Former cabinet minister won’t seek re-election

WINNIPEG — Kelvin Goertzen, a veteran Manitoba politician who briefly served as premier, has announced he will not run in the next election.

Goertzen, 56, said after 22 years in the legislature, he wants to clear the way for someone else, and announcing his intentions now gives prospective candidates time to prepare.

“It really was about giving the party and the local (constituency) association time to work through a nomination process, and to also give sort of advance notice for those who might be looking to run,” Goertzen said in an interview Wednesday.

The timing also coincides with the completion of some key projects in his area, including hospital and highway upgrades, he said.

Goertzen has represented the Steinbach constituency, southeast of Winnipeg, for 22 years. He plans to stay on until the next election, slated for Oct. 5, 2027.

Goertzen is known for his debating skills and served primarily as justice critic for the Progressive Conservatives until 2016, when the party formed government.

On the government side, he served in key cabinet roles, including health, education, justice and deputy premier. When Premier Brian Pallister resigned in 2021, Goertzen was chosen by the Tory caucus as interim party leader and premier, serving for two months until party members elected Heather Stefanson.

“He’s been the person the party has turned to when there’s been an important need,” Christopher Adams, adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba, said.

“His name always would come up when the leadership was up for a race and he always begged off, which I always attributed to priority of family and not being someone who is really seeking the limelight.”

During his brief time in the premier’s chair, Goertzen withdrew five bills that had stirred up controversy under Pallister, including one that would have eliminated most elected school boards.

Goertzen is the second Tory to announce in recent weeks he will not seek re-election. Doyle Piwniuk, in the Turtle Mountain constituency, announced last month he is also planning to exit political life.

The Tories are working to rebuild after losing the 2023 election. Opinion polls suggest they remain well behind the governing New Democrats. The NDP has also been raising a lot more money since the vote.

Goertzen said the Tories rebuilt after losing office in 1999, and he expressed confidence in Obby Khan, who took over the party helm in April.

“I can see optimism in how things are changing and how we’re heading in the right direction.”

Khan paid tribute to Goertzen’s experience.

“I revere Kelvin’s counsel. His insight and understanding of the political landscape are unparalleled,” Khan said in a press release.

Khan also said the Tories are preparing for the possibility of an early election, which Premier Wab Kinew has floated.

“Part of that process is determining which (legislature members) are going to fight an election campaign and serve Manitobans for another four years in an election that could come as early as the spring,” Khan said.

Goertzen said he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife and son.

“By the time the next election comes around, I will have served about 24 years in the Manitoba legislature. The way our laws are in our country, if you murder somebody you get 25 years. So I think I can probably get paroled out of the legislature at 24 years,” he joked.

» The Canadian Press