Selinger stays put as premier

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This article was published 09/03/2015 (4114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — 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 next election.

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

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

Selinger was quick to deflect the vote’s slim outcome Sunday, and the daggers pointed his way over the past several months, saying the entire 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.”

Municipal Government Minister Drew Caldwell called the leadership vote a “very just and fair outcome.”

“I’m happy with the result,” he said, following the convention. “Within 30 seconds of the announcement, Theresa Oswald had moved to make it unanimous … I thought that was a very positive step by Theresa.”

Looking ahead to the next provincial election, Caldwell said the NDP needs to focus on the challenges of building Manitoba and continue to invest in flood protection, roads, bridges and other infrastructure needs in Manitoba communities.

“We’ve had a distraction over the last number of months, and that distraction has now been removed,” he said. “With Theresa making it unanimous today … we are again united as a party to continue to build Manitoba.”

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

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’s exit was traced to his failure to win any constituency delegates in Maples and soft support in the north.

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

In the second ballot, Selinger got 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 have already been fired.

It’s also uncertain whether Oswald and the four other former ministers who resigned in protest last November will also return, or run again in the next election.

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

“It’s part of the business,” he said after his win. “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 the NDP’s weekend convention settled nothing for the NDP, and that the slim majority won by Selinger only proves the New Democrats are still focused on infighting rather than serving.

“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 does have a couple of things working in his favour: The NDP has 37 seats in the 57-seat legislature and the power of incumbency.

For Pallister to form the next government, he has to capture at least 10 seats to add to the 19 the Tories currently occupy.

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

All weekend long, the premier didn’t look at all like a man whose leadership was under siege.

He appeared calm and relaxed, with a ready smile.

In elections on Saturday, his loyalists won key positions on the party executive, including the position of 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.

In a brief scrum with reporters, Ashton said that party solidarity must be paramount above anything else.

“I’ve been through this before and I guarantee you I will be a force for unity,” Ashton said.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with Brandon Sun files

How they voted:

FIRST BALLOT

• Total votes — 1,699

• Greg Selinger — 612 – 36 per cent

• Theresa Oswald — 575 – 33.8 per cent

• Steve Ashton — 502 – 29.5 per cent

• Spoiled ballots — 10

SECOND BALLOT

• Total votes — 1,490

• Greg Selinger — 759 – 50.9 per cent

• Theresa Oswald — 726 – 48.7 per cent

• Spoiled ballots — 5

» Winnipeg Free Press