Manitoba PC Leader Obby Khan stepping down over internal fighting in party

The leader of Manitoba’s Opposition not only quit the top job Monday, he quit the entire Progressive Conservative caucus, leaving it in disarray on the eve of a new sitting.

Obby Khan fought back tears as he stood in his legislature office and said internal fighting and feuding had taken an intolerable toll.

Khan said he’ll sit as an Independent effective Tuesday, just as the provincial legislature is set to return.

“I want nothing more than to keep fighting for the people of this province and for a better Manitoba, but I will not fight my own party or caucus,” Khan said.

He said that despite winning a caucus confidence vote Friday by more than two-to-one, a minority of members lacking “moral integrity” have since been working to undermine his leadership.

He said he didn’t want internal divisions to be a distraction in the months ahead. “I will not sacrifice my principles to keep this title.”

Once Khan leaves, the PCs will have 19 seats in the 57-seat legislature. Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP will have 34 and the Liberals one. There will be three Independents.

The next general election is slated a year from now, in October 2027.

The Tory caucus didn’t immediately say who would lead them in the house as of Tuesday.

“Our caucus will be meeting in the morning,” Josh Guenter, the deputy caucus chair, said in a statement.

The party, in a two-line statement, acknowledged Khan’s departure. “The PC Party Board will meet to begin the process of selecting a new leader,” it said.

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Kinew’s office said he had no comment on Khan’s announcement.

The Tory caucus and party have been navigating difficult waters. Polling shows Kinew continues to see strong support while Khan’s ratings have slipped.

Internal turmoil came to a head Friday, when Stephen Carter announced he had quit as the PC party’s campaign director and Khan’s leadership was put to a caucus confidence vote.

Khan said the vote was 13 for him to remain and six against, with one person absent.

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Khan, 45, is a former CFL football player who played nine seasons with the Ottawa Renegades, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders.

He has been in politics for 4 1/2 years.

He won a seat in a provincial byelection in the Fort Whyte constituency in Winnipeg in March 2022.

A year later, as sport minister, he crossed swords with Kinew, who was then the Opposition leader. Khan accused Kinew of swearing at him and shoving him during a public event at the legislature marking Turban Day. Kinew denied it.

The PCs lost the general election that year to Kinew’s NDP.

In April 2025, Khan ran for party leadership, narrowly defeating rival Wally Daudrich, and called for party unity.

Khan had some messes to clean up.

Two weeks later, in his first legislature speech as leader, he apologized for the party’s 2023 election campaign ads that promoted the former government’s decision not to search a landfill for the remains of murder victims Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

Khan also conceded that Tory fundraising was badly trailing the NDP.

He stripped PC legislature member Jeff Wharton of his critic duties, after the ethics commissioner found that Wharton, former premier Heather Stefanson and former deputy premier Cliff Cullen violated conflict-of-interest rules in connection with a proposed silica sand mine after the Tories lost the 2023 election.

In June of last year,  Khan faced internal criticism after he agreed to help speed passage of the NDP government’s free trade bill, saying the tariff fight with the United States required unity.

In October, Khan apologized in the legislature after cameras caught him making a gesture in question period that mimicked shooting himself in the head while Education Minister Tracy Schmidt was answering a question.

The problems continued into the new year.

In January, Khan said the PCs suspended regional director Patrick Allard’s board position and party membership. Allard had posted a message that appeared supportive of ICE, the U.S. immigration enforcement agency.

Khan told reporters, “This party does not stand for hate, does not stand for division like that.”

In March, the PCs lost a seat when three-term legislature member Bob Lagasse left the caucus to sit as an Independent. Lagasse cited concerns including the party’s handling of the silica mine ethics report and Khan’s gun gesture in the legislature.

By the end of last week, as the polls and fundraising continued to lag, events moved quickly. Carter announced he was quitting and caucus voted on Khan’s leadership.

By Monday, it was over.