Former Manitoba cabinet minister Erin Selby says NDP leadership race ‘likely’

Former Manitoba health minister Erin Selby says the NDP “will most likely be in a leadership race” following the party’s disappointing results in the 2016 provincial election.

Selby told Global News that in the wake of an election that saw PC Leader Brian Pallister and the Tories win a majority government, the NDP will have to start “building again.”

READ MORE: Manitoba Progressive Conservatives form majority government

“Starting tomorrow, we figure out what seats we have, which people are there, and start building again, and in terms of the grassroots, bringing people back together,” she said. “But also most likely we are going to be in a leadership, our second one in a year, and we’ll start talking about that as early as tomorrow.”

Late Tuesday night, NDP leader Greg Selinger announced he would resign as head of the party.

“Tonight, as we examine the results, I will and I have already, talked to the president of the party and I’ve offered my resignation,” Selinger told party supporters. “I do take responsibility for the election outcome. I will recommend they appoint an interim leader after tonight as we go forward.”

Selby was one of the ‘Rebel Five’, a group of ministers who challenged Premier Greg Selinger’s leadership last year and stepped down from cabinet. She supported another minister, Theresa Oswald, in a leadership contest that Selinger survived by just 33 votes.

READ MORE: Manitoba election results 2016: Click here for a riding-by-riding breakdown of the vote

Selby resigned her legislature seat in September to run for the federal NDP in St. Boniface-St. Vital, where she finished third.

Greg Selinger and his party were soundly defeated Tuesday by Brian Pallister and the Progressive Conservatives, marking the end of a 17-year NDP governance of the province.

Pallister was elected in his constituency of Fort Whyte, while Selinger also won his constituency of St. Boniface.

*With files from the Canadian Press