PC leader accuses Manitoba premier of dragging feet on Spruce Woods byelection

Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan says Premier Wab Kinew is dragging his feet on calling a byelection in Spruce Woods, which has been without an MLA since March.

The southwestern Manitoba constituency has had no representation since former PC MLA Grant Jackson resigned on March 24 to run in April's federal election.

Jackson is now the Conservative MP for Brandon-Souris, and the PCs have nominated party volunteer Colleen Robbins to run in a Spruce Woods byelection that must be held by Sept. 24.

In a letter to Kinew on Tuesday, Khan requested the premier call this byelection as soon as possible.

"Summer is an important time in rural constituencies full of fairs, festivals and events, and whomever should be elected to represent Spruce Woods deserves this opportunity to engage with their constituents," Khan wrote.

Khan said Kinew made relatively quick byelection calls following the resignation of PC MLA Heather Stefanson in Tuxedo and the death of NDP MLA Nello Altomare in Transcona.

The Tuxedo byelection, which was won by the NDP's Carla Compton, was held 43 days after Stefanson resigned, while the Transcona byelection, which Shannon Corbett won for the NDP, was held within 63 days of Altomare's death, Khan noted.

"It's clear … [Kinew] thought he had a chance to win Tuxedo, so he called it early. He thought he had a chance of winning Transcona, so he called it early. Now, this is going to be more than 120 days," Khan said in an interview.

The Opposition leader accused the premier of holding off on making the call because Spruce Woods is a conservative constituency, where the NDP is unlikely to be competitive. 

No party other than the PCs has won the southwestern Manitoba constituency since it was created in 2011. Former MLAs Jackson and Cliff Cullen won more than 60 per cent of the vote in the constituency in each of the four provincial elections held over the past 14 years.

"It's clear that Kinew is avoiding it. He doesn't want to call it," Khan said. "He wants to drag it on as long as possible, which is not fair to the Manitobans in any constituency."

Ryan Stelter, a spokesperson for Kinew, said in a statement the Spruce Woods byelection "will be called in due course according to the normal timeline."

That means ensuring a vote takes place before the six-month deadline for a Spruce Woods byelection, he said, which makes Sept. 24 the latest possible date for the byelection.

The NDP has not declared a nominee for Spruce Woods. The Liberal Party has nominated educator Stephen Reid as its candidate. PC nominee Robbins has been endorsed by former MLA Jackson.