Shelly Glover supporters protest 'unfair' leadership race

Dozens of Shelly Glover supporters gathered outside Manitoba's Progressive Conservative headquarters on Sunday to protest what they call an unfair election.

A day earlier, premier-designate Heather Stefanson won the party leadership race that decided who will become Manitoba's next premier, coming out ahead of former MP Glover by 363 votes.

Stefanson's victory came amid an ongoing controversy surrounding missing ballots, after at least 1,200 party members said they didn't get their mail-in ballots days before the vote.

That included Leah Wiebe, who said she voted for Glover but forgot to include ID when she mailed her ballot in about three weeks ago. 

Wiebe, who is from the rural municipality of La Broquerie in southern Manitoba, said she was first promised a new ballot that never arrived in the mail.

She said she was then told to drive to locations in Winnipeg and Oakbank for a ballot that didn't end up being there, either.

"I have no idea where this ballot is that I've asked for three times now," Wiebe said at the rally Sunday, where about 60 people were in attendance outside the Kennedy Street building.

"A person shouldn't have to come to Winnipeg two or three times to have to get a ballot that's not there. It's ridiculous."

She said she's not sure exactly where all the confusion around the voting process stems from.

But she thinks the party should either do a recount or another voting process where it makes sure everyone who's entitled to cast a ballot gets the chance to.

"They're not paying attention or they don't care, I don't know," Wiebe said.

"I think it's very unfair to Shelly.… The votes that are out there somewhere could have been all votes for her."

She said she feels the process is being rushed and she doesn't understand why.

The party has so far brushed aside concerns about the missing ballots.

Meanwhile, the campaign for Glover — who has still refused to concede — would not comment on the rally on Sunday.

Party member Todd Dube was also among those gathered outside the party's headquarters, using a microphone to address other protestors holding signs that bore phrases like "dirty party politics" and "give our voices back now."

"We're here to call for truth and transparency and accountability from the party. If the party is not accountable to its members, then who are they accountable to, exactly?" Dube said.

"It's a pretty basic question and it deserves a pretty basic answer."

He said he too is hoping to push the party to take another look at the vote tally announced Saturday — especially because the margin between the two candidates was so thin.

"[It was] the difference between winning and losing, is what it was," Dube said.

"We're looking for a proper election process, one that has some credibility, because this one from beginning to end did not."