Manitoba Progressive Conservatives choose Obby Khan as new party leader

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 6:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Manitoba Progressive Conservatives person narrowly selected Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan to service arsenic the party's caller leader.

After a six-month enactment contest, Khan defeated Wally Daudrich, who owns a edifice and ecotourism concern successful Churchill, successful a ballot conducted done mail-in ballots. Khan won 2,198 points successful the weighted ballot to Daudrich's 2,163, the Official Opposition enactment announced Saturday astatine the Radisson Hotel successful downtown Winnipeg.

Khan's triumph gave him 50.4 per cent of the disposable points.

The enactment contest was sparked erstwhile erstwhile Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson stepped down arsenic enactment leader in aboriginal 2024, months aft her PCs mislaid the autumn 2023 provincial predetermination to Wab Kinew's NDP.

Following her departure, the enactment appointed Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko arsenic interim person and decided connected a lengthy contention to prime a caller imperishable one.

The enactment gave prospective contestants six months to motion up for the contention and different six months to campaign, partially to debar a repetition of the party's disputed 2021 enactment race between Stefanson and erstwhile Conservative MP Shelly Glover.

Khan, who was archetypal elected to the Manitoba Legislature successful a 2022 byelection, was endorsed by 10 retired of 20 members of the PC caucus up of Saturday's vote.

During the lengthy enactment race, helium positioned himself arsenic amended capable to pb the absorption enactment retired of the political wilderness connected the ground helium already has a spot successful the legislature. 

Khan made fewer argumentation announcements during the campaign. He promised to pursue much public-private partnerships wrong the health-care strategy and supply municipalities with an undisclosed information of provincial income taxation revenue.

Daudrich, who plans to tally successful the forthcoming Manitoba byelection successful Spruce Woods, did not person endorsements from immoderate members of the PC caucus. Early successful the campaign, helium described immoderate PC MLAs arsenic lazy and but declined to name the elected officials successful question.

During the campaign, Daudrich positioned himself arsenic the much blimpish of the 2 candidates and mused astir removing the connection "progressive" from the enactment name.

Daudrich promised to fast-track the improvement of Manitoba mines and physique a 2nd larboard connected Hudson Bay, claiming European customers would ft the measure for the projected megaproject.

The Progressive Conservatives currently hold 20 seats successful the 57-seat Manitoba Legislature, portion the governing NDP holds 34.

More to come