already making the rounds, selling memberships and raising money.

As a formidable fundraiser, he has undoubtedly banked enough for his leadership campaign, putting him in the enviable spot of being able to focus solely on building support and selling memberships.

Khan is also likely the only contender from within caucus, giving him access to his colleagues (and their lists of supporters) like no other. That’s not to say he already has their support, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s built alliances with many of them.

Also, not having to worry about a seat is another advantage, yet it’s possible there could be another byelection in a (supposedly) safe Tory seat within the year that would make room for an outside leader.

As an aside, if no other candidate enters the race, Khan will be acclaimed on Oct. 16. Otherwise, an agreed upon process will ensue, with a contest that allows for membership sales until Feb. 28, and the announcement of a new leader on April 26.

Given either of these scenarios, a new leader should have enough time before the next election to, at minimum, thwart any future losses, and hopefully even pick up a few seats.

And since I’m now in the business of offering unsolicited advice, I have a few early suggestions for the forthcoming leader.

First, banish the words “not our voters” from your vocabulary.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Tories create an “us-versus-them” scenario by focusing solely on staunch PC supporters and forgetting that swing voters are the ones who make or break elections.

Everyone is a potential supporter until you write them off. Treat them as such.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Wrap

Weekday Evenings

Today’s must-read stories and a roundup of the day’s headlines, delivered every evening.

Sign up for The Wrap

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Second, take one page (only) from Brian Pallister’s playbook and make it your north star — the one that instructs you how to build back the strength of constituencies.

Pallister was unapologetically rigid in setting targets for each constituency to build strong boards, raise money, sign up new members, and secure volunteers. It became a refrain, one Pallister repeated throughout his tenure, and no MLA, candidate, or cabinet minister was ever off the hook from doing that important work.

That fell apart in the latter years of our government for a variety of reasons, but as most Tories know, the only way to win an election is by having strong constituencies built one phone call or door knock at a time.

Third, worry less about the so-called base, the ones intent on driving the party to the far right. If the 2023 election wasn’t enough of a convincing argument against the saleability of right-wing politics in Manitoba, I don’t know what is.

Focus on bringing supporters together without doing stupid things and talking out of both sides of your mouth. Better things will happen when you do.