Former premier Brian Pallister reflects on political life as his portrait is revealed

WINNIPEG – Former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister, who won two consecutive majority governments and led the province during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was lauded by friends and colleagues Thursday night as his official portrait was unveiled at the legislature.

The painting by Canadian artist Andrew Valko shows Pallister standing by the Assiniboine River near the community of High Bluff outside Portage la Prairie, with a sunset in the distance.

The painting is the first official portrait of a Manitoba premier set outdoors, Pallister said, and the river holds special significance.

“The Assiniboine is very near and dear to me because … it embraces Winnipeg, Portage and Brandon — the three communities where I’ve lived and where I studied, where I built my businesses and where I represented people in politics,” Pallister told reporters.

Now 71, Pallister said retirement was a big change from the hectic pace of the premier’s office. He’s learned to enjoy the slower pace and spends more time with family, reading history books and travelling.

“It’s like getting off a 150-mile-an-hour train and jumping on some solid land and hoping you land with equilibrium and balance.”

Pallister served in provincial and federal politics for three decades, and was premier from 2016 to 2021. He won two consecutive majority governments — his first was a modern-day record with 40 of the 57 legislature seats — and he fulfilled promises to lower taxes and reduce the deficit after the province suffered downgrades from credit-rating agencies.

Pallister signed trade deals with other provinces and focused on attracting more investment and creating jobs. He faced controversy over changes to the health-care system that included closing emergency rooms at some Winnipeg hospitals.

His Progressive Conservatives fell sharply in opinion polls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health-care system was at times overwhelmed and Manitoba was the first province that needed to send intensive care patients out of province for care. Restrictions on public gatherings, store openings and other items met with opposition, both from people who opposed the rules and those who wanted them tightened.

He left in the middle of his second term.

Pallister reflected on the pandemic Thursday, saying it was a challenging situation with little agreement among the public on how to handle it.

“Everybody had opinions, and when you’re in stress, of course those opinions can be very emotional … ‘too soon, too late, too much, not enough.’ Everybody has an opinion.

“I would say to Manitobans thank you for your efforts because we saved lives. We saved lives together.” 

Kelvin Goertzen, a veteran politician who succeeded Pallister in the premier’s chair, said Pallister showed leadership in difficult times.

“Always a strong leader, always determined, clear vision, knew what he wanted to achieve,” Goertzen said.

“He equated (the pandemic) to war and I think that’s probably right, because it felt like every day, you’re making decisions that you knew were impacting so many people … there was no sort of right path or playbook. But Brian, each and every day, came into cabinet … and had optimism and always clearly said that we were doing this to try to help people, that we were going to get through it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.