Brian Pallister has resigned from the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.
Pallister, who served as the province’s 22nd premier from 2016 until Sept. 21 of this year, said the announcement comes on the 10-year anniversary of his seeking the leadership of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Pallister said he was stepping down from his role as MLA for Fort Whyte, effective immediately.
Although the job of premier is currently being held by Kelvin Goertzen in an interim capacity, a permanent replacement will be chosen by the party at the end of this month.
The fact that both candidates — former MP Shelly Glover and MLA Heather Stefanson — are women is something Pallister said was a positive for the province in his statement.
“I leave my seat in the Legislative Assembly excited to see Manitoba on the eve of having our first woman as Premier. I am confident that they will continue to represent the principles and values of our party, and seize the opportunities to lead our province in post-pandemic recovery,” he said.
Although Pallister’s premiership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic fell under heavy criticism, he said he believes the preparations his government made before and during the crisis will result in Manitoba bouncing back well from the virus.
No announcement has been made about a byelection for Pallister’s vacated Fort Whyte seat.