Khan goes independent after leaving PCs, Narth takes leadership role

Progressive Conservative leader Obby Khan quit his party on Monday citing in-fighting with party members as the reason.

“I am not leaving because I lost the confidence of caucus,” he told reporters outside the Opposition leader’s office at the legislature. “I won that more than two to one. I’m not leaving because I’m unwilling to fight. I have spent my life fighting for things I believe in. I am making this decision because I will not allow a fight for a title to take precedence over my responsibility to Manitobans and compromise my personal integrity,” he said during a 20-minute address, after which he took no questions from reporters.

Khan survived a confidence vote on Friday with 13 votes to six. Despite this, the former Winnipeg Blue Bomber decided to step down as he learned that party members were meeting Monday night to subvert that confidence vote and he wasn’t going to sacrifice his principles to stay.

“Leadership requires listening, but it also requires knowing when internal conflict has begun to overshadow the work people have elected us to do. I have heard criticism of some of the choices I made as leader, including whom I entrusted with responsibilities in various roles,” he told reporters.

Khan will stay as an independent MLA for Fort Whyte, where he won the byelection in 2022 after former Premier Brian Pallister gave up his seat.

Khan thanked caucus members who supported him, including Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen and Springfield-Ritchot MLA Ron Schuler.

Taking the reins from Khan is LaVerendrye MLA Konrad Narth, who will fill in as interim leader until one is elected by the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives. Narth was contacted by The Carillon for an interview but did not return calls by press time.

On Tuesday morning, Khan came out swinging against some of his former colleagues during an interview with CJOB.

He said Kathleen Cook (Roblin), Richard Perchotte (Selkirk), Lauren Stone (Midland) and Jodie Byram (Agassiz) were among the Tory MLAs who were plotting to meet in secret on Monday night.

Khan said constituents deserve to know which of their elected representatives “lacked moral integrity.”

The PC Party has lost ground under Khan’s leadership, according to a quarterly Winnipeg Free Press-Abacus Data poll which showed the Tories losing ground to Premier Wab Kinew and the NDP.

Kinew’s personal approval rating increased five percentage points to 68 percent year-over-year. Khan’s rating fell three points, to 31 percent.

With an election coming up on Oct. 5, 2027, nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of those surveyed said they would vote for the New Democrats and 29 percent said they would back the Khan-led Progressive Conservatives.

“This is not unusual for a leader to have to defend him or herself when the polls are tanking,” said Christopher Adams, University of Manitoba adjunct political studies professor, to the Free Press.

“When your numbers are tanking, and you’re a sitting MLA and you’re looking around (wondering), ‘Well, which of us is going to survive the next election, and can we do it with this person?’”

Paul Thomas, University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus, told the Free Press on Monday evening that Khan’s move was not unexpected. “Support for his leadership was never strong within caucus, within the party at large or among voters,” he said.

Adams said there’s no obvious successor waiting in the wings to replace Khan. Daudrich quit the party and ran unsuccessfully as a Keystone party candidate in the summer byelection in The Pas-Kameesak.

The PC Party hasn’t announced plans for a leadership race yet.

with files from the Winnipeg Free Press