A third candidate is officially vying to become the next leader of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives and premier of the province.
Backbencher Shannon Martin launched his campaign at Bayview Construction Monday afternoon, where he voiced support for advancing Indigenous reconciliation and focusing on climate change and mental health issues. The PC leadership hopeful also backed Manitoba’s public health officials in setting vaccine mandates along with opposing the now-scrapped Bill 64, which had outlined education reform.
Martin said he believes all the candidates should be showing leadership and sharing their vision.
“I am offering a pragmatic approach to leadership,” he told reporters after his speech.
“As a government, we have not always been there for you when we should have,” Martin said at the event, adding they hadn’t always consulted before making important decisions or listened to requests for help. “I’m here today to tell you that that will change and we’re going to do better.”
First elected to the legislature in 2014, now McPhillips MLA Martin has thrown his name into the leadership race, following former provincial health minister Heather Stefanson and former MP Shelly Glover, who also previously worked with the Winnipeg Police Service.
As the new premier, Martin said Indigenous reconciliation would become his top priority.
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“It is not for me to define what reconciliation looks like to Indigenous communities, but it is my commitment to work with the leadership of those communities to seek those solutions,” he said.
Martin said he’d already reached out to Manitoba’s Indigenous leaders to express his commitment and willingness to work with them.
The PC leadership hopeful also said he’d work to expand mental health services for children and youth in schools by hiring more counsellors along with immediately looking into the option of setting up a low-barrier, supervised consumption site in Winnipeg, to which former premier Brian Pallister had vocally expressed opposition in the past.
“We have to set aside ideology to ensure Manitobans get the support they need to overcome their addiction challenges,” Martin said. “If safe consumption sites save lives, we can no longer afford to wait.”
“I do believe at times, certain issues were looked at or disregarded for ideological reasons,” he said. “That’s not who I am as a leader. I am prepared to look at solutions in a pragmatic way.”
Martin pledged to address the province’s climate resiliency in the form of developing a water retention strategy, enhancing rebates and expanding incentives to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and funding flood mitigation infrastructure. The PC leadership hopeful also expressed interest in moving past the carbon tax debate.
“We can’t waste time on court battles with the federal government when we have work to do protect our climate and our future,” Martin said.
He said he’d fund better ventilation for public schools and tackle issues plaguing the health care system such as the nursing shortage and surgical backlogs, along with supporting COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“Whether it’s wanting to go to Bomber game, you know, whether it’s wanting to go to a concert, whether it’s wanting to go to a restaurant, these kind of incentives have been proven to work, and I’m confident they’ll continue to work, but it’s also going to take outreach,” Martin said.
Glover, however, made news Friday by suggesting she’d review how the government decided to require people to be vaccinated to enter restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.
She has also indicated she opposes COVID-19 vaccine mandates in workplaces.
Stefanson, however, appears to have strong support from within the legislature — with 24 of her fellow PC MLAs supporting the initial announcement of her candidacy.
The deadline to enter the race is Wednesday, and party members will vote Oct. 30 by mail-in ballot for the new PC leader and Manitoba’s next premier.
The province’s top job is being held by MLA Kelvin Goertzen in an interim capacity, following the departure of embattled premier Brian Pallister.
—With files from The Canadian Press
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