Manitoba Progressive Conservative MLA Konrad Narth in Winnipeg on Tuesday.David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press
Konrad Narth took the reins as interim leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives on Tuesday, while the former party leader accused him of hosting caucus conspirators.
Narth was selected in a closed-door caucus session in the morning, and soon after the house resumed work for the new legislature sitting.
He stood in the chamber and received applause from fellow Tory members as he made his first comments in the top job.
“PCs are optimistic,” Narth said. “We’re united, and we’re moving forward for all Manitobans.”
The former leader, Obby Khan, was not in attendance.
Earlier, Narth told reporters that the Tory caucus is focused. “We’re not fractured,” he said.
“There’s optimism.
“Everyone’s committed to, again, putting anything personal or emotional aside and getting down to business representing the people who’ve selected us.”
The members of Manitoba's Progressive Conservative caucus have chosen a new interim leader. Konrad Narth, who represents La Vérendrye in the province's southeast, says the party is united and will select a new leader at a later date.
The Canadian Press
Narth, first elected in 2023, said the party would select a new permanent leader at a later date and that he has no plans to run for the leadership on a permanent basis.
He represents La Vérendrye in the province’s southeast.
Narth was chosen a day after Khan abruptly quit the top job – and the caucus. Khan cited caucus turmoil, infighting and intrigue and said he would sit as an Independent.
Khan said he made the decision after he received 13 of 19 votes in a caucus confidence vote Friday only to learn that some members continued to plot against him.
He said Tuesday that it was legislator Jodie Byram who moved and seconded the confidence vote, while legislators Kathleen Cook, Carrie Hiebert and Lauren Stone said they would vote against him.
Khan said it was important that constituents know the moral compass of the people they’re electing, and questioned the integrity of members who didn’t respect the results of the caucus vote.
“These are individuals who I did call my friends, and I did call my supporters and I was prepared to go to war with for a better Manitoba. And now, you know, that’s clearly not the case.”
He also noted that Monday’s meeting to plot against him happened at Narth’s house.
“They continued to work behind closed doors and in secrecy, and had a meeting last night where MLA Narth was hosting it, and in secrecy, not inviting all the members of the caucus, and, now, shockingly, he’s the interim leader of the party.”
Narth declined to get into the specifics of any caucus meetings, but told reporters, “For sure not there was no efforts to overthrow the leader (and) definitely no efforts by me to overthrow the leader.”
He said he was surprised at Khan’s decision to resign but that declining support in recent public opinion polls was telling.
“Possibly some of the writing was on the wall,” he said.
Khan had been in the job for 1 1/2 years.
Manitoba PC Leader Obby Khan resigns, cites internal party fighting
The Tories now find themselves without a permanent leader with the next scheduled provincial election a little over a year away, on Oct. 5, 2027.
Narth said he’s committed to leading the party through an election if a new leader isn’t in place before then.
He said he’s not expecting a sharp change in policy but said the party has to show it’s focused on core issues like rising costs, crime and health care.
“Affordability is becoming further and further out of reach for each and every Manitoban, and yet our popularity in the polls has slipped. That’s concerning,” Narth said.
Narth takes the helm of the party as a first-term legislature member, but he was an early entrant to politics.
From Zhoda, Man., he was elected at age 23 to municipal council, where he served for 12 years before moving up to the legislature.
He’s leading the Tories with 19 seats in the house, compared with 34 for Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP, one Liberal and, with Khan, three Independents.
NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine, asked about the Tories’ leadership issue, told reporters they are focused on their own priorities.
“It’s not my business what’s going on in the PC caucus,” Fontaine said.
“They need to figure themselves out.”