A new interim leader for the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party was named on Thursday.
MLA Wayne Ewasko was tapped for the party’s top spot and will remain so until the PCs hold a leadership convention in the fall. In his role, Ewasko will also serve as interim leader of the official opposition.
He was first elected in 2011, in the Lac Du Bonnet constituency northeast of Winnipeg. He also served as education minister before the PCs were defeated in last year’s election.
“I want to thank Heather Stefanson for her service as leader of our party and premier of Manitoba over the past several years,” Ewasko said, in a release by the PCs on Thursday. “I look forward to continuing to work with our entire team of new and returning MLAs as we move forward with our party’s leadership contest and help guide a positive path and vision for the long term.
Ewasko said he will be meeting with caucus members in the coming days. Parliament is set to return for the spring legislative session on March 6.
“In the spring legislative session, Progressive Conservatives will continue to serve as an effective opposition by putting the priorities of all Manitobans first,” Ewasko said.
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The announcement comes days after former leader Heather Stefanson resigned on Jan. 15. She had announced her resignation after her party lost the Oct. 3 provincial election.
Tory delegates approved new rules for their leadership contests last weekend, including allowing for electronic voting instead of mail-in ballots.
Another change will be a new point system with a sliding scale that caps the influence of constituencies with large membership numbers.
— With files from The Canadian Press.