Southeast MLAs appointed to shadow cabinet

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This article was published 29/10/2023 (614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One day after the swearing in ceremony for 22 PC MLAs at the Manitoba legislature on Monday, shadow cabinet positions were handed out and caucus officers named.

Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen was named the deputy leader, Springfield-Ritchot MLA Ron Schuler was selected as caucus chair and Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko was named caucus whip as well as receiving the shadow minister responsibilities for education and early childhood learning.

Additional responsibilities were assigned to Dawson Trail MLA Bob Lagasse who is the shadow minister for mental health and francophone affairs, Borderland MLA Josh Guenter who is the shadow minister for transportation and infrastructure as well as consumer protection and government services and La Verendrye MLA Konrad Narth who is shadow minister for sport, culture, heritage and tourism as well as Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

Deputy leader excited about his role

Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen has served as deputy leader in opposition before.

“It’s not a role that I’m unfamiliar with,” he said, adding this feels a little different because it’s a different time.

First elected 20 years ago, he’s one of the party’s longest serving MLAs, following Springfield-Ritchot MLA Ron Schuler and party leader Heather Stefanson.

That experience of being first elected into an opposition government has helped shape his reaction to this one, as he moderates his disappointment of being back in opposition with joy for the new MLAs.

“I wanted to be really strong in supporting the new MLAs because for them, it’s not so much a loss of government, it’s the excitement of being elected for the first time,” he said.

And it’s a large crop of newcomers to the PC caucus. Of the 22 PC MLAs elected, 10 are brand new to provincial government.

As deputy leader, Goertzen said he will spend time with new MLAs, have additional responsibilities if the leader is absent and give advice to the leader as needed.

He’s had many roles over the years, beginning with his very first posting as conservation critic in 2003 and even serving as interim premier. While he had trouble indicating his favourite post, Goertzen said being health minister was exciting because that portfolio places you at the centre of government.

“It’s the most challenging thing you will ever do in government,” he said.

Goertzen said his advice to new MLAs is not to solely focus on what the government is doing, although that’s obviously part of the job.

“I will encourage them to focus on the things that they can control in terms of their own work and preparation and meeting with Manitobans,” he said.

He added that while in opposition MLAs have more time to meet with stakeholders, constituents and other Manitobans and should take advantage of that.

He added that he’s excited about this term and the future that these new MLAs represent.

“They’ll form the core of another Progressive Conservative government whenever the electorate decides to give us that opportunity again,” he said.

Longest serving PC MLA

Springfield-Ritchot’s Ron Schuler is no stranger to Manitoba politics and is embarking on his seventh term. He shares that distinction with Heather Stefanson, but because Stefanson was first elected in a byelection, she has less time in government.

He said his 24 years in politics combined with Heather Stefanson and Kelvin Goertzen create a good base of institutional memory, something that helps guide the party.

Appointed as caucus chair in January, Schuler retains that role.

He also had the opportunity to chair the swearing in ceremony and said he’s pleased to see so many younger new MLAs.

“They bring a lot of youth and vitality,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”

Elected in 1999, Schuler was one of only four new PC members at that time.

Schuler takes a page out of the federal Conservative playbook when it comes to defining strong opposition.

He said when Justin Trudeau, who he sarcastically called “the god of the universe” was first elected, the country and media thought he could do no wrong. But he credits Rona Ambrose, at the time interim leader of the party as demonstrating strong leadership.

“The Conservatives went in with such discipline and focus, within four years they already had the god of the universe to a minority position and he never got out of that,” he said. “Eight years ago I couldn’t find anybody who didn’t vote for him. Today I can’t find anybody who did.”

Lessons can be learned from this, Schuler said.

“We need to be an opposition that’s focused, that’s disciplined, that talks about the things that matter,” he said.

Schuler said PC party members had yet to be assigned office space, tempering the complaint with acknowledgement that renovations at the legislature could be part of the reason.

But he wouldn’t let the NDP completely off the hook. “I hope they’re better at getting up and running at governing than they are at getting all of these other things done,” he said.

Schuler said while he’s been sworn in many times as MLA, there’s one feeling that remains, an overwhelming thankfulness to the voters who elected him.

“I always feel the same gratefulness and thankfulness every time,” he said.

An honour and a privilege

Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko was named caucus whip and shadow minister for education and early childhood learning.

The whip’s responsibility is to ensure the caucus moves forward as a team with legislative business during the session. This includes member participation in committee meetings, monitoring attendance and voting in the chamber, and allocating roles for speaking and debates.

His first time in the role, Ewasko said he’s excited.

“Being a member since 2011, I’m honoured to be given this position by our leader Heather Stefanson and I’ll do it to the best of my ability,” he said.

He added that the word “critic” doesn’t do his role justice.

“At the end of the day I know the technical political way of saying it is ‘critic of’ but I like to think of it as advocate,” he said.

Ewasko said the PC party made “a lot of inroads” in education and early childhood learning, and he’ll be watching closely to see what the NDP do.

He said despite the party’s status as opposition, being sworn in remains a great experience.

“It is an extreme honour and privilege to be elected and then reelected by your constituents for sure,” he said. “That excitement is definitely still there.”

“I’m a big believer in democracy and Manitobans chose us to be the opposition, wo we’re going to do that to the best of our ability,” he added.