Brandon gears up for PC leadership debate

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This article was published 11/02/2025 (296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The contenders for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba make their way to Brandon later this month for the first of at least two political debates in the province.

Both PC candidates, Fort Whyte PC MLA Obby Khan and Churchill businessman Wally Daudrich, are attending the Brandon debate on Feb. 19.

However, you won’t get to see the political back and forth in the Wheat City in person without a party membership or a media pass. The debate will be open to current Progressive Conservative Party members, and those who have been a member in the past two years.

The decision to limit in-person attendees to party members is by design, Leadership Election Committee Chair Brad Zander said on Monday. But the debate will still open to the viewing public remotely.

“The debate is going to be available to watch online at pcmanitoba.com,” Zander said in an email. “So we do want all Manitobans to be able to see the debate. The debate will remain online after the debate so people can watch at their leisure.”

Zander said the leadership race is being held “within the party,” and the committee wanted to make sure that party members and recent former members will have priority attendance.

“This will help us manage the crowd size, attendance, room, etc.,” Zander said.

A second debate is expected to take place in Winnipeg in mid-March, although a specific date has yet to be finalized.

The committee is asking debate attendees to RSVP via the email debates@pcmanitoba.com. Attendees will be able to submit their own questions to the candidates.

When reached by phone, Khan said he was excited for the opportunity to get in front of Manitobans and party members to set himself apart from the Daudrich campaign.

“I’m looking forward to as many debates as we can get in there that are going to be sanctioned through the party,” Khan said.

Recent headlines in the news have been dominated in Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump and his threats of imposing 25 per cent economic tariffs on goods coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico.

In his conversation with the Sun, Khan expressed his support for federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call for dollar-for-dollar targeted retaliatory tariffs.

He also took aim at Manitoba’s NDP government, saying that Premier Wab Kinew needs to do a better job in standing up for Manitoba in the face of these economic threats.

“I think the current Manitoba government could have done more of a clear job standing up for Manitobans on these unjust tariffs,” Khan said. “I think that relationships with governors and those in Congress and the Senate need to be strengthened. I would have spent significant time on those relationships as well.

“What I’m committed to doing is unleashing this province economically, and until we do that, talk is cheap.

Attempts to reach Daudrich directly over the last several days were unsuccessful. However, Daudrich left a message for the Sun late Monday afternoon, saying it was time for the party to go in a different direction.

“Are we going to go down the same path, or are we going to do something different?” Daudrich said in a voicemail message on Monday. “I’m the candidate of doing something different. Something better. And I don’t want to do the same old thing that we’ve been doing for the last 20, 30 years.”

Zander said the debate will feature an emcee and a panel of questioners. As of Monday afternoon, the emcee and a majority of the panel had been selected, though Zander said two additional panelists were being finalized. He anticipated the panel being finalized and approved by Wednesday.

The leadership debate will take place at Brandon’s Display Building No. 2 (the Dome Building) starting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19.

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