Stephen Fletcher plans to take over Manitoba Party

5 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2018-09-11 18:01

jerrym

Manitoba MLA and former federal cabinet minister Steven Fletcher is planning to take the reins of The Manitoba Party, after finding himself on bad terms with the federal and provincial Conservatives.

This comes just a few weeks after Quebec MP Maxime Bernier quit the Conservatives, saying he plans to start his own political party. Fletcher said he thought about joining Bernier’s new party, but now hopes The Manitoba Party will become its provincial sister instead.

Fletcher said he’s going to run a “serious” party that will include candidates from the 57 Manitoba ridings in the 2020 provincial election.

In past elections groups have used The Manitoba Party name, but Fletcher notes that no one previously involved in the party is still active.

Elections Manitoba confirmed a change of leadership in The Manitoba Party, but party board members said they were unaware of Fletcher’s plans.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/steven-fletcher-planning-to-become-leader-of...

Tue, 2018-09-11 21:06

jerrym

Fletcher says he considered joining Bernier's party but now hopes to make the Manitoba Party the provincial branch of Bernier's federal party. Why be an underling when you can be the boss (assuming there is someone to follow you)?

Steven Fletcher is planning to take over the leadership of the Manitoba Party after finding himself on the outs with the federal and provincial Tories.

He ran for the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives after losing his federal seat and won in 2016, but a year later was booted out of that caucus for publicly breaking with the party on a number of policies, including voting against a bill to create a Crown corporation on energy efficiency.

Fletcher says he considered joining Bernier's promised party when the maverick Quebec MP left the federal Conservatives last month, but instead hopes the Manitoba Party may one day become the provincial sister to Bernier's political movement. ...

Fletcher is vowing to run a "serious" party with candidates in all 57 Manitoba ridings in the 2020 provincial election.

Various groups have used the Manitoba Party moniker in past elections, but Fletcher says no one previously active in the party is still involved in its operations.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/steven-fletcher-leader-manitoba-...

Tue, 2018-09-11 20:32

Misfit

Oh dear! That will only take votes away from the provincial Progressive Conservatives.

He sounds to me to be another Emery.

And Bernier can call his national party the Canada Party.

Tue, 2018-09-11 20:32

Misfit

Oh dear! That will only take votes away from the provincial Progressive Conservatives.

He sounds to me to be another Emery.

And Bernier can call his national party the Canada Party.

Thu, 2018-09-13 19:51

jerrym

Fletcher has said the main focus of the party will be fighting the Conservatives $25-a-tonne flat carbon tax.

Depsite Fletcher saying he wants the Manitoba Party to be the provincial branch of Bernier's new party, Martin Masse, Bernier’s main organizer, said they wish Mr. Fletcher well, but have no intention of having a provincial wing of their new party.

The only other Independent in the Manitoba legislature, Mohinder Saran, said on Tuesday he would not be joining Mr. Fletcher’s party.

Mr. Fletcher has repeatedly slammed a carbon tax as bad public policy, a stance that is in line with the federal Conservatives. However, the federal party decided over the summer not to allow Mr. Fletcher to run for them again in the next election.

After the rejection, Mr. Fletcher said he considered joining the party Mr. Bernier has vowed to create in the wake of his high-profile, and acrimonious split from the federal Tories last month. For now, he is staying in provincial politics.

“I don’t know what Maxime is doing, but depending on what he has to say when he launches his party, we may be the sister to his party,” Mr. Fletcher said.

Mr. Fletcher is promising to run candidates in all 57 Manitoba ridings in the 2020 provincial election. A new website is up, he has brochures and buttons and said he intends to officially launch the party before the legislature resumes sitting in early October.

Various groups have used the Manitoba Party moniker in past elections, but Mr. Fletcher said no one previously active in the party is still involved in its operations.

Mr. Fletcher’s power grab has left some of the party’s former board confused.

Board member Wayne Sturby, who ran as a candidate for the party in 2016, said no one he has talked to is aware of Mr. Fletcher’s move to become leader. The board last met in June, he said, and there was no talk of Mr. Fletcher joining or taking over leadership of the party.

“It comes as quite a surprise to me,” Mr. Sturby said, after seeing the revamped web site with Mr. Fletcher’s name on it. “That is an absolute mystery.”

Mr. Fletcher said he has followed all the required provincial election rules and left it to Elections Manitoba to clear up the confusion.

Elections Manitoba confirmed a change of leadership at the party, but refused to say who the new board members are or who signed the required documents.

Mr. Fletcher also refused to release any documentation behind his leadership takeover because he said it is not normal for parties to publicly release internal documents.

One way to change leaders under Manitoba’s Election Financing Act is to have the outgoing leader and the party president simply sign a form notifying Elections Manitoba of the change.

The Manitoba Party ran 16 candidates in the 2016 provincial election under Gary Marshall, who was listed as leader as late as Tuesday morning, and did not come close to winning a seat.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ousted-tory-mla-steven-fl...