Khan quits as Tory leader, leaves caucus

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s Leader of the Opposition is stepping down.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan announced late Monday afternoon he is quitting caucus and will sit in the legislature as an independent MLA, effective today.

He cited internal party fighting for his decision.

The former Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman survived a caucus confidence vote Friday. He said there were 13 votes for him to remain and six against, with one person absent.

Caucus communications director Alison Sutherland said earlier Monday that Khan still had “the full confidence” of the caucus.

An emotional Khan, who frequently paused to compose himself during the announcement in the opposition leader’s office at the legislature, said he became aware party members were going to meet in secret Monday night to subvert that confidence and he wouldn’t sacrifice his principles to stay.

“I am not leaving because I lost the confidence of caucus,” he said. “I won that more than two to one. I’m not leaving because I’m unwilling to fight. I have spent my life fighting for things I believe in. I am making this decision because I will not allow a fight for a title to take precedence over my responsibility to Manitobans and compromise my personal integrity,” he said during a 20-minute address, after which he took no questions from reporters.

“Leadership requires listening, but it also requires knowing when internal conflict has begun to overshadow the work people have elected us to do. I have heard criticism of some of the choices I made as leader, including whom I entrusted with responsibilities in various roles.”

Khan said he will continue to serve his constituents in Fort Whyte, where he won a byelection in 2022 to replace former premier Brian Pallister after he resigned his seat.

He said he made history by becoming the first Muslim to win a seat in the legislature. He narrowly won the leadership in April 2025, defeating right-wing populist Wally Daudrich with fewer votes, thanks to a weighted balloting system.

It was not clear Monday night who would serve as acting PC leader on the opposition front bench when the legislative session resumes Tuesday.

Khan thanked caucus members who supported him, including Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach), Ron Schuler (Springfield-Ritchot), Rick Wowchuck (Swan River), Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain), Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli) , Trevor King (Lakeside) and Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods).

The party has floundered under Khan’s leadership, a recent poll suggests.

The quarterly Winnipeg Free Press-Abacus Data poll shows the Tories have lost ground while support for Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP climbed to its highest level yet.

Kinew’s personal approval rating increased five percentage points to 68 per cent year-over-year. Khan’s rating fell three points, to 31 per cent.

With a looming election, which must be held by Oct. 5, 2027, nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of those surveyed said they would vote for the New Democrats and 29 per cent said they would back the Khan-led Progressive Conservatives.

The timing of the leadership confidence vote came as no surprise to one political analyst.

“This is not unusual for a leader to have to defend him or herself when the polls are tanking,” University of Manitoba adjunct political studies Prof. Christopher Adams said.

“When your numbers are tanking, and you’re a sitting MLA and you’re looking around (wondering), ‘Well, which of us is going to survive the next election, and can we do it with this person?’”

Adams said there’s no obvious successor waiting in the wings to replace Khan. Daudrich quit the party and ran unsuccessfully as a Keystone party candidate in the summer byelection in The Pas-Kameesak.

“Is there somebody else in the caucus that’s sort of scheming to take over?” Adams asked. “I don’t know, but it’s possible.”

After Friday’s vote, Manitoba PC campaign director Stephen Carter posted on social media that he had resigned. The Calgary-based president of Decide Campaigns said he resigned because he lacked confidence in the direction the party was headed.

“That was an indication to me that I was not going to be able to be successful,” Carter told the Free Press Monday.

“I think that one of the things that I pride myself in is running clean campaigns where we know very clearly what it is we’re all trying to achieve and we all have the same direction, and I was unable to achieve that.”

The political strategist played a role in the rise of former Calgary mayors Naheed Nenshi and Jyoti Gondek and former Alberta premier Alison Redford.

“I said at the very beginning when I joined (the Manitoba organization) that I thought that there was a path (to winning), but the path was very clearly evaporating,” Carter said.

Kinew was asked about the PC caucus confidence vote at an unrelated event Monday before Khan announced his resignation.

“While they’re focused on their own internal whatever, we’re focused on trying to save you money,” the premier told reporters.

Khan’s departure did not come as a complete surprise, Paul Thomas, University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus, said Monday evening.

“Support for his leadership was never strong within caucus, within the party at large or among voters,” Thomas said.

“There is a close relationship between electability and caucus. Khan was seen as a liability in terms of delivering electoral success.”

» Winnipeg Free Press