Obby Khan stepping down as Manitoba PC leader
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Khan → step → leader
Khan, who was elected leader of Opposition party last year, will stay on as Independent MLA for Fort Whyte
Obby Khan is stepping down from his position as leader of Manitoba's Opposition Progressive Conservatives, saying divisions within his caucus have left him "no choice" but to resign.
Khan made the announcement just after 5 p.m. CT Monday, after he survived what appears to be a symbolic confidence vote on Friday.
It's not clear which member of the PC caucus triggered that vote, or for what reason.
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member → elect → reason
Speaking to reporters at the legislature Monday evening, Khan said the votes in that confidence motion were two to one in his favour, but "a small group of MLAs have decided that those results are still not enough.
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results → speak → MLAs
"
"It has become clear to me that after Friday's majority vote in my favour would not resolve the divisions within our caucus, it has left me no choice," Khan said.
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Khan → become → choice
Under the PC Party's constitution, a new leadership race can only be triggered at this point in the election cycle if the position becomes vacant, the leader ends up mentally or physically incapacitated, the leader requests a leadership race or a simple majority of PC members vote in favour of a race at a general meeting.
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majority → trigger → meeting
However, Khan said over the course of the weekend, he learned some members of the PC caucus planned to meet Monday evening in what he described as an effort to "subvert the democratic will" of the caucus.
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he → say → caucus
The decision to resign is "not [about] whether I could fight.…
uncertain
I → resign → ?
You all know me, I like to fight," said Khan.
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Khan → know → me
But "I will not spend the next chapter fighting with my own party, my own caucus, when I came here to fight the NDP … and to hold this government accountable," he said.
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he → spend → NDP
Khan said he will resign from the PC caucus, effective Tuesday, but will continue on as the MLA for the Winnipeg constituency of Fort Whyte, sitting as an Independent.
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he → say → Independent
"I cannot be a part of a caucus with a small minority membership that lacks moral integrity, that will not abide by our rules, our principles, our code," he said.
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he → lack → rules
Khan thanked some members of the 20-person PC caucus by name during his resignation speech, including former interim party leader Kelvin Goertzen, as well as MLAs Ron Schuler, Greg Nesbitt, Rick Wowchuk, Derek Johnson, Trevor King and Colleen Robbins.
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Khan → thank → Goertzen
Khan became the party leader last year, after former Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson stepped down in early 2024.
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Stefanson → become → 2024
He won the leadership in a tightly contested leadership race against Wally Daudrich, a Churchill hotel and ecotourism company owner who has since quit the party.
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who → win → party
Khan, who was an entrepreneur and a former football player with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers before entering politics, was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 2022, winning the Fort Whyte seat in Winnipeg in a byelection.
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who → enter → byelection
He became leader in a contest sparked by the resignation of Stefanson, who stepped down as party leader months after her PCs lost the fall 2023 provincial election to Wab Kinew's NDP.
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PCs → become → NDP
When elected to the role last year, Khan became the first Muslim, as well as the first Canadian from a South Asian ethnic background, to lead the party.
"For the first time in the party's history, someone who looked like me, prayed like me, carried a family story like mine stood here as the party leader," Khan said Monday, having to pause to collect himself as his voice cracked with emotion.
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voice → elect → emotion
Whatever happens after today remains history."
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happens → happen → today
Khan did not take questions from reporters after his nearly 20-minute speech at the legislature on Monday.
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Khan → take → Monday
Currently, the Tories hold 20 seats in the 57-seat Manitoba Legislature.
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Tories → hold → Legislature
The governing NDP have 34, the Liberals hold one and there are two Independents.
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Liberals → govern → one
The next provincial election is not slated until October 2027.
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election → slat → October
Struggle for PCs
Under Khan, the PCs have struggled to whittle away at the popularity of Wab Kinew's NDP government.
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PCs → struggle → government
In a byelection last year, the Tories narrowly held on to the rural Manitoba Spruce Woods seat — a normally safe riding the party has held since 2011.
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party → hold → 2011
Khan's time as Tory leader has also seen him butt heads with the NDP in the legislature, in particular with Premier Wab Kinew, in what one political expert described as "outright hostility" between the party leaders.
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expert → see → leaders
Last October, Khan apologized after making a gesture in question period that mimicked shooting himself in the head while Education Minister Tracy Schmidt was answering a question.
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Schmidt → apologize → question
And earlier this year, the Speaker of the legislature ruled Khan had made "hateful" remarks when he called Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, who is non-binary, "a terrible person, whatever you are."
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you → rule → Asagwara
Manitoba's legislature is slated to resume on Tuesday.
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legislature → slat → Tuesday
The PC Party said as of Monday evening, it did not yet know who will be serving as interim Opposition leader.
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who → say → leader
In a two-line statement Monday evening, Tory deputy caucus chair Josh Guenter, the MLA for Borderlands, acknowledged that Khan had stepped down and will sit as an Independent.
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Khan → acknowledge → Independent
The PC caucus will meet Tuesday morning, and will "have more to share tomorrow," Guenter's statement said.
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statement → meet → more
In his own statement Monday evening, former interim leader Goertzen thanked Khan for his work as leader.
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Goertzen → thank → leader
"Leadership in politics is always challenging and comes with sacrifice," including time away from family, wrote Goertzen, who has said he will not run for re-election in his Steinbach constituency.
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he → come → constituency
He wished Khan "well in the time ahead," and said he hopes "he has more time to make special memories with his son."
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he → wish → son
The Aporia
