Former Manitoba PC leadership candidate Shelly Glover working to form new right-of-centre party

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Former Conservative MP Shelly Glover, who came wrong 373 votes of becoming Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party person and premier successful 2021, says she's trying to signifier a caller right-of-centre alternate to the Manitoba Tories.

Glover said she's working with respective radical to signifier a caller blimpish enactment due to the fact that the PCs can't shed the governmental baggage incurred by the former PC authorities erstwhile it refused to hunt the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of 2 murdered First Nations women — and past campaigned for re-election connected a committedness to treble down connected that refusal.

"There are galore of america looking astatine forming a caller party," Glover said Tuesday successful an interrogation from Brownsville, Texas.

"I bash not judge that this enactment tin recover. It certainly doesn't correspond the blimpish principles, values and ethics that I clasp dear, and I powerfully judge that we should beryllium moving guardant nether a different enactment sanction and a antithetic leadership."

The retired Winnipeg constabulary officer, who served 2 presumption arsenic the Conservative subordinate of Parliament for the Winnipeg riding of Saint Boniface, ran for enactment of the Manitoba PCs in 2021, pursuing the resignation of past premier Brian Pallister. 

Glover contested her constrictive nonaccomplishment successful that contention to Heather Stefanson and launched a tribunal combat to person the results thrown retired connected the ground of irregularities successful the contest. 

Justice James Edmond declined to overturn the election because helium said Glover could not show the irregularities were important capable to impact the outcome.

Glover nevertheless remained a PC subordinate until the 2023 provincial election, during which Stefanson's PCs ran ads promising to "stand firm" against immoderate unit to hunt a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of execution victims Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

"I firmly discontinue and cancelled my rank with the PC Party of Manitoba when I archetypal saw the ads," said Glover, adding she besides applied to unpaid her services to search for the remains of Harris and Myran.

Glover said she was relieved when Stefanson's successor, interim PC Leader Wayne Ewasko, made an unconditional apology successful the legislature past week for his government's refusal to hunt the landfill.

"Our authorities erred. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that," Ewasko said during question play connected March 5.

Ewasko made the apology 1 week aft the announcement hunt of the Prairie Green landfill, initiated by Premier Wab Kinew's NDP government, had recovered quality remains. On Friday night, the state said 2 sets of remains had been found, one of which was identified arsenic belonging to Harris. The different has yet to beryllium identified.

Glover said she was waiting for that apology and was arrogant of Ewasko for issuing it, but recovered it "repugnant" that PC enactment campaigner Obby Khan — 1 of 2 radical moving to regenerate Stefanson — declined to enactment Ewasko's declaration the erstwhile authorities erred by refusing to hunt the landfill.

"I deliberation the determination that was made astatine the clip was based connected the accusation that was presented astatine that time," Khan said successful an interrogation past Friday, hours before Manitoba RCMP confirmed 1 acceptable of remains belonged to Harris.

Khan also said the party's messaging and connection astir its landfill determination lacked empathy and compassion.

No plans to question office: Glover

In a Facebook station connected Monday, Glover accused Khan of pouring brackish successful the wounds of the execution victims' families and said conservatives should "distance themselves acold far distant from thing connected" to the Manitoba PCs.

"It conscionable puts different achromatic people connected this PC enactment of Manitoba," Glover said successful an interview.

Kinew, meanwhile, said during question play connected Tuesday that helium believes Khan's governmental vocation should beryllium over.

Glover said she is not supporting immoderate campaigner successful the PC enactment race. She said she besides is not impressed by the contention of Khan's rival, Wally Daudrich, that helium would person supported a landfill hunt but would person sought firm enactment to wage for it.

"To accidental it's excessively costly to prehend grounds successful a horrific murder, to me that is not thing that I hold with," Glover said. "The infinitesimal we commencement to accidental it's excessively costly to look for grounds and seize evidence, past we fto the atrocious guys win."

Glover said she volition not uncover who other is progressive successful her efforts to signifier a caller right-of-centre governmental enactment successful Manitoba until the PC enactment contention concludes. She suggested successful her Facebook station it whitethorn beryllium called the Manitoba Conservative Party.

Glover besides said she volition not beryllium the look of the caller enactment oregon question elected bureau again.

"Those days are done for me," she said.

There already was another right-of-centre political party successful Manitoba progressive successful the astir caller provincial election. The Keystone Party fielded candidates successful 5 constituencies successful the 2023 and finished 3rd successful each of those races.

Keystone Leader Kevin Friesen said Tuesday he is alert of Glover's efforts to signifier a caller enactment but is not straight progressive successful those discussions.

The president of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, said helium does not enactment the instauration of yet different caller blimpish party.

A schism connected the close of the governmental spectrum would only benefit the New Democratic Party, Brent Pooles said.

"So they're going to instrumentality their marbles and spell home. They're conscionable going to divided the vote, if they get any traction astatine all," Pooles said Tuesday successful an interrogation from Scottsdale, Ariz.

Pooles besides said helium was pleased to spot Ewasko apologize past week and repeated his contention the 2023 PC predetermination ads were "disgusting."